• 11Oct 08

  So my grandfather founded Activision...

  "Richard Muchmore

  Co-founder of Raychem Corp.

  Richard W. (Dick) Muchmore of Atherton, a Silicon Valley pioneer, died April 14 at Sequoia Hospital. He was 82.

  Mr. Muchmore was born in Augusta, Kansas, and moved to Redwood City as a youngster. He graduated from Sequoia High School and Stanford University's School of Engineering.

  In 1957 he, together with James Meikle and Paul Cook, founded Raychem Corp. in Menlo Park, based on their belief that high-energy radiation could be used to transform lightweight, inexpensive plastics into high-performance, electrical insulation products.

  "Dick was an important contributor to Raychem's new product innovations, but more importantly to the creative methods of manufacture necessary for their commercial success," said Paul Cook.

  "Dick was brilliant at taking new product ideas and figuring out ingenious and novel processes to produce them," Mr. Cook added. "Since it was Raychem's strategy to develop and introduce dozens of new products each year, Dick's role was very demanding."

  Mr. Muchmore left Raychem in 1973 to start his own venture capital business, Muchmore Enterprises, but remained on the Raychem board of directors for many years. Muchmore Enterprises was one of the first venture capital businesses to locate at 3000 Sand Hill Road. He helped finance and establish several businesses, including Activision video games with his close friend, Jim Levy.

  For several years he owned Los Gatos Lodge in Los Gatos, a popular site for weddings and social functions.

  Mr. Muchmore was an avid golfer and a member of Sharon Heights Golf and Country Club for many years. He played golf with his parents as a youngster and, as an adult, played most of this country's and Europe's best courses. He was an avid reader and art collector, especially of works by California artists.

  In addition to business travel around the world, he and his [third] wife, made frequent trips to Europe. Mr. Muchmore contributed to many charitable causes, especially in India where he traveled several times." - The Almanac & Stanford Magazine; Obituaries; April 24, 2002

  So Raychem is now Tyco Electronics. Raychem was on the Fortune 500 for near fifteen years, reaching #290 in 1992. Raychem was crucial in international aerospace development from its founding in 1957. Raychem patented about every wire invented. Without Raychem, there would be no computers, phones, or NASA. They were responsible for the communications boom of the seventies and fueled the Cold War space race. And Activision is... well you know: The best, biggest, and baddest company west of EA Games. They were the first video game company. Sweet?

  • Posted Oct 11, 2008 12:34 am GMT
  • Category: People
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• 16May 08

  Response to Gamakarmica's "The Disintegration of the Hardcore Gamer..."

  I need to be immersed because I need to feel the story. I research the games I purchase sometimes longer than the time actually spent playing the game. I play my FPS and racing games on the hardest difficulty, my RTS and RPG on normal. I beat all achievements, secrets, primary objectives, secondary objectives, and then check to see if I missed anything. What am I then?

  I am a perfectionist and am perfect, an audiophile and a videophile, an artist and a scholar. I like eating smalltime Italian and Indian cuisine with my fine wine and beer. I am a man of all flavors; I like most genres of games, movies, music, and life. I am proud and humble. I dare you to classify me. Each is unique to his own. Surveys and classifications with scales and tables just simplify a person to the point they are so easily understood that they are never understood. I could write a book about myself. You could write a book about yourself. Are you a hardcore or casual gamer?

  To me a hardcore gamer represents one who invests interest in the story, graphics, sound of a game, and how it all fits - technical and plot elements together. To me a casual gamer represents one who is indifferent and plays for thrills or any of the aforementioned elements alone; a casual gamer goes for just eye candy, just story, just sound, and doesn't care really if it doesn't work out with everything else, not because they care so much about that one thing but that they really could care less at all. Does anyone agree?

  • Posted May 16, 2008 4:12 pm GMT
  • Category: Editorial
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