MacDirectory Magazine

INTERVIEW DOS computers that I had already used with friends, and how easy it was to write reports, even using accents that are so frequent in Italian language. I had seen several Macintosh Classics, but that Apple II was the real first one I used myself. MA > Did you use any other Apple computers? BDG > I met again an Apple II at the university in Pisa, where a professor was using it for everything. Later in 1992, when I started my diploma work, I was responsible for a laboratory and the data analysis computer was a Macintosh IIci. It was immediately my best friend in everyday work. It was connected to a big, bulky and very nice color printer and I produced my first reports and presentations using that machine. I later owned a Powerbook 190, a LC III, a Performa 5200, a Wallstreet Powerbook, a Pismo Powerbook, a G3 desktop, two G4 Powerbooks, a black MacBook, a MacMini, and now I’m writing these answers using my 2008 MacBook Pro. MA > How has Apple helped you with your professional and research work? How about in your personal life? BDG > The advantage of Apple computers is that maintenance is really very low. I never had to re-install the system (that seems an activity quite often experienced by users of other platforms). All that helps a lot my professional and research work because I can concentrate on that and use the computer as an instrument and not worry about it. With the adoption of the Intel processors, I had the possibility of installing virtual machines with Linux installations. I can jump from Linux, that is the platform we widely use for all our computing needs, to Mac by just clicking command-Tab. My wife and I travel a lot and we like to shoot photos and record movies. At home we have our multimedia collection of photos, music, videos on a MacMini connected to our TV and synchronized with my wife’s MacBook. The MacBook follows us on all our trips and we manage to stay connected with everybody and quickly download photos and video footage while we are far from home. Once at home the material flows to the MacMini connected flawlessly with just a “Bonjour!”. MA > I had no idea that Apple technology was so integrated in your daily life! How about at your work? Is Apple used at CERN or used in any aspect of the Collider? BDG > Not that I’m aware of for the Collider. We have many iMacs in the ATLAS control rooms, used as terminals. Many physicists working at the Collider and many of my colleagues in ATLAS are always carrying their MacBook Pros around (the majority now have the newest models and I’m getting jealous). MA > So why don’t you get an iPad and make them all jealous? Will you get one? BDG > The iPhone and iPad are a new approach to computing, with the replacement of keyboard and mouse, by direct touch interaction. However for me it is important to be able to edit documents, already deal with so much technology around and we are saturated with new things every day; at the least the computer has to be robust and reliable. MA > If you were leading the development department of Apple, what conceptual products would you like to see developed? BDG > I’d like to replace paper completely and to do so I would like to have a screen where I can write what I would write in my paper logbook. I know there are tablets, but these are appendices. Yes I can write on the nice keyboard of my iPhone, and possibly better on the iPad. But I would be much faster having the possibility to write with a pen (even with an electronic pen). There are PCs that allow that, but there are not Macs with such a capability. In the past I used electronic pens, writing on special paper, but to read the information back I had to use specific programs on non-Apple platforms. And of course running these platforms on the Mac, via virtual machines, was inefficient. MA > Perhaps Apple is not investing on such technologies because writing and typing may be soon obsolete. Apple has been investing on solutions to effectively translate voice commands. BDG > I think Apple and Steve Jobs have been having volcanic ideas to satisfy the multimedia needs, but not enough for the good old writing. Culture is reading, but also writing. not only to have multimedia capabilities (these are only for the free and relaxing time)… I would consider getting one to avoid going around with my MacBook Pro and use such a device as a bridge for a final synchronization with the MacBook Pro. That remains the master machine. MA > It appears that many physicists are Apple users. Is my impression accurate? BDG > I always had this feeling because a physicist needs to concentrate on his work and he doesn’t want to be the system manager of his machine beyond the absolutely needed level. A computer has to be like a pencil; it must work. We I’m a fan of cars and if I could have a Mac built in a car, managing music, video and navigation system and be able to write small notes and connect to 3G or WiFi. It would make me very happy. I know there are many carputers, but I mean a real joint venture with a car producer and a system fully engineered by Apple, not just a painful bricolage. MA > Yes, I like this idea! We can’t help but agree. Perhaps Steve Jobs will read this article and get the ball rolling on this enticing idea! In the meantime, we’ll wait for word from Di Girolamo and his colleagues on the composition of dark matter, the missing Higgs boson, and those other illusive particles that carry the mysteries of the universe, and of course the auto- integrated navigation system from Apple. 124 MacDirectory

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