Dear David: A long time ago -- before cloud computing -- there was Cloud City. You know the address... A certain location in Bespin where Han Solo was encased in Carbonite (circa 1980, Earth time). He was quite well protected, and actually survived the freezing process.
Fast forward to 2005 or so. You co-founded Carbonite -- which was designed to deliver simple, affordable cloud-based backup.
Hmmm... An urban legend says you named your company after that Besbin freezing process. The legend goes on to say that your Carbonite offices included conference and meeting rooms named after certain far-off destinations? Perhaps Yavin 4 or Hoth? (I don't recall the exact names.)
"It's True. All of It"
But this legend about Carbonite -- the business -- being named after that freezing process? One source says I should "unlearn what I have learned." Another, referring to the Carbonite naming rumor, says "It's true. All of it."
And that's why I'm ready to make this offer. A long time ago -- while I was blogging for another website far, far away -- you and I had a conversation about the future of the Star Wars franchise.
It was somewhere around 2009 or 2010. You smiled as you recalled seeing The Empire Strikes Back for the first time. And you smiled as you described your own business -- Carbonite. And we both avoided talk about the Prequels. (Let's just agree to wipe them out. All of them.)
At some point during that discussion, I think I made an offhand comment -- promising to look you up if George Lucas ever revived the franchise.
There Has Been An Awakening
Now, fast forward to present day. Thankfully, George isn't involved this time around. J.J. Abrams, king of the reboot, is now seated at the controls.
Even with the blast shield down, sitting through The Force Awakens has got to be more enjoyable to see than Episodes I, II and III. I can see you smiling already...
David Friend
And therein resides my offer. I'm set to see Episode VII with my family a few times in December. But once the ticket lines reside and the hype wave ends, I'd love to compare notes with you. Maybe in January at a theater near Boston.
Sorry, I'll likely arrive alone. Much like J.J.'s decision to leave Jar Jar behind, I've got to leave a former personality (ahem, Th* VA* Gu*) behind. Still, I'll arrived with plenty of popcorn if you save me a seat.
Yours Truly,
A fellow fan
Joe Panettieri is co-founder & editorial director of MSSP Alert and ChannelE2E, the two leading news & analysis sites for managed service providers in the cybersecurity market.
David Friend
