The Big Byte

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A fictional case of computer fraud in the 1980s. Systems programmer Lester wants more variety in his job. To raise his profile, he plans to pull off a simulated fraud and finds to his amazement how easy it is to collect a few million dollars. So why give the money back? However, disposing of the loot is not so simple and Lester has no idea how deep he is in diabolical trouble. In the heyday of large mainframes, security was pioneering at best, software technologists often worked almost uncontrolled and barely controllable. The plot weaves in a dozen “horror stories” from insiders about management assumptions and shoddy practices in computer centres of the time.

Geoff Clynes

Geoff Clynes is an Electronic Engineer with a Masters in Business Administration, but over the last 20 years has been a facilitator for business with planning and marketing, on the side helping small and start-up operations. No electronics now, the field moves too fast. He actually retired (for the third time) in December 2009. Geoff has authored two texts in the 1990s on Direct Marketing in Australia, and opened new national businesses for Texas Instruments (computers, 1970s) and Telstra (Business sales, 1980s). For much of the last ten years, as an adviser and contractor he has covered South and West Gippsland as a Small Business Mentor (State Government related) and a Small Business Field Officer ( Australian Government initiative) and volunteered services to three local shires on projects such as bushfire recovery, start-ups and businesses that need help. In 2013 he published an eBook autobiography, Life in the Bumpy Lane, through Smashwords.