Recently, I was standing beside a hockey field, watching one of my daughters play a match. Like so often happens at these events, conversations with other parents started. At some point, someone asked me: “What do you actually do for work?” I explained that I am a technology journalist. That naturally led to a conversation about technology, innovation and the way the world is changing.
After a while, he asked me a interesting question: “Do you have a kind of role model? Someone you consider to be a really great technology journalist?” I did not have to think for even a second. “I guess that would be Jerry Pournelle,” I said.
For many people today, that name probably does not immediately ring a bell. But for me, Jerry Pournelle represents something that has always been at the heart of technology journalism: curiosity.
Pournelle was not just a journalist. He was also a science fiction author, a computer enthusiast and someone who had a deep connection with the world of space exploration. For many years, he wrote the famous “Chaos Manor” column for Byte magazine, one of the most influential computer magazines of its time. His writing was different from many traditional technology articles. He did not simply describe products or repeat announcements from vendors. He experimented. He built things. He tested technology himself and shared his experiences, including the problems and frustrations he encountered along the way.
That was what made him special. He approached technology as something you had to understand by using it. He was not only interested in what a computer could do according to a specification sheet. He wanted to know what happened when a real person worked with it. Learning by building and experimenting.
I became a technology journalist in a time when technology magazines were still big and influential. I remember waiting for those international technology publications to arrive. Computerworld, PC World, NetworkWorld, Byte. When the latest issues came in, I immediately wanted to take them home. I loved those magazines. In the evenings I used to read them back to front.
At the publishing company where I worked, we had a library with many international business publications. Magazines like BusinessWeek and Fortune were primarily there for the management team. They were considered important reading for directors and executives. But I was fascinated by them too. Whenever I had the chance, I would “steal” those magazines from the library and read them at home. I wanted to understand what was happening beyond the world of IT. What were companies thinking about? Which technologies were changing industries? How were leaders looking at the future?
Looking back, I realize that those moments shaped the journalist I became. Technology journalism is not only about knowing the latest processor, ERP-solution, 4GL tool, cloud platform or software release. It is about understanding the bigger picture. It is about being curious about people, businesses, society and the impact of technology.
That is exactly what I admired about Jerry Pournelle. Even at an age when many people would have slowed down, he remained incredibly active and curious. He continued writing, experimenting and exploring new developments. Technology kept changing around him, but his curiosity never disappeared.
I am younger than Jerry Pournelle was when he was still actively writing, but I recognize that same curiosity. I still enjoy discovering new technologies, reading about unexpected developments and diving into subjects I know little about. Whether it is artificial intelligence, space exploration, digital autonomy or completely new ideas that appear out of nowhere, there is always something new to learn.
And that might very well be the most important lesson from people like Jerry Pournelle. Technology changes constantly. The tools we use today will eventually become outdated. The platforms we consider revolutionary will one day be replaced. But curiosity remains. Or maybe I should say: curiosity needs to remain.
Because that is what makes a great technology journalist like Jerry Pournelle. Not the ability to predict the future perfectly. Not knowing every technical detail. But having the desire to keep asking questions, keep experimenting and keep learning.
I see that Jerry’s website is still available at https://www.jerrypournelle.com/.