World Cup Memo Written By Steve Jobs Going Up For Auction

New submitter Dega704 writes with an excerpt from El Reg: "Before Steve Jobs came up with the iPhone or even the Apple II, he designed paddles for ball-flipping games at Atari where the scruffy 19-year-old was employed to improve game design. Sotheby's New York will auction off a document dating from Jobs's time there: a 1974 report that Jobs wrote for his boss suggesting ways to improve arcade game World Cup. According to Jobs' biography, his Atari days are most notable for his clashes with colleagues, who he considered to be 'dumb shits'. He was made to work night shifts there partly because he was in a phase of refusing to wash and so he apparently smelt bad, causing complaints from his co-workers. But Jobs obviously did some work at Atari too, with the document laying out his ideas for improving player experience. The typed four-page document includes three circuit designs in pencil and additional designs for the paddles and alignment of players defending a soccer goal."

"refusing to wash.."

[Severus Snape]

Further proof towards geniuses are normally mad.

I refuse too wash too!

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm going to be a billionaire!

Re:Steve WHO?

[Frosty Piss]

Speaking of The Woz, I kind of wish he would install his office web cam again... One wonders if he took it down because it caught him surfing porn one too many times...

Re:"refusing to wash.."

[starworks5]

He employs them in his apple stores

Re:"refusing to wash.."

[jhoegl]

I laughed, then I realized you might be serious... so I laughed harder.

Re:Venerated as a demi-god

[Vinegar Joe]

Steve Ballmer with better fashion sense.

Re:Steve WHO?

[Anonymous Coward]

I was working as a sales rep in a Silicon Valley computer store in the early 80's. I knew the Woz and many other notables (I sold 3com their first 100 PC's). One day Woz's mother came into our store, looking for a joke present for the computer geek son who had everything geeky he could want. I sold her a bottle of "Bug Off" - anti-static spay for his monitor! ... :-)

Re:Venerated as a demi-god

[caitsith01]

Yep, would you rather be (a) uber successful but smelly, nasty, humourless and loveless, or (b) less successful but regularly bathed, kind, funny and loved?

Of course this is slashdot so I should offer option (c), unsuccessful, smelly, nasty, humourless and loveless.

Re:Venerated as a demi-god

[Man On Pink Corner]

Yeah, I guess that explains why Ballmer followed Jobs around like a bipolar chimpanzee, repeatedly insulting and dismissing Apple products on Monday and paying legions of engineers to try their best to copy them on Tuesday.

Yeah, Jobs and Ballmer, two peas in a pod.

Just one question: were you dropped on your head as a child?

Re:Only a video game?

[Man On Pink Corner]

I thought it was going to be a memo about how to improve the snoozefest that is soccer/futbol.

Let's see...

1.1.14.a: All players will be issued 9mm handguns with one cartridge each, except that the goalkeeper shall receive three cartridges. Players are allowed to handle the ball with their elbows, heads, feet, or rackets. All horses, except for those participating in the game, must be tied securely on the sidelines with sponsors' logos removed or covered. Matches will continue for 25 minutes or until no players remain awake. Players may purchase supplementary PCP at the on-field concession stand. Broadcasts, recordings, and retransmissions in any form are prohibited without the express written consent of Batman. The use of polearms in excess of 3 meters in length is prohibited except during league play.

Nope, still not worth watching.

Re:Venerated as a demi-god

[Bacon Bits]

Of course this is slashdot so I should offer option (c), unsuccessful, smelly, nasty, humourless and loveless.

I have a perfectly good sense of humor, thank you very much.

Re:Steve WHO?

[hawk]

Bah.

Including a keyboard, case, and power supply.

computers for sissies that can't handle a soldering iron.

What's next--put a program in rom so you don't hae to key it in???

humbug

Hawk

Re:Steve WHO?

[mwvdlee]

According to iHistory 2.0, Jobs did.
Apple is working on remotely deleting iHistory 1.0 to improve your history experience.

Re:Steve WHO?

[jez9999]

I sold her a bottle of "Bug Off" - anti-static spay for his monitor! ... :-)

Was his monitor at risk of getting pregnant?

Re:Steve WHO?

[no bloody nickname]

I think you mean he COULDN'T have cared less.

No. It's part of a quote and has become mainstream because of frequent use.
The quote is "I could care less but I honestly don't know how" - with a few variations.
Since we are are becoming increasingly allergic to writing long sentences this one
is used so often the original has been all but lost.

Typical Jobs

[Digital Vomit]

If you look closely at the document, you can see where he erased "Wozniak" and wrote "Jobs"...