CW -- or Curt, as his family calls him -- first started working with computers in 1983, when his family purchased their first computer: an Apple IIe. Curt learned the basics of keyboard skills, loading and saving files, and simple BASIC programming by simply putting in long hours in front of the computer screen. A few books on the subject and a couple of magazine subscriptions increased his confidence, and he began designing graphics, doing more complex BASIC programming, troubleshooting, and simple modifications. At one point, when his uncle refused to spend "good money" on a word processor, Curt sat down with one of his computer magazines and painstakingly typed in thousands of lines of hexadecimal code from its pages. After a couple of weeks, the family had a word processor.
In high school in the mid-1980s, Curt took as many math, science, and computer classes as were offered. Here he learned still more complex BASIC programming and was introduced to Pascal. The school used Apple II's in most of the classrooms, and Curt became the unofficial Apple tech when the school's "head tech" wasn't available. He also was exposed for the first time to DOS-based PCs, learning the DOS commands that are helpful even today when working with Windows PCs.
When Curt went to college at Iowa State University in 1987 and '88, he majored in computer science. Here he learned still more about DOS- and Windows-based PCs, but the focus was mainly on the school's VAX mainframe computer. Students would "rent" time on the mainframe, accessing from terminals at the library or at various labs across campus. Saving and printing were all done on the mainframe. The system seems archaic now -- students and instructors didn't have their own disks or even their own printers, and had to rely on the (not always very reliable) mainframe for everything from attendance to term papers. But it was a big step up from the punchcard-based system that had been retired just a year earlier ...
Curt transferred to Simpson College in 1988, and although he'd been introduced before to the Macintosh platform, this is where he really had time to explore the system and get to know it. The ease of use over Windows- and DOS-based PCs was incredible, and the reliability of the Mac over the PC became evident. Curt transferred all his songs, record lists, and other important files to the Mac. He started doing graphic design for the album covers he and his band would release. When his fiancée, Donna, graduated from Simpson, in 1992, she and Curt made sure to use her student discount to purchase a Mac of their own: a Macintosh LC II.
As Curt and business partner Steve Hudspeth began building Trifecta Studio in 1993 and '94, they began exploring computer-based recording systems. Digital audio workstations (DAWs) were still priced out of reach for all but the very richest studios, but MIDI sequencing was a great way to add functionality to an otherwise analog-driven studio. They bought a Macintosh LC III computer and set up a MIDI workstation at the Evans Street studio, using the system to sequence keyboards and drum machines -- even recording MIDI data directly from acoustic drums.
When the studio moved to 51st Court, Curt and Steve bought a Windows-based DAW. They eventually migrated their audio work to a Macintosh-based DAW, and then moved into video with Mac-based AV workstation. It became Curt's job to maintain the Macs and the PCs: keeping software updated, repairing connections between pieces of equipment, troubleshooting the operating systems, maintaining a network, occasionally building or rebuilding the computers from the ground up.
When the studio closed in 2002, Curt realized how much tech work he'd actually been doing in recent years -- and the extent of his experience. He'd been responsible for maintaining a network of six computers at the studio, with systems as diverse as Mac OS 7, 8, 9 and X, MS-DOS, and Windows 3.1, 95, 98 and NT. He'd learned all the troubleshooting tricks peculiar to each operating system. He'd maintained a stockpile of spare parts -- monitors, hard drives, RAM sticks, cables, power supplies, even entire spare computers.
Even studio clients were beginning to depend on Curt to keep their computers in tip-top shape. Word began to spread outside the music community, and Curt realized that he had the makings of a new business, rising from the ashes of the old. When Curt and Donna moved to Atlantic, Curt decided to make it official. He'd be responsible for getting their daughter to and from school each day, and would spend the hours between working on computers. Clientele grew slowly at first -- one client would tell a friend about Curt, and the friend would give him a call -- then the new client would tell a friend, and so on.
Now WinMacTech is nearly a full-time job, with Curt working on computers from his workshop at home, or "going remote" to work on clients' computers at their homes or businesses. There is stiff competition in Atlantic for the Windows clients, but Curt is one of the few Mac specialists in the area, and he sees about half his customers for Macintosh service. "Mostly upgrades on the Mac side," says Curt. "You just don't see the viruses and spyware on the Mac side that you do in Windows. Sure, parts wear out in any computer, and those need to be fixed too. But the Macs are a lot more reliable on the software end."
Even some of his competitors are beginning to refer their Mac traffic to WinMacTech. "It's a great feeling, after only two years in Atlantic, to have this level of trust in the community, even among my competitors," Curt says proudly. "It's my fervent hope to keep that trust, by providing a great service to my clients, and to make them feel good about calling me back again."
Curt and WinMacTech work within a radius of about 30 miles around Atlantic, although Curt does occasionally see clients back in Des Moines, or new ones in Council Bluffs and Omaha. His prices are competitive -- $35 per hour plus parts and software. "I charge the same whether you bring your computer to me, or I take my tools to you." Of course, sometimes it's necessary to bring a computer "back to the shop," because that's where all the tools and software are. Curt treats every client's computer with pride and care -- as if it were his own.
You can reach WinMacTech and set up an appointment to see Curt by clicking the "Contact" link at the bottom of this page. "I'm getting busier all the time, but I can usually squeeze in a new client or an emergency call pretty quickly," Curt says. "It's just one more way I'm trying to earn my clients' trust."
Contact Curt at
WinMacTech!
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