after hearing his presentation to a packed room.

Gave him a sample of Tweek ™--a 'contact enhancer' which Worked:
(That is: stack a bunch of BNC M/F connectors in a line with/without this substance: and the resistance is Higher than with Tweeked surfaces. Talking milli-Ohms here.)
A product marketed by a physicist friend re audio.. but really: for any e- connector where you want max. conductivity.

Got a note back a bit later: he made Tweek his Product of the Month [in Byte], listing my addy for contact address. (It instantly fixed a flaky keyboard-key.
Sub-note: when IBM wanted me to ship ~ a dozen tiny bottles on 'Invoice', I replied that I did not deal with credit, for all obv. reasons: I Be 'Small' Finally.. they sent me a check!
Never heard back re. what Their lab 'thought' of this nostrum! Mentioned here, eons back.

Anyway, in retrospect [I had just then bought a copy of his Footfall, BTW] I guess he indeed suffered from the Heinlein Disease, certainly the Hawkish strain 'SDI'?!--INDEED!!
but he was pleasant enough when he pocketed my sample and we exchanged a few pleasantries.
(Can't recall fershure now the CP/M Mondo/Monstrous machine he had at home: 'Compu-[Pro?]; this was back in ~'84 IIRC.)

Haven't followed his trajectory since those days..

My My-- as regards ARPANET's raison d'etre: the ƒeare.. [of Congressional troglodytes] was In the Room, just like McCarthy daze only a trice earlier.
And: TODAY. Le plus sâ change.. ... endemic to this kultur, we see.
We *are* ... the bizarre Bazaar.

There's a sub-plot I'll only limn re Tweek:
The (undiluted) substance was *snared by a Canadian, who charged something in $n-000/liter (litre?) and was as irascible as.. well: You.
But without the panache. Or the Sense (re people, especially.)

* He didn't own the Tweek ™ and IIRC some others' use of his Stuff ran into problems over That [fact.]
Have lost track of Dave F. and subsequent history of the substance..
I was amazed (as was skeptical-Dave) until I did the Test. hP 5-digit 4-wire Ohmmeters don't Lie.
Still unclear how the micro-chemical/alloy surface managed to cajole electrons into lock-step.. y'know?
(Sumiko/Berkeley CA still exists--once Dave's company, but dunno if they still carry Tweek, etc.)

Sure I have that issue of Byte somewhere--but it's ancient history now--kinda like 'democracy' in Murica.