Walter Hutchens’ Blog

I went to law school on the theory that I would convert my interest in China into a professional direction. That plan worked, and I am extremely happy that it did. I love what I do.

But before going to law school I had another job I liked: working in Sillicon Valley for Apple Computer. My role there was not highly technical; I worked among the ranks of folks generally referred to as “mar-comm” (marketing and communications). Basically I was a PR hack, focused on “internal audiences” in a group called Employee Communications. I edited the company’s internal newsletter, which was distributed to employees worldwide. That was often great fun–I followed new product and corporate developments (they had several reorgs and changed CEOs while I was there). They sent me to Tokyo to cover a Macworld conference and to China in connection with Apple’s support of the NGO Forum of the UN’s Fourth World Conference on Women.

A reason I got the job at Apple and enjoyed it is that I am an afficianado of information technology. I love the constant newness and the things IT can make possible–like enabling someone in the Washington DC area to closely follow developments in Chinese securities markets in “real time” and to communicate globally with others focused on the same esoteric area.

So though not an engineer or programmer, I have remained an enthusiastic and moderately advanced user of IT apps and hardware.

Though my technology passion has been subdued in recent years, it has never been extinquished, and sometimes bouts of technology lust consume me. I become obsessed with getting a new computer or other gizmo.

There’s been a recent episode. I fought off the impulses for a while, but then just relented and did what I wanted to to.

I’ve bought a Tablet PC and a Pocket PC.

The Tablet is an NEC Versa LitePad.

The Pocket PC is HP’s new iPAQ 4705.

I will write more about my new toys later. For now suffice it to say I am in love.