Don Rittner: Difference between revisions
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Rittner has also appeared as an extra in several films (Ironweed, Age of Innocence, Winter of Frozen Dreams, Aftermath, Payback...), and is a founder of the Schenectady Film Alliance with Nick Barber. He maintains a film alliance listserv. Rittner has been producer and host of several radio shows including Inside the Net, one of the first radio shows about the Internet (1992) and was publisher of ''The Mesh - Inside Cyberspace'', one of the first newspapers about the Net (1995). He also published ''Hardcopy for the Common Good'' in the 1980s, and currently publishes ''Skenectada'', a newspaper about the history of Schenectady County. He appears as a regular on ''Mulrooney in the Morning'' show on Wednesday mornings on The Edge 104.9, a leading Albany rock radio station and talks about local history. He is the president of New Netherland Routes, Inc., a non profit organization that is building a replica of The Onrust, the first ship built in New York State in 1614 and first American Yacht. |
Rittner has also appeared as an extra in several films (Ironweed, Age of Innocence, Winter of Frozen Dreams, Aftermath, Payback...), and is a founder of the Schenectady Film Alliance with Nick Barber. He maintains a film alliance listserv. Rittner has been producer and host of several radio shows including Inside the Net, one of the first radio shows about the Internet (1992) and was publisher of ''The Mesh - Inside Cyberspace'', one of the first newspapers about the Net (1995). He also published ''Hardcopy for the Common Good'' in the 1980s, and currently publishes ''Skenectada'', a newspaper about the history of Schenectady County. He appears as a regular on ''Mulrooney in the Morning'' show on Wednesday mornings on The Edge 104.9, a leading Albany rock radio station and talks about local history. He is the president of New Netherland Routes, Inc., a non profit organization that is building a replica of The Onrust, the first ship built in New York State in 1614 and first American Yacht. |
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During the 1970s, he led the fight to save the famous Albany Pine Barrens, known as the Pine Bush and was responsible for the city of Albany acquiring its first preserve known as the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. During 1983-89 he served as the preserve's manager. |
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During the latter 1980s he directed a social service agency which had a homeless prevention program with a 100% success rate in keeping mothers and their kids off the streets. In addition he created the first cardboard recycling program in the city of Troy which netted the city a few hundred dollars each week from recycled cardboard picked up from area businesses. In 1988 he produced a small documentary on a 10 year girl who had lead paint poisoning and initiated a law to ban lead paint in low income housing in the the city of Troy. He developed a free lead paint test kit that was used for testing in low income housing. |
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From 1988 to the present he was editor of MUG News Service, a computer news service that provided Apple User Groups around the world with monthly news disks that were sponsored by software and hardware companies. In 1992, he worked with Child Find of America and produced the first electronic directory of missing children on disk that was distributed to every user group in the United States for free distribution in their local areas. |
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In 2001 he created The Learning Factory a private education center located in an area mall to offer low priced classes for the public but in particular single mothers in order to increase their job skills. |
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He attributes much of his success to his mentors through the years: college teacher Lou Ismay, scientists Vince Schaefer, Bernie Vonnegut, and Roger Cheng; historian John Wolcott, and peace activist/singer Pete Seeger. |
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==Books (partial list)== |
==Books (partial list)== |
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Revision as of 22:33, 9 February 2009
Don Rittner is a historian, archeologist and author of the Capital District, Schenectady County, New York; in December, 2004 he was named official Schenectady County Historian, responsible for providing guidance and support to municipal historians and serving as a conduit between the State Historian in Albany and the local historians in their counties.
Rittner's career continues the work of William B. Efner, former Schenectady City Historian. During the 1930s and 40s, Efner studied the old colonial roads and taverns of the Pine Bush region between Albany and Schenectady.
Rittner was named Albany City Archaeologist in 1973 and began excavating colonial tavern sites in the Pine Bush. He completed Efner’s work in relocating the old King’s Highway and in 1975 erected sixteen King’s Highway markers that are still visible along the route.
He has published 30 books in history, science, and technology.[citation needed] From 1999 to 2005, he wrote a history column for seven years for the Troy Record called "Heritage on the Hudson".
Rittner manages the Capital District Preservation Task Force listserve that provides daily newspaper coverage in history, planning, and preservation to more than 80 leading preservation and environmental groups.
Rittner has also appeared as an extra in several films (Ironweed, Age of Innocence, Winter of Frozen Dreams, Aftermath, Payback...), and is a founder of the Schenectady Film Alliance with Nick Barber. He maintains a film alliance listserv. Rittner has been producer and host of several radio shows including Inside the Net, one of the first radio shows about the Internet (1992) and was publisher of The Mesh - Inside Cyberspace, one of the first newspapers about the Net (1995). He also published Hardcopy for the Common Good in the 1980s, and currently publishes Skenectada, a newspaper about the history of Schenectady County. He appears as a regular on Mulrooney in the Morning show on Wednesday mornings on The Edge 104.9, a leading Albany rock radio station and talks about local history. He is the president of New Netherland Routes, Inc., a non profit organization that is building a replica of The Onrust, the first ship built in New York State in 1614 and first American Yacht.
During the 1970s, he led the fight to save the famous Albany Pine Barrens, known as the Pine Bush and was responsible for the city of Albany acquiring its first preserve known as the Albany Pine Bush Preserve. During 1983-89 he served as the preserve's manager.
During the latter 1980s he directed a social service agency which had a homeless prevention program with a 100% success rate in keeping mothers and their kids off the streets. In addition he created the first cardboard recycling program in the city of Troy which netted the city a few hundred dollars each week from recycled cardboard picked up from area businesses. In 1988 he produced a small documentary on a 10 year girl who had lead paint poisoning and initiated a law to ban lead paint in low income housing in the the city of Troy. He developed a free lead paint test kit that was used for testing in low income housing.
From 1988 to the present he was editor of MUG News Service, a computer news service that provided Apple User Groups around the world with monthly news disks that were sponsored by software and hardware companies. In 1992, he worked with Child Find of America and produced the first electronic directory of missing children on disk that was distributed to every user group in the United States for free distribution in their local areas.
In 2001 he created The Learning Factory a private education center located in an area mall to offer low priced classes for the public but in particular single mothers in order to increase their job skills.
He attributes much of his success to his mentors through the years: college teacher Lou Ismay, scientists Vince Schaefer, Bernie Vonnegut, and Roger Cheng; historian John Wolcott, and peace activist/singer Pete Seeger.
Books (partial list)
Natural History
- Pine Bush – Albany’s Last Frontier
- EcoLinking : Everyone's Guide to Online Environment Information
- "The Zodiac - Dedicated to Science, Literature and the Arts"
- "Naturalist At Large Environmental Cartoons (with Raoul Vezina)"
Human History
- Schenectady, New York
- Albany
- "Albany Then and Now"
- Albany, New York
- Lansingburgh
- Troy, New York
- Troy
- Troy, NY : A Collar City History
- "Troy Then & Now"
- "Remembering Troy - Heritage on the Hudson"
- "Schenectady's Stockade - New York's First Historic District"
- "Albany Revisited"
- "Troy PBA: 1903-2003"
Encyclopedias
- Encyclopedia of Chemistry (with R. A. Bailey)
- Encyclopedia of Biology (with Timothy Lee McCabe, Timothy L. McCabe)
- A to Z of Scientists in Weather and Climate
Computers
- "Macazine Presents the Mac"
- The iMAC Book
- Rittner's Field Guide to UseNet
- The iMAC Book : An Insider's Guide to the iMAC's Hot New Features
- iMac, iBook, and G3 Troubleshooting Pocket Reference
- "Usenet "
- "Whole Earth Online Almanac"
- "Macarcade"
- "Macarcade - Japanese Version"
- "Online Astronomy"
Don Rittner Quotations
"I may not know everything, but I'm working on it."
“A Leader is someone who can do everything him(her)self, but let's other people help him(her).”
“Trying to save ecosystems has more to do with changing egosystems.”
"The Mac is not a computer. It's a way of life."
“Civility is only a passenger - not a driver - on the information superhighway.”
“There are 5,000 great people for every jerk on Usenet. But that still is a lot of jerks. Proceed with caution and eyes wide open.”
“No matter how well you know the rules of netiquette, you will eventually offend someone who doesn't.”
“The Net is the ultimate empowerment tool. You have the right to express your opinion to a global audience, but everyone has the right not to pay any attention to it.”
“Rittner's Computer Law: "Never argue with people who write with digital ink and pay by the kilowatt-hour."”
“Most computer users don't think about backing up their software until the day they lose it.”
“A formula for computing in the workplace: one third of the time is spent being productive. One third of the time is spent playing games. The remaining third of the time is spent trying not to get caught.”
“Digital wisdom is made of recycled electrons that are meaningful until you pull the plug."
“History is an intricate web of of timing, people, circumstances, and serendipity.”