(he continued his presentation the entire time), I took out a soldering iron and bypassed the rain-shorted subsystem. At that point, the robot almost worked. It 'understood' maybe one word in three, and its voice synthesis (through a rain-fritzed amplifier) sounded more like gargling then speech.” Frederick went back to his home in Ithaca, extremely discouraged. However, the following day, he received a call from OMNI letting them know he got the contract. As it happened, a week earlier, OMNI had a very slick demo from another robot builder. But that robot was phony: a concealed, hand-held controller, etc. Ben Bova saw through it immediately. When Frederick finished his demonstration, Ben is reported to have said. “That was real engineering.” Wolfdata Frederick designed the world's first digital (1200 baud) modem. His company, Wolfdata, was moved to Chelmsford, Boston, and it became the first manufacturer of cheap, digital modems. Feeling unhappy with his role as a CEO, Frederick left Wolfdata, and returned to Ithaca, New York. Personal Chess Frederick played chess professionally for a few years. He reached the title of Candidate Master. However, he regards it as a poorly misspent youth. Fencing Frederick was a professional epee fencer. During his career, due to a shoulder sprain, he had to switch from a right handed grip to a left handed grip. Language Frederick is a linguist, and can speak multiple languages, including Old English. Opera As a child, Frederick was in the Metropolitan Opera Boys Chorus. Novels Short fiction "A Higher Level of Misunderstanding" Analog Science Fiction and Fact 127/5 (May 2007) "A Zoo in the Jungle" Analog Science Fiction and Fact 127/6 (Jun 2007) "Yearning for the White Avenger" Analog Science Fiction and Fact 127/11 (Nov 2007) "The Engulfed Cathedral" Analog Science Fiction and Fact 128/1&2 (Jan/Feb 2008) "The Exoanthropic Principle" Analog Science Fiction and Fact 128/7&8 (Jul/Aug 2008) "Vita Longa" Analog Science Fiction and Fact 128/10 (Oct 2008) "Greenwich Nasty Time" Analog Science Fiction and Fact 128/11 (Nov 2008) "Lifespeed" Analog Science Fiction and Fact 129/3 (Mar 2009) "Teddy Bear Toys" Analog Science Fiction and Fact 129/10 (Oct 2009) "The Universe beneath Our Feet" Analog Science Fiction and Fact 129/12 (Dec 2009) "Narrow World" Analog Science Fiction and Fact 130/3 (Mar 2010) "A Sound Basis for Misunderstanding" Analog Science Fiction and Fact 130/4 (Apr 2010) Analog Science Fiction and Fact 'The Spacemice Incident' (Jul/Aug 2003) 'The Study of Ants'