"In the fields of observation, chance favors the prepared mind…"
-- Louis Pasteur, 1854
In the summer of 1995, while exploring the outer peripheries of Macworld Boston’s smallest exhibit hall, I spotted Charlie Jackson sitting all alone at a very modest 8’ skirted table. A few years prior, Charlie had sold his beloved Silicon Beach software company for a handsome profit, and he had recently bank-rolled Wired Magazine.
I approached Charlie and asked him what he was up to. He explained that he was helping his former employee, Jonathan Gay, start a new software company, called Future Wave. Jonathan was working on a new drawing program. I wondered out loud if the world was clamoring for another drawing program. He agreed, and then he added, “It also has a cool animation feature. Do you think vector-based animations might be useful for Internet content delivery?” Absolutely!
Before I left, Charlie had me signed up as a beta-tester for their little drawing program. The program was called “Smart-Sketch”, which evolved into “Future Splash” and eventually became the product we now know as “Flash”.
The Point?
I found something special that day, because I was looking for something special…So, I encourage you to live each day looking, with your eyes and mind open to the possibilities and opportunities that God presents! -- SL