Hi John!
Since your life has taken same rather big and strange turns over time (heck, Peter Norton, the other PC software pioneer, is now collecting contemporary modern art, you are collecting young women, guns and designer drugs!), I would like to ask you: If you could do your life over again, what things would you change? Or, maybe put in a different way, if you could give your younger self some advice, what would it be?

In 1993 you participated in the dutch VPRO television series 'Een schitterend ongeluk' ('A glorious accident'), with a very long, interesting and openhearted interview and an encounter with 6 top scientists of different disciplines. I recently watched the series again, and it totally lived up to the fond memories I had from 20 years ago. I can't remember any other non-fiction television making such an impression on me!

What recollections do you have from the interview and the encounter? Did it have some impact on your (scientific) views?

Thank you

I was sitting with a friend at his computer, and his mouse was responding rather badly because of the accumulated dirt. He happened to have a bottle of 96% cleaning alcohol on his desk, so I proposed to clean the mouse with it. My friend took this proposal rather strongly, so he took out the ball, and poured the alcohol in. The stuff started running out, and we decided the best way to get rid of the surplus alcohol was to set in on fire. So there we were, looking at a burning mouse, enable to blow the fire out, because we were laughing so much.

And yes, the mouse still works.