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Library of Congress Control Number: 2003114793
ISBN: 0-7645-4997-9
Manufactured in the United States of America
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About the Author
After spending his first two post-college years working for a dead-end corpo- ration that encouraged its employees to use euphemisms to disguise the fact that they were manufacturing nuclear weapons with the potential to wipe out most forms of life on the planet, Wallace Wang decided that his life was meant to be spent doing something more exciting than existing in a corporate culture that stifled freedom and democracy while building missiles ostensibly to protect freedom and democracy. With the thought of escape in his mind, he bought one of the first IBM personal computers on the market — and quickly realized that the accompanying computer manuals were completely incom- prehensible.
After deciphering the manuals and learning to master the arcane commands of the ancient MS-DOS version 1.25 operating system, Wallace decided to pub- lish fragments of his notes in a local computer magazine for the amusement of others — and to provide an alternative source of income for his eventual departure from the mentally suffocating environment of the military-industrial complex.
After people began responding favorably to his introductory computer maga- zine articles, he continued writing more, eventually turning to writing full-time. For the first time, he managed to earn a living in a job that didn't involve devel- oping something that could blow up people who happen to live in another part of the world.
Today, the author is happily pursuing a dual career in the book publishing industry and the stand-up comedy industry. His eventual goal is to convince people that enjoying yourself while learning is all right. In the meantime, he plans to continue making fun of any idiots and morons who happen to get in his way.
Dedication
This book is dedicated to all the wonderful people I've met along the path of life, including . . .
Cassandra (my wife), Jordan (my son), and Bo, Scraps, Tasha, and Nuit (our cats).
Lily Carnie, the only person I know who can truly see both sides of the story.
All the friendly folks I've met while performing at the Riviera Comedy Club, located at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas: Steve Schirripa (who also appears on the HBO show, The Sopranos, which you can read about at www. hbo.com/sopranos), Don Learned, Bob Zany, Gerry Bednob, Bruce Clark, Darrell Joyce, Tony Vicich, and Kip Addotta. The next time you're visiting Las Vegas, drop by the Riviera and watch a comedy show. Then dump some money in a slot machine on the way out to ensure that the Riviera Hotel & Casino continues making enough money to keep its comedy club open.
Patrick DeGuire, who helped me form Top Bananas (at www.topbananas.com), our company devoted to providing clean, quality stand-up comedy to the wonderful people in San Diego. Thanks must also go to Leo (the man, the myth, the legend) Fontaine, Chris (the Zooman) Clobber, and Dante (who gets excited just to see his name in a book).
Author's Acknowledgments
If it weren't for Matt Wagner and Bill Gladstone at Waterside Productions, I may never have written this book (and someone else may have). That's why I don't mind paying these guys 15 percent of the book royalties so that they can afford to buy their groceries.
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