This article has an apt title. It is an interview with a visionary man, one who will probably remain at the forefront of the digital convergence movement for years to come. What sets David Nagel apart from most other chief executive officers (CEOs) is his mentality and education. They are a hybrid of the hard sciences, social sciences, and, of sheer necessity, business acumen.

The interview spans Nagel’s entire academic and business career, beginning with where he grew up, and extending through his current position as CEO of PalmSource. Nagel begins by answering questions about his early years, demonstrating an obliviousness to his own extreme talent. For example, he finds himself a national champion marksman in his childhood, but stops shooting for ethical reasons after his maturity catches up with his precocious mental capacity. He then describes his hybrid education, first in mechanical engineering, and later in acoustics, psychology, and human factors.

The interview meanders through Nagel’s various positions in academia and corporate settings (he does better in research and corporate settings than academia). Details about Nagel’s family are gracefully folded in. But, the interview becomes most interesting when Nagel actually begins doing what he does best, talking about the current and future status of various technologies. As a techie reader, I felt as if the key part of the interview was just beginning, was disappointed at how short it was, and wished it could continue for a lot longer than it did.

After researching various media pieces from the last decade featuring Nagel, there is no doubt in my mind that he has a talent for suggesting the course for future technologies. (Nagel had a role in getting the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to set aside free spectrum for wireless devices of the future.) Although the interview did a superb job of distilling Nagel’s life, I feel it should have culminated in a well-developed exposition of Nagel’s visionary capabilities.