Dompier was a pilot, and kept a low- frequency weather radio running in the background. Suddenly he noticed that when he ran his sort program the radio began making very interesting noises. He could hear a crude tone which rapidly ascended in pitch, repeating as his program repeated. It was apparently reacting to the radio frequency interference caused by the switching of bits from location to location inside the Altair. He brought the radio closer, and ran the program again. This time the ZIPs were louder. He had discovered the first input/ output device for the Altair 8800 computer.

Dompier brought his guitar over and figured out that one of the noises the computer made (at memory address 075) was equivalent to an F-sharp on the guitar. Thirty hours later he had a program that would play any sheet of music (as long as it was entered as a data file). He lcame across a copy of the Beatles' "Fool on the Hill", which he input as a data file. He took the whole setup to the Homebrew meeting and set it up, entering the program and data by hand (some- one knocked his power cord loose in the process, so he had to do it twice). He set up his weather radio, told everyone to be quiet and hit the "run" switch. The audience was stunned to hear the tones of "Fool on the Hill" emerge froma computer that had no means of commu- nicating other than switches and lights.

The audience leapt to its feet in applause, not for any artistic virtuosity but for the vision and brilliance Dompier had demonstrated in bringing forth a new way of using computers - one which had to wait for this very low-cost, low-performance machine. It was a declaration that the purpose of these computers was not to make business, or to engage in serious work, but to make life more fun for everybody. It was one of the first examples of "the arming of desire" with high-technology tools, as was to happen again and again as the industry grew.