In 1956 City Lights Books in San Francisco published Allen Ginsberg’s Howl and Other Poems, including “Howl for Carl Solomon,” which is based on the experiences of Ginsberg and other members of the Beat Generation. I have followed the form and borrowed words and phrases freely from Ginsberg’s poem in the my attempt to describe the development of the personal computer and to portray the Digital Generation. My poem is based on personal experience, conversations with people in the industry, and the written historical record. In writing this poem I have made every effort to stick to the historical facts as closely as I felt like at the moment.
– Len Anderson, 2003