Larry Tesler (IEEE Member)

Date of Birth: 24 April 1945

Birthplace: Bronx, New York

Height: 178 centimeters

Family: wife, Colleen; daughter, Lisa

Education: B.S. in mathematics, Stanford University, 1965

Patents: three, related to Apple Newton

Hero: Steve Jobs

Most recent book read: Creation: Life and How to Make It, by Steve Grand

Favorite author: Tom Robbins

First Job: medical librarian, Knickerbocker Hospital, New York, N.Y.

Computer: Mac PowerBook

How his wife describes him: "Too patient"

Bet you didn't know: he once funded a project to build a computer for a really smart gorilla. The Gorilla Foundation researchers working with Koko, a lowland gorilla taught American Sign Language in 1972, thought it would be interesting to see if Koko's language skills could be translated to a computer touch screen. Tesler authorized a few cohorts at Apple to build a rugged computer, based on the Macintosh, to do so. Koko found operating the simple software they provided yawningly easy. Years later, Tesler joined the board of the Gorilla Foundation (http://www.koko.org) and continues to serve on it.