Fernando wrote:I cannot avoid the knowledge that Ron is a human being after all, so prone to maximize his pros and diminish his cons.
As you intimate, it is a natural thing that most of us do - probably with very little thought. Every time someone writes their own resume - formal or in a defacto context - they are painting themselves in the best possible light. And I have never seen a person's resume and found that it agrees with my own assessment of them. Infact my work colleagues and I used to have a bit of a laugh when our company continually downsized and we are always writing our own resumes. They were always a good laugh because our resumes made us all look like we could rule the world, even though on a purely technical level you could not actually dispute the printed word. Or perhaps to put if more accurately, debunk the written word. Actually, it would be a hilarious world if we were all completely and utterly honest to each other about our personal and professional strengths and weaknesses on a routine basis.
Do I say, for example on a hypothetical resume that I reached professional diploma standard on the violin and gave a solo performance at the Sydney Opera House to a packed and enthusiastic audience? All completely true and beyond any dispute. They are facts. But it is all about word constructions and painting a rosy picture. Or do I tell it this way? Well, yes, I got to 7th grade and aced the exam with an A plus. I was then studying the A. Mus. A diploma work and had met all the practical requirements for the exam having got the repertoire all ready and passed the test. But you also had to take an extensive theory exam which would have taken a heck of a lot of extra study. But by then, I got sick of the whole thing and realised that at 18 I needed to get into a proper profession, since I realised I would never make it as a pro. So I went into a computer traineeship (for which I am eternally thankful, though I remain a a passionate classical music enthusiast and knowledgeable connoisseur to this day, especially on the subject of the violin). So I never did the diploma even though I did the practical work which when you think about it, it what actually matters in a performance. So yes, I
did play at the actual
standard and there are no actual lies in that original phrasing I wrote. And as for that solo? Well it was a 5 minute performance of a Brahms Hungarian Dance at a school end of year awards night. It wasn't a 30 minute performance of the Mendelssohn with the Sydney Symphony followed by an encore of Paganini's 4th Caprice...
Look, I appreciate Nelson's contributions as much as anyone though I have to admit I am not really the Nelson fanboy that many others are. But that said, I acknowledge him without any question whatsoever as a genuine pioneer, competent producer of beginner and hobby level machines and obviously an ingenious micro-electrical engineer. His contributions are substantial beyond any doubt whatsoever. I even have a higher opinion of him having read some of anecdotes - for example the loan he made to Fidelity and the issues surrounding the Mephisto buyout.
And yes, I have to admit that many broken Excalibur machines over the years as has soured my taste for those products (though my Excellence remains perfectly serviceable - at least after resoldering the entire circuit board!!).
Still, I think I have taken away from this a summation of everything that transpired which I am happy with. I acknowledge that Ron Nelson authored the GM but at the same time in my opinion the contributions made by others in the overall production of that model (and Mirage, H8 Igor) were substantial enough that they quite simply have to be acknowledged in the same breath. To do so is I think a disservice. Furthermore, without the necessary qualifications to authorship, there is no real explanation for the drop in strength in later machines, since as I say it cannot be explained purely by a slower processor and lack of pondering.
Chess is like painting the Mona Lisa whilst walking through a minefield.
