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Walter Dodson
Walt is a freelance writer working in San Francisco. Covering topics from tourism to wine collecting to sport scuba diving, his articles have appeared in some of America’s most well known weekly magazines.

Walt answered a few questions for Spike Webb Productions so you could get to know him a little:
SWP: Walt, why have you stayed away from covering the high-tech industry?

WD: In a world where you’re only as good as your last press release, Silicon Valley writes its own history as it goes along. The last thing anyone down there wants is an objective view being reported. Journalism sort of gets in the way.

SWP: But you held out as long as you could and now the gravitational pull of Silicon Valley’s industry and gossip line has finally pulled you into the center of what you call "the modem pool." What do you mean by "modem pool?"

WD: I’ve been calling it "the modem pool" for quite a while, I guess. It used to be the guys covering high tech were the only ones who used PCs and modems to send in their stories. It’s also kind of joke about how they do there work. You know, download press releases, sprinkle in a few of their own words and upload to the editor’s desk. Who’s doing more work, the writer or the modem?

SWP: But now you’re part of it.

WD: I hope I’m not part of it. At least I’m telling myself that doing this Ack-Nack project is different. My goal is to get some visibility for what I think are widely held views that don’t seem to get any coverage. I think I’m the only "techno-moderate" on the planet. Somebody has to start speaking for the level-headed majority. It’s time for some sanity.

To see how moderate you think he is, follow Walter Dodson’s view of cyberspace here each week in the Ack-Nack section of Spike Webb.