Steve Altes

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Steve Altes
Born (1962-11-13) November 13, 1962 (age 61)
NationalityAmerican
EducationS.B. (Aeronautics and Astronautics), S.M. (Aeronautics and Astronautics), S.M. (Technology and Policy)
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Occupations
  • Writer
  • graphic novelist
  • engineer
Known forhumorous adventure essays, Geeks & Greeks
SpouseDiana Jellinek
AwardsNational Medal of Technology
Websitestevealtes.wixsite.com/stevealtes

Steve Altes (born November 13, 1962) is an American writer and former aerospace engineer. He writes humorous essays about his misadventures.[1]

Early life

Altes was born on November 13, 1962, in

Manlius in 1980.[2] In high school, Altes once ran a track meet in clown make-up.[1] In 2000, when Altes was inducted into the Fayetteville-Manlius Hall of Distinction as one of the high school's "notable alumni", he acknowledged the dichotomy in his career segue from engineering to entertainment, saying, "I owe a tremendous debt to those dedicated teachers for the serious half of my career. For the silly half, I’d like to thank all the class clowns."[3]

Engineering

Altes holds three degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT): S.B., Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1984; S.M., Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1986; and S.M., Technology and Policy, 1986.[4]

In 1982, Altes was part of the MIT team that set a world land-speed record for a human-powered vehicle using a five-person, forty-foot-long "bicycle".[1] His master's thesis, "The Aerospace Plane: Technological Feasibility and Policy Implications",[5] was reviewed by James Fallows in The New York Review of Books in 1986.[6]

After college, Altes worked as a space policy analyst for the Congressional

National Medal of Technology (the United States' highest award for technological achievement) by President George H. W. Bush for developing Pegasus.[7] He is a co-recipient of the 1990 Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Current Achievement in Aerospace.[8]

Due to his varied endeavors in the fields of engineering and entertainment, Altes is sometimes listed as one of MIT's more "notable alumni".[9]

Entertainment

In the mid-1990s, Altes left engineering for a career in entertainment and writing.

Essays

Altes has written a series of first-person participatory adventure essays about experiences such as:

These essays have appeared in magazines and newspapers like

Books

In 1997, Altes's The Little Book of Bad Business Advice was published by St. Martin's Press.

In 2001, a sequel, If You Jam the Copier, Bolt was published by Andrews McMeel Publishing.[23]

In 2005, Altes was a contributor to Michael J. Rosen's anthology, May Contain Nuts: A Very Loose Canon of American Humor. His piece satirized his career as a male model.[24]

In 2006, the humor editor Judy Brown selected twenty of Altes's jokes to appear in her anthology Joke Express: Instant Delivery of 1,424 Funny Bits from the Best Comedians.[25]

In 2014, Altes ran a Kickstarter[26] campaign which raised $43,098 to finance the illustration of a graphic novel he had written about hacks at MIT, titled Geeks & Greeks.[27][28] The graphic novel was illustrated by Andy Fish and was published in 2016 to generally positive reviews.[29]

Film appearances

Altes has appeared in a number of films and television shows after being accidentally "discovered" and cast as a German terrorist in

Die Hard With a Vengeance in 1995.[1][30]

Year Film Role
1995
Die Hard With a Vengeance
German terrorist
1997 Shadow Conspiracy[31] Secret Service agent
1999 Girl, Interrupted Medic
2000 Hollow Man Dad

Print modeling

Altes has worked as a commercial print model and hand model.[13][32]

Other

Altes has also been:

Awards

  • 1991 - National Medal of Technology (co-recipient)
  • 1990 - National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Current Achievement in Aerospace (co-recipient)

Personal

Altes lives in the Los Angeles area and is married to Diana Jellinek, an acting coach.[35]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Model/Actor/Scientist Adds Writer to Resume". Lawrence Journal-World. Lawrence, KS. 1998-09-10.
  2. ^ "Valedictorian Tradition Scrapped at High Schools". The Washington Times. Washington, DC. May 7, 1999.
  3. ^ "Hall of Distinction Inductees". FMSchools.org. Manlius, NY. June 1, 2000.
  4. ^ "MIT Graduate Inspires Crowd with Life Experience". The Tech (MIT). Washington, DC. December 1, 1998.
  5. ^ "The Aerospace Plane: Technological Feasibility and Policy Implications" (PDF). MIT.edu. May 1, 1986. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2014.
  6. ^ "The Americans in Space". The New York Review of Books. New York City. December 18, 1986.
  7. ^ "Technology and the Future Warrior: Protecting Soldiers in the 21st Century". Cambridge, Massachusetts: M.I.T. September 13, 2004.
    - "Rocket Scientist Turns to Entertainment". MIT.edu. Cambridge, Massachusetts. September 1, 2008.
    - "The National Medal of Technology and Innovation 1991 Laureates". USPTO.gov. Washington, DC. January 1, 1991.
  8. ^ "National Air and Space Museum Trophy Recipients". Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution. June 1, 1990.
  9. ^ "Notable Alumni: After Departing from MIT, Alumni Make their Mark on the World". The Tech. Cambridge, Massachusetts. May 5, 1999.
    - "Notable Alumni". MIT Admissions. Cambridge, Massachusetts. September 4, 2014.
    - "12 MIT Grads that Changed the World". BostInno.com. Boston, MA. February 16, 2011.
    - "Top 10 famous alumni of MIT". TopYaps. September 8, 2014.
    - "MIT's 150th Birthday". FastCompany. April 11, 2011.
    - Fordham, Sara (September 30, 2009). "The Rival Rundown: Caltech vs MIT". College Candy. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  10. ^ "Reverend Me". Atheists.org. Los Angeles, CA. June 1, 2004.
  11. ^ "So, You Want a Piece of Me?" (PDF). Tear Sheet. New York City. June 1, 2000.
  12. ^ a b "Standing In for Brad". The Washington Post. Washington, DC. March 26, 1997.
  13. ^ a b "Guy on the Box" (PDF). Tear Sheet. New York City. December 1, 2000.
  14. ^ a b "How to Become an Author in Four Easy Steps" (PDF). The Writer. Boston. March 1, 1999.
  15. ^ a b "The Fugitive" (PDF). P.O.V. New York City. August 1, 1998.
  16. .
  17. ^ a b "My Short, Sorry Career as a Spy". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles. February 24, 2003.
  18. ^ "Brad and Me". Salon. Washington, DC. April 27, 1998. Archived from the original on October 20, 2007.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  19. ^ "How I Became a CIA Spy for a Day". The Christian Science Monitor. Boston, MA. March 3, 2003.
  20. ^ "Capital Style Overcomes Substance". Washington Business Journal. Washington, DC. November 9, 1998.
  21. ^ "Reverend Me" (PDF). Urban Male Magazine. Canada. Spring 2004.
  22. ^ "Confessions About My Baby". Funny Times. Cleveland Heights, OH. November 1, 2007.
  23. ^ "Books Represented". JeffHerman.com. New York City. August 19, 2015.
  24. ^ "May Contain Nuts: A Very Loose Canon of American Humor". August 12, 2015.
  25. .
  26. ^ "Geeks & Greeks – an epic graphic novel about MIT pranks". Kickstarter.com. Los Angeles, CA. June 12, 2014.
  27. ^ "How Stunt Work on Die Hard Led to a Graphic Novel About MIT Hacks". MIT Slice of Life blog. Cambridge, Massachusetts. May 8, 2015.
  28. ^ a b "Humor Writer to Publish Graphic Novel on Hacks". TechnologyReview.com. Cambridge, Massachusetts. April 21, 2015.
  29. ^ Moore, Karleigh (April 8, 2016). "Book Review: A Tale of Hazing and Hacking at MIT". The Tech (MIT). Retrieved August 9, 2016.
    - Bench, Anthony (August 8, 2016). "Geeks & Greek Review". FanboyNation. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
    - Adkins, Jana (August 1, 2016). "From Aerospace Engineer to Life as a Spy". Santa Clarita Valley Business Journal. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
    - Pachter, Richard (August 11, 2016). "From John Lewis to Jughead, a Roundup of Graphic Novels". Miami Herald. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
    - Cornog, Martha (September 15, 2016). "Altes/Fishs, Beaumont, Clowes, Cornell/Parker, Girard, Jackson, Schulz - Graphic Novels Reviews". Library Journal[dead link]. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
    - Frank, Casey Rose (April 8, 2016). "Battle of the Geeks". The Post-Standard. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
    - Carreiro, Remy (September 5, 2016). "Animal House for the Tech Gen: Geeks & Greeks Graphic Novel Review". Forever Geek. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
    - Hughes, Johnny (September 8, 2016). "Review: Geeks & Greeks". Comic Crusaders. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
    - Ferno, Clay (August 10, 2016). "Talking Geeks & Greeks with Steve Altes and Andy Fish". Force Of Geek. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
    - Hickey, Patrick (August 25, 2016). "Steve Altes Talks Geeks & Greeks". Review Fix. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  30. ^ "IMDB - Steve Altes". IMDB. Los Angeles, CA. September 4, 2014.
    - "Yippie-Ki-Yay, Mr. Falcon". 2 February 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  31. ^ "Shooting Charlie Sheen". YouTube. Hollywood, CA. Archived from the original on 2016-03-09. Retrieved May 29, 2015.
  32. .
  33. ^ "Screenplay deals closed 2006". Ink Tip. Los Angeles, CA. June 1, 2006.
  34. ^ "Bad Move". National Public Radio. Los Angeles, CA. May 26, 2003.
  35. ^ "Diana Jellinek". IMDB. Los Angeles, CA. September 4, 2014.

External links