Most widely-published journalist you've never heard of, proud of it. Over a half-century of freelancing + zero days on staff = No fake news! Not award-winning, except for 3 of Rolling Stone’s “500 Worst Reviews of All Time”. Insatiably curious, hard-boiled, reporter/editor. Devoted to accuracy, originality in stories. Leaves ‘em laughing.
Interactions: Ditlea (a.k.a. RealZelig/ForrestGump) has connected with John Wayne, Stevie Wonder, Margaret Mead, Danielle Steel (in elementary school together), Columbia President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Robert De Niro, Rita Hayworth, Ralph Nelson, Ted Nelson, Willie Nelson, Raelyn Nelson, Molly Ivins, P.J. O'Rourke, Jeff Greenfield, L. M. "Kit" Carson, Jimi Hendrix (what a nice guy), Doug Kenney, Da Liu, Daniel Bell, Andrew Sarris, Aretha Franklin Robert Downey Sr., Yoko Ono, Howard Cosell, Laurie Anderson, Paul Auster (in same college course), Richard Pryor, Maggie Kuhn, Lenny Kaye, R. Meltzer, Marvin Minsky, Jerry Wexler, Michael (Mr. Mike) O’Donoghue, Kevin Donahue, Timothy Leary (close friend in later years), W. Edwards Deming, J. Presper Eckert, Steve Jobs (what a piece of work), Fleetwood Mac, Marty Scorsese, General Charles de Gaulle (insulted), Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Bob Marley, Blair Sabol, Michael Dell, Tim Berners-Lee, Gene Simmons, Esther Dyson, Jerry Garcia, Mayor David Dinkins, Alice Cooper (toured with), John Van Dusen Lewis, Woody Lewis, Peter Lewis, Shari Lewis, Maggie Kuhn, Cab Calloway, Emilio Fernandez, Nick Tosches, Bill Gates, Phil Ochs, Cheech Marin, Joan Baez (“miracle ticket” for Newport Folk Fest), Bob Dylan, Rob “Dylan Would Be Nothing Without Me” Stoner, Sam Peckinpah, Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge, SHA NA NA, David Lehman, David Shapiro, Kenneth Koch, George Stade, Hart Perry, John Perry Barlow, Paul Weintraub, Frank Zappa, Linda Ronstadt, Karen Black, Hunter Carson, Bruce Dern, Roger McGuinn, Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, Jim McBride, Peter Max, Ray Bradbury, Jaron Lanier, Elton John, Bob Guccione Jr., Susan Berman (notorious murder victim), Brian De Palma, Denny O'Neil, Ted Richards, Andy Warhol, Chris Frantz, Stan Lee (cut up his credit card), James Brown, William F. Buckley Jr., Henny Youngman (two fan letters from), Frank Capra, Jerry Nadler, Rev. Al Sharpton, Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith, Dakota Johnson, Donald Trump and Marla — sounds like "We Didn't Start The Fire"? — oh yeah, Billy Joel!
Career Highlights:
Technology reporter, editor for Inc., Upside, Popular Mechanics, Scientific American, CyberTimes, Technology Review, Consumer Reports, 914INC. et al.
Music journalist for Circus, Penthouse, Rolling Stone, New Ingenue, The New York Times, Playgirl, Country Music, SPIN.
Cinema chronicler for Columbia Spectator, SHOW, TV Guide.
Medical reporter, feature writer for New York Daily News, Poughkeepsie Journal, White Plains Journal News, USA TODAY Network.
Media columnist for AdWeek, Publishers Weekly, Marketing Technology.
Book author, editor for Scholastic Publishing, Workman Publishing, Microsoft Press, Que Corporation.
TV movie writer for ABC/Disney; VR lecturer for Program Corporation of America.
Specialties:
Mature big-picture understanding, personality-driven science writing, boldfaced names coverage, health and medical developments, technology trends and uses, business sagas and start-up tales, computer history, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, technology marketing, consumer electronics, product testing and reviewing, popular culture, movies, music of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s. Black puma-like cats, especially Sheena, who could have been a punk rocker...
Milestones: '68 New York Times front page photo above the fold. '69 Columbia Spectator feature on Brian De Palma, Robert De Niro. '71 Original film star flown to on location: Rita Hayworth in Mexico. '72 First rock band interviewed for Circus Magazine: Fleetwood Mac. '73 Rolling Stone review predicting Willie Nelson stardom; SHOW feature on John Wayne. '76 Discovered Bill Gates, Steve Jobs. '78 "Rock Stars," published by Scholastic Press, including chapters on Fleetwood Mac (after Stevie Nicks), Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, etc. '81 Put Steve Jobs on first national magazine cover for INC. '84 “Digital Deli” hatched with twelve dozen contributors on computer culture. Now a classic. '96 Web coverage for CyberTimes, The New York Times' pioneer effort in online publishing. '01 U.S. Supreme Court’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg rules for in Tasini v. New York Times (filed '93) '06 In O.R. for early minimally-invasive knee replacement with inventor Dr. Stephen Haas '11 Found biotech company Regeneron's co-founder George Yancopoulos for 914INC biz mag cover story. '22 First opinion piece for USA TODAY Network on herd journalism.