Why Cal Still Rocks

I am no apologist when it comes to homerism and the University of California at Berkeley. It is widely regarded as one of the best schools in the world, and on many of those lists it is declared the best university in the world beating out the rest, so says even the London Times. I blogged this previously.

It bears saying again: Berkeley is better than your school. First, with sixty (60_ Nobel laureates and counting, no other university comes close, not to mention a small collection of Turing Award laureates. The list of distinguished Cal alumni is absurdly long and Wikipedia has an entire article listing a small selection. If you want the best education you can get, then Cal is your school. Good luck getting in because it's not easy. But Cal is special inspiring fierce loyalty, giving an unparalleled education, and teaching beyond education by giving a special sense of community found nowhere else on earth. Not to mention, it's near San Francisco, one of the best cities there is.

Here is a small list of Berkeley Alumni (or attendees in a few instances) to give you an idea of what Cal can produce:

Technology amd Science: Nine (9) astronauts, and so many people in the computer industry it’s impossible to calculate. But Cal grads are responsible for Xerox, Intel, Apple, Atari, Rambus, Sybase, and others. Dozens of mathematicians and physicists. Douglas C. Engelbart (inventor of the computer mouse), Steve Wozniak (Apple Computer) are some of the more recognizable names.

Fiction: Philip K. Dick, Robert Baer, Jack London, Terry McMillan, Vikram Chandra, and Amy Tan.

Music: Stewart Copland (drummer for the Police), Susanna Hoffs (Bangles), Stephan Jenkins (Third Eye Blind), and Adam Durtiz (Counting Crows).

Journalism: Scott Adams (Dilbert), Pauline Esther Friedman (Dear Abby), Jann Wenner (Rolling Stone), Peter Chernin (CEO Fox and President of News Corporation), and William Randolph Hearst, Jr. Conservative talk show hos Michael Savage was a Berkeley liberal hanging out with his former friend Alan Ginsberg before his brains were scrambled and he went further right than Bush.

Actors: Bill Bixby, Jeff Cohen (Chunk in the cult classic film The Goonies), William Hung (sorry), Stacy Keach, Jerry Mathers (The Beaver), Gregory Peck, George Takei, and John Cho.

Business and Finance: Stephen D. Bechtel (Founder Bechtel), Jean Paul Getty, Donald Fisher (founder The Gap), Walter A. Haas (Co-founder Levi Strauss & Co), Edgar F. Kaiser (founder Kaiser Permanente), Howard Lincoln (chairman Nintendo America, retired), Thomas J. Long (fonder Longs Drugs), Sanjay Mehrotra (co-founder SanDisk), Michael Milken (rogue trader), Paul Otellini (CEO Intel), John Riccitiello (CEO Electronic Arts), Arun Sarin (CEO Vodafone UK), John Scharffenberger (dounder of world famous chocolatier), Ralph Warner (founder Nolo Press), and Dean Witter himself. Cal’s first master’s degree was awarded in 1865 to Gardner F. Williams, the first manager of DeBeers Consolidated Mines.

Heads of State and Government and Politics: At least seven (7) presidents, prime ministers, princes, princesses, prime ministers, and at least nine (9) governors. The crown prince of Norway is currently in attendance. Over a dozen secretaries of various governmental departments including Dean Rusk former Secretary of State were loyal Bears. Legislators and mayors (including Ron Dellums) too numerous to list belong to this elite club. As of today there are eight Cal grads in Congress. Jerry Brown is a Cal grad but that may count as a negative. Even historical figures such as Hiram Johnson are Cal grads -- he in 1888, for Cal is historic if nothing else.

Judiciary: Earl Warren, chief justice of the US Supreme Court. Lance Ito of OJ Simpson fame, and others many others far more distinguished but not as famous.

Athletes: Again so many including Jason Kidd, Kevin Johnson (with whom I attended classes), Kyle Boller, Steve Bartkowski, Joe Kapp, Joe Roth, Joe Rose, Russell White, and Chuck Muncie. There are over two dozen Cal Olympians as well, of which Matt Biondi is perhaps the best known. The Cal Rugby team is the best in the NCAA winning 22 out of the past 27 titles including 12 in a row from 1991.

And More: Alice Waters (Chef), Timothy Leary (counter-culture icon), Ted Kazcynski (the Unabomber), and the universally famous Rube Goldberg. And let us not forget Jay Ward, creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Dudley Do-Right, and others. In an interesting side-note many fictional characters are Cal grads too from Jack Bauer on 24, to Monk, to Mrs. Robinson in the legendary film the Graduate.

GO BEARS!

Anna Nicole Smith Dead

Yeah. I realize it's a sad time for her troubled family. I am not criticizing her in this post nor am I judging her. I just have one question. Why is this national news? It's a tragedy when one of my relatives dies, but why does anyone care -- it certainly doesn't make the paper. She has no real claim to fame. Why are we being besieged with news about it?

Almost Famous

Someone had asked me last week if I was 'friends' with anyone famous. That's interesting because everyone defines 'friend' differently. We drifted off into the do you know anyone famous, and then would anyone famous recognize you discussions? So I decided to compile a list of sorts. Feel free to us the comments field to post your lists.

First, we have the Pro-Entropy brigade. Pro-Entropy had three celebrities: Dave Barry, Terry Pratchett, and Douglas Adams. As sysop I did get to interact with them from time to time on technical issues. A pretty literary group I suppose. I've only actually met Dave though. Via e-mail I've corresponded with a number of people over the years, but that doesn't necessarily mean we're friends or even that they know who I am: Orson Scott Card, Terry Pratchett, and Douglas Adams, the most significant. And, back in the days before email, when paper ruled the world, Herb Caen and I exchanged letters.

Then we have the 'celebrities who would recognize your name' collection: Dave Barry, Philip Michael Thomas, and Rocky Frisco. I know these three would recognize my name for sure -- but that doesn't mean I'm friends with them. Okay, I'm friends with Rocky and we've never even met. But, although I know more celebrities, I can't imagine they'd remember who I am. My ego isn't big enough to pretend otherwise.

We also have the semi-famous as well. John Charles, I feel, is a celebrity. I know him well, but I don't know if he counts based on the fact not everyone knows him. Everyone should know him.

In terms of famous people I've actually met (that means there was an introduction and a conversation) there's a long list. Don Johnson, Philip Michael Thomas, Olivia Brown, Edward James Olmos, John Diehl, Michael Talbot, and Saundra Santiago (the entire cast of Miami Vice) where my mother was part of the OCB Detective extra brigade. Philip and I both went to Berkeley and I even have a nice little booklet he authored back in his school days which he wrote a poem on and gave to me. He's an awesome guy. I also spent some time talking to EJO right before the Oscars when he won for Stand And Deliver: that was at the cast season wrap part for Vice. I also met Michael Mann at one of the cast parties along with Melanie Griffin when she was still with Don. Melanie was really sweet to me -- I was still a teenager and very impressed with her. (Come on, teen guy meets hot babe.....)

On airplanes I've briefly encountered: Jimmy Johnson (thrice), Don King, Jerry Lewis, Richard Kiel, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley (whilst they were married), Robert Di Niro, David Bowie, and Iman. I also sat near John Grisham -- I don't know him, didn't meet him, and didn't even say hi. I knew it was him because the person behind him was reading one of his books and his face was on the back of the book jacket and it was a bit surreal seeing someone sitting in the front row and the person behind him reading a book with his face on it.

I've briefly encountered some famous musicians as well: Eddie Veder, Neil Young, and Jimmy Buffett.

I've been less than 10 feet away from several presidents: Clinton (four times in two cities), Bush Sr, and Bush Jr (thrice). I've never met them, though I secretly wish my fist could meet the face of Bush Jr to thank him for all he's done for this country. (That isn't a threat, just a secret fantasy for all you secret service types). I ran into Ernesto Zedillo the former president of Mexico and had a very brief conversation, but I won't count that since I had no idea who he was until after I had met him.

Although I never met her, DAR Systems had Joan Collins as a customer. I still have a copy of the first order she placed.