Scott Weitz is kind of a man for all seasons. Yes, this self-taught tech consultant has a variety of interests and causes. But it’s also because he rides a bike to clients —come wind or foul weather.
Weitz, who has lived in Rockridge for 46 years, abandoned his four-year scholarship to the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY) when “the lure of the West interrupted that educational model.”
“I’m always studying something,” the 70-something former philosophy major said. “I have a very youthful mindset. My primary interests are science, art, and mathematics.”
He backs that up with memberships in the California Academy of Sciences and the de Young and Legion of Honor museums.
In school, Weitz said, “I took every science course I could—even though I didn’t need them. And in the late 1980s, I became interested in computer technology. I mostly learned by doing. I have four main Macs (Macintosh computers)—one in each room—for ease of access. It’s all about being connected.”
Some of you may remember Weitz from the iconic Sunrise Bookshop on Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley, where he worked for more than 20 years until its 2011 closing. It was renowned for metaphysical books and an atmosphere of burning incense and soothing music.
It was there, Weitz said, “that I found a number of my computer clients. That proved a springboard to what I do today” which is installing and/or repairing all things technological including computers, televisions, cell phones, and cameras.
“I work with people on a one-to-one basis on all parts of the techy umbrella,” Weitz said. “I try to simplify their lives with respect to technology. I’m in the helping profession.”
Rockridge residents Doris and George Krevsky found themselves “struggling with the set-up of our new TV that had unfortunately gone black as we were using all of our cunning to find Jeopardy,” George said.
“After numerous efforts to find a human being that speaks ‘customer service,’ we went to My Emergency Guy on College Avenue, who referred us to Scott Weitz. He peddled up the hill to Golden Gate Avenue, promptly wrestled our TV into submission, chatted amiably, left his card, and peddled away.”
Weitz helped Elmwood resident Chuck Farnsworth self-publish three family books, working with him over three years. “He did an excellent job getting me past the computer glitches,” Farnsworth said, “he’s good at layout and production and very efficient and comfortable to work with.” He and his wife, Elizabeth Farnsworth, a former PBS journalist, were amazed that Weitz was always so punctual, “showing up on the dot, even when he biked here in the rain.”
Think of Weitz as he thinks of himself, “I’m a low carbon footprint, ecologically conscious, kind of person.” Transportation means walking, BARTing, or relying on one of his three Trek bicycles or his e-bike.
“I ride 5 to 10 miles a day,” he said, “If I need to be somewhere sooner rather than later, I take the e-bike.”
He’s been into yoga since high school, where he wrote his term paper, “The Eight Limbs of Yoga.”
When biking, he is safely helmeted, but otherwise, he is charmingly behatted. “I started to collect various and sundry hats when I moved to the Bay Area,” Weitz said. “Right now, I have about two dozen of them in various styles and colors,” including berets, caps, and the Scottish Tam o'Shanter (often shortened to “tam” or “tammie”) hats.
He’s also a strict vegetarian, primarily eating fruits, vegetables, and grains, and is delighted that Millennium, the plant-based College Avenue restaurant specializing in vegetarian and vegan dishes, has reopened.
“Rockridge is a great neighborhood,” Weitz said, happy that he lives in walking distance, not only of Millennium, but also of “my bank, Trader Joe’s, Safeway, and the BART station. The proposed closing of TJ’s “is one of my major issues right now. I’m furious about it.”
Both his profession and curiosity led him to last year’s Adventures in AI exhibition at The Exploratorium in San Francisco.
“People there had an angry reaction,” he reported. “But AI is here to stay. I use it every day.” However, he cautioned, “We need to assess how it can benefit us. You have to evaluate your sources. People need to be very circumspect, think for themselves, and question authority. That takes relying on human intelligence.”
If you have a Rockridge story that needs telling, please email judyberne@att.net.
