Apple founder and tech pioneer Steve Wozniak participated Monday in a San Francisco-based lecture series, The Discovery Forum, which serves to increase awareness about the importance of childhood creativity, and raises support for the Bay Area Discovery Museum's educational exhibitions and programs.
Wozniak, in conversation with TV anchor Dana King, discussed some of the projects he played around with as a child such as wiring circuits and building ham radios. He said he never thought his interest in electronics would lead to a career--his interest was the result of personal curiosity. (He also went off topic for awhile on his Prius problems.)
An important step he learned early in life, Wozniak said, was the capability of doing a long-term project, in excess of 100 hours of work, and finish it to completion. He cites an early Tic-Tac-Toe project he built for a science fair in 12th grade. In the project, he used "cosmetic reject" transistors from Lockheed--where his father worked--to understand the rules of computing and product design steps of a large scale project.
Fostering this sort of personal exploration and creativity in children is paramount, Wozniak says, because "When you're self-taught, your motivation is perfect."
