Most people know the obvious facts about technology industry luminary Bob Metcalfe.
 
That he fathered Ethernet. Was a professor at Stanford University. Cofounded 3Com Corp. Was CEO/Publisher of InfoWorld. Became a journalist for the same publication, writing the gotta-read column "From the Ether." That George Gilder named a law after Metcalfe, entitled, appropriately enough, "Metcalfe's Law." That he organized illustrious annual tech events – Vortex and Agenda – attended for years by illuminati and industry rock stars alike. Pop! Tech is his current conference foray, held in his favorite seaside town in Camden, Maine. And that he joined Polaris Ventures in 2001 to give the venture capitalist business a try.
 
Yeah, that Bob Metcalfe. Renaissance man. The guy who said we should reinvent ourselves every 10 years.
 
In a recent interview at Boston's L'Espalier, we probed the mercurial mind of the Brooklyn-born, high school salutatorian and MIT varsity tennis team captain of Norwegian descent. Thanks to the cheese delays, we covered a wide range of topics.
 
Beaupre Buzz: Belated congrats on your 2005 National Medal of Technology Award. What was it like receiving this at the White House?
 
Metcalfe: I was there with my parents who are 80 and 85 years old. My two children were there. My wife and I. They told me I could only bring three guests, but my assistant asked and the White House added more. The reception was in the Blue Room and the ceremony was in the East Room.
 
Beaupre Buzz: What was your one take-away moment from that evening?
 
Metcalfe: The joy seeing the reaction of my parents.
 
Beaupre Buzz: What was it like growing up your first five years in what you have previously described as "the Norwegian ghetto" of Brooklyn?
 
Metcalfe: There were a lot of Bobs. My Dad was Bob. My Uncle was Uncle Bob. My cousin was Cousin Bob. My father-in-law is Bob. My mother-in-law is Babo. My aunt called her own husband "Uncle Bob" just to keep things straight.
 
Beaupre Buzz: What did they call you?
 
Metcalfe: Bobby.
 
Beaupre Buzz: What is the tech industry screwing up these days?
 
Metcalfe: I don't think it's Windows versus Linux. A pox on both their houses, both their 25-year old kludgey houses. What the world really needs is a new operating system, one that's actually easy to use and doesn't crash.
 
Beaupre Buzz: How is today's entrepreneur different from the entrepreneur of one decade ago?
 
Metcalfe: Today's entrepreneurs remember the Internet bubble and think they've learned something from it – ha!
 
Beaupre Buzz: Speaking of the Internet bubble, what was that all about?
 
Metcalfe: To capture that moment in time, you just need to remember the seven most feared words of the Internet era: "You just don't get it, do you?"
 
Cheese Choices – L'Espalier's resident "Fromager" stops by to inquire about our interest in ordering from their not-so-ordinary cheese tray. Metcalfe's eyes light up. We order many different kinds, spanning the world of cow and goat milk from The Netherlands, France, Tasmania, Italy, and Westfield, Vermont (sorry, no Cabot, who knew?).
 
Beaupre Buzz: You say plenty of people are knocking on your door at Polaris to start new companies – are their ideas significantly different from a few years ago in terms of not falling into the traditional hardware/software/networking/life sciences buckets? Are you seeing more variety?
 
Metcalfe: This is no time for hardening of the categories. The variety is endless. It makes venture capital really interesting and subtle.
 
Beaupre Buzz: What criteria is most important to you in selecting potentially winning companies to fund? How important is gut feel in the process – 50 percent - 80 percent?
 
Metcalfe: Gut feel seems to be everything. Gut feel about the people in particular. Often we pass because life is too short.
 
Beaupre Buzz: Compare yourself to Steve Jobs and Bill Gates.
 
Metcalfe: Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are two of my heroes, which doesn't mean they are perfect. By contrast, Steve makes me look easygoing and friendly, suffering fools gladly. What I admire most about Steve are his high standards. Bill makes me look easygoing and friendly, not out to conquer the world. What I admire most about Bill is his relentlessness. Steve and Bill can both be cruel, but if you want to make an omelette, you have to break some eggs. May they live long and prosper. Meantime, I'll try harder to be relentlessly nasty.
 
Beaupre Buzz: Who are the bad guys in the tech industry today?
 
Metcalfe: All the members of the U.S. Telephone Association, including Verizon. It's a hundred year-old conspiracy in restraint of trade. The USTA bastards have lobbied and litigated the 1996 Telecom Act to death.
Beaupre Buzz: What have your children taught you?
 
Metcalfe: My generation was amazed by technology. We said things like "You won't believe this but I'm talking to you right now from an airplane!" My kids say things like "But if there were no PCs, Dad, what did they run Microsoft Word on?" Different technologies create different life experiences. This poses a challenge to marketers.
 
Beaupre Buzz: Are you more of an inventor or an innovator?
 
Metcalfe: Innovator.

Cheese update: The cow and goat byproducts have not made it to our table.
 
Beaupre Buzz: Where's the real action today?
 
Metcalfe: Universities are where it's at.
 
Beaupre Buzz: How has the business world changed in your lifetime?  
 
Metcalfe: Cultural differences are decreasing. There once were 100,000 languages. They are diminishing by the day. Soon there will only be one. And it won't be French.
 
Beaupre Buzz: Do you ever relax? If yes, describe a moment of extreme personal relaxation.
 
Metcalfe: In the hammock at our Maine island camp, reading a book in an afternoon breeze.
 
Beaupre Buzz: Which begs the question about your favorite book of all time.
 
Metcalfe: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.

Beaupre Buzz: Why?

Metcalfe: It explains most of what goes on in politics. I value individuals over the collective (yuck).
 
Beaupre Buzz: What recently read book energized you?
 
Metcalfe: The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil – it made me a Singularitarian.
 
Beaupre Buzz: Which of course begs a few cliché interview questions – tell me about your favorite movie, favorite performance art and all time favorite tune.
 
Metcalfe: Blade Runner; anything by Moliere; "Will you still love me tomorrow?" by The Shirelles.

Beaupre Buzz: The Shirelles? Really?

Metcalfe: I was impressionable.
 
Beaupre Buzz: You mentioned Gates and Jobs. What's your view of Larry Ellison?
 
Metcalfe: A genius and hardworking SOB who enjoys winning and is a frequent target of losers.
 
Cheese update: We confront our server and inquire about its whereabouts. Apologies ensue. Action is taken.
 
Beaupre Buzz: What's the next big thing besides 'video internet'?
 
Metcalfe: The next big thing does not change weekly. There are eight + billion microcontrollers shipped every year and very few of them are networked. Companies like Ember are out to change that.
 
Beaupre Buzz: What 'new generation' tech CEO impresses you and why?
 
Metcalfe: Eric Schmidt. A stand-up guy.
 
Beaupre Buzz: Do you like it when a magazine puts you on their cover with a headline entitled "Bombastic Bob's back?" (November 14, EE Times)
 
Metcalfe: I subscribe to the Hugh Hefner school of PR - any press is good as long as they spell your name correctly.
 
Beaupre Buzz: Why do you like to stir it up so much? What childhood event triggered this behavior?
 
Metcalfe: I climbed the ladder of success. If things were not stirred up in America, I would not have had a chance.

Finally, the cheese arrives.

- Andy Beaupre