Voja Antonic
Encyclopedia
Voja Antonić is a Serbia
n inventor, journalist
and writer
. He was also a magazine
editor
and contributed to a number of radio shows but he is best known for creating a build-it-yourself home computer
Galaksija
and originating a related "Build your own computer Galaksija" initiative with Dejan Ristanović
. The result of this initiative is, perhaps, his crowning achievement - he encouraged and enlightened thousands of computer enthusiasts during 1980s. Mr Antonić donated many of his personally initiated creations to the public domain
, whenever they related to the common man
or a fellow engineer
.
motivated Voja Antonić to create something with it. His first creation with a microprocessor was Conway's Game of Life
machine that shows its state using 8x8 matrix of red LEDs
. The machine reportedly worked flawlessly almost continuously since creation to at least 2006 (time of writing of this article).
Pictures and descriptions (in Serbian language
) can be found on his web site.
Skiing federation of Serbia
) timed the competitors using regular stopwatch
es and hand signaling. Upcoming Balkan
competition required this to be improved and more precise and the skiing federation contracted Mr. Antonić to create a system for precisely timing each competitor.
The result was a small, battery powered computer packed together with liquid crystal display
, printer and keyboard in Samsonite
suitcases. Over the years five different models were built, named from "Arbitar" to "Arbitar 5", and were used for many years.
See also:
, Yugoslavia
.
Voja Antonić essentially released Galaksija to public domain
and never required any compensation for it. He wanted it to be a project anyone can undertake and received only the compensation for writing the magazine article itself, not the computer.
Initial estimates were that between 100 to at most 1000 Galaksijas will be built. End result was at least 8,000.
See also:
, probe, serial interface receiver and frequency counter
device based on Microchip Technology
PIC16F84 microcontroller
. It eventually became Microchip's "application note 689" (AN689) but was subsequently removed. Although the work was published, compensation for his efforts, Microchip in-circuit emulator "MPLAB-ICE 1000" was never sent to Mr. Antonić. Microchip claimed that it was prevented by ongoing sanctions
against Yugoslavia
.
See also:
and popularity of various fortune tellers
at the very end of 20th century prompted the sceptic
in Voja Antonić to try to do something about it. He decided that the best way is to write his first book, "Da li postoje stvari koje ne postoje - vodič za kritičko razmišljanje" (Serbian language
, ISBN 86-902159-1-3). Excerpts can be found on author's personal web site.
To provoke interest, the book was packaged with a "dowsing
pendulum
" alongside the binding edge of the book. As per author's own word, this was done to make just an appearance of controversy. A chapter of the book deals with ideomotor effect
and explains how there is nothing controversial about it.
, Voja Antonić took action against a prophecy
popular in Serbia
, made by self-proclaimed prophet
s Miloš and Mitar Tarabić from Kremna
village by the city of Užice
. He uncovered that twelve issues of the book Prophecy from Kremna
were all different and altered over time.
During his research he visited Kremna where he was offered the "original handwritings" of Mitar Tarabić, who was illiterate.
Name of original (in Serbian language
): "Kremansko neproročanstvo: studija jedne obmane", ISBN 86-902159-2-1. Excerpts can be found on author's personal web site.
s. He could not avoid noticing that many patents are at the very least naïve or just impossible. To top it all, he wanted to address the increasing appearance of people referring to patent applications as if they were actual patents. The result is yet another book, currently only available in Serbian
, free of charge and in electronic form, on the author's personal web site.
Possibly related to this book, Voja Antonić humorously presents how to build a "Vampire
detector" on his personal web site. The periscope
-like device exploits the assumption that vampires do not have a reflection
in the mirror
and allows the operator (viewer) to quickly and easily switch between the straight-through and periscope views. He states that he will not apply for a patent
because "Albert Einstein
is no longer working in the patent office and nobody else would be capable of understanding the true value of this invention".
for his appearances in "Modulacije" (eng. Modulations) radio show hosted by Zoran Modli
. He personally read them during live public broadcasts. Later he made them available on his web site (in Serbian language
).
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
n inventor, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. He was also a magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
and contributed to a number of radio shows but he is best known for creating a build-it-yourself home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
Galaksija
Galaksija
The Galaksija was originally a build-it-yourself computer designed by Voja Antonić. It was featured in the special edition Računari u vašoj kući of a popular eponymous science magazine, published late December 1983 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia...
and originating a related "Build your own computer Galaksija" initiative with Dejan Ristanović
Dejan Ristanovic
Dejan Ristanović , is a well known Serbian writer and computer publicist.In January 1981 he wrote the first article on personal computers for the popular science magazine Galaksija...
. The result of this initiative is, perhaps, his crowning achievement - he encouraged and enlightened thousands of computer enthusiasts during 1980s. Mr Antonić donated many of his personally initiated creations to the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
, whenever they related to the common man
Common People
"Common People" is a song by English alternative rock band Pulp. It was released as a single in 1995, reaching number two on the UK singles chart. It also appears on the band's 1995 album Different Class. The song is about those who were perceived by the songwriter as wanting to be "like common...
or a fellow engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
.
1976. Conway's Game of Life
After reading a book on Z80 microprocessorMicroprocessor
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's central processing unit on a single integrated circuit, or at most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and...
motivated Voja Antonić to create something with it. His first creation with a microprocessor was Conway's Game of Life
Conway's Game of Life
The Game of Life, also known simply as Life, is a cellular automaton devised by the British mathematician John Horton Conway in 1970....
machine that shows its state using 8x8 matrix of red LEDs
Light-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
. The machine reportedly worked flawlessly almost continuously since creation to at least 2006 (time of writing of this article).
Pictures and descriptions (in Serbian language
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
) can be found on his web site.
1981. Sport event arbitration system
Prior to the Winter of 1981/1982 Smučarski savez Srbije (en.English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
Skiing federation of Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
) timed the competitors using regular stopwatch
Stopwatch
A stopwatch is a handheld timepiece designed to measure the amount of time elapsed from a particular time when activated to when the piece is deactivated. A large digital version of a stopwatch designed for viewing at a distance, as in a sports stadium, is called a stopclock.The timing functions...
es and hand signaling. Upcoming Balkan
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
competition required this to be improved and more precise and the skiing federation contracted Mr. Antonić to create a system for precisely timing each competitor.
The result was a small, battery powered computer packed together with liquid crystal display
Liquid crystal display
A liquid crystal display is a flat panel display, electronic visual display, or video display that uses the light modulating properties of liquid crystals . LCs do not emit light directly....
, printer and keyboard in Samsonite
Samsonite
The Samsonite Corporation makes luggage with its products ranging from large suitcases to small toiletries bags and briefcases. It was started in Denver, Colorado, USA in 1910 byJesse Shwayder, as the Shwayder Trunk Manufacturing Company. Shwayder named one of his initial cases "Samson", after the...
suitcases. Over the years five different models were built, named from "Arbitar" to "Arbitar 5", and were used for many years.
See also:
- 1981: Arbitar - Mr. Antonić's detailed account of the project and related experiences and anecdoteAnecdoteAn anecdote is a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. It may be as brief as the setting and provocation of a bon mot. An anecdote is always presented as based on a real incident involving actual persons, whether famous or not, usually in an identifiable place...
s, in Serbian languageSerbian languageSerbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
.
1983. Galaksija
In 1983 Mr. Antonić learned of the interesting way to have the CPU generate video signal, without the use of specialized video circuitry. He thought of this as a good idea for an inexpensive, "build-it-yourself" computer. "Galaksija" was featured in the special edition Računari u vašoj kući (Computers in your home) of a popular science magazine of the same name, published late December 1983 in BelgradeBelgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
Voja Antonić essentially released Galaksija to public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
and never required any compensation for it. He wanted it to be a project anyone can undertake and received only the compensation for writing the magazine article itself, not the computer.
Initial estimates were that between 100 to at most 1000 Galaksijas will be built. End result was at least 8,000.
See also:
- GalaksijaGalaksijaThe Galaksija was originally a build-it-yourself computer designed by Voja Antonić. It was featured in the special edition Računari u vašoj kući of a popular eponymous science magazine, published late December 1983 in Belgrade, Yugoslavia...
- main article about this computer - 1983: Galaksija - Mr. Antonić's own description of the project and related experiences, in Serbian languageSerbian languageSerbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
.
1999. Engineer's assistant
In 1999 Voja Antonić created a logic analyzerLogic analyzer
A logic analyzer is an electronic instrument which displays signals in a digital circuit. A logic analyzer may convert the captured data into timing diagrams, protocol decodes, state machine traces, assembly language, or correlate assembly with source-level software.Presently, there are three...
, probe, serial interface receiver and frequency counter
Frequency counter
A frequency counter is an electronic instrument, or component of one, that is used for measuring frequency. Frequency is defined as the number of events of a particular sort occurring in a set period of time. Frequency counters usually measure the number of oscillations or pulses per second in a...
device based on Microchip Technology
Microchip Technology
Microchip Technology is an American manufacturer of microcontroller, memory and analog semiconductors. Its products include microcontrollers , Serial EEPROM devices, Serial SRAM devices, KEELOQ devices, radio frequency devices, thermal, power and battery management analog devices, as well as...
PIC16F84 microcontroller
Microcontroller
A microcontroller is a small computer on a single integrated circuit containing a processor core, memory, and programmable input/output peripherals. Program memory in the form of NOR flash or OTP ROM is also often included on chip, as well as a typically small amount of RAM...
. It eventually became Microchip's "application note 689" (AN689) but was subsequently removed. Although the work was published, compensation for his efforts, Microchip in-circuit emulator "MPLAB-ICE 1000" was never sent to Mr. Antonić. Microchip claimed that it was prevented by ongoing sanctions
International sanctions
International sanctions are actions taken by countries against others for political reasons, either unilaterally or multilaterally.There are several types of sanctions....
against Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
.
See also:
- 1999: Bombastic compensation (in Serbian languageSerbian languageSerbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
)- Voja Antonić's own words on the project, jokingly referring to NATO bombing of YugoslaviaLegitimacy of NATO bombing of YugoslaviaThe legitimacy of the NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has been subject to question by many bodies and individuals from the time of the action continuing to this day. The key basis governing the legality of any act of war is international law...
as the final delivery of abovementioned compensation. - The "Engineer's Assistant" - "unofficial home page" maintained by Erik Grindheim, with original AN689 document.
- The Engineer's Assistant - a PIC16F84 Project
Do Nonexistent Things Exist: A Guide to Critical Thinking
Increases in superstitionSuperstition
Superstition is a belief in supernatural causality: that one event leads to the cause of another without any process in the physical world linking the two events....
and popularity of various fortune tellers
Fortune-telling
Fortune-telling is the practice of predicting information about a person's life. The scope of fortune-telling is in principle identical with the practice of divination...
at the very end of 20th century prompted the sceptic
Skepticism
Skepticism has many definitions, but generally refers to any questioning attitude towards knowledge, facts, or opinions/beliefs stated as facts, or doubt regarding claims that are taken for granted elsewhere...
in Voja Antonić to try to do something about it. He decided that the best way is to write his first book, "Da li postoje stvari koje ne postoje - vodič za kritičko razmišljanje" (Serbian language
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
, ISBN 86-902159-1-3). Excerpts can be found on author's personal web site.
To provoke interest, the book was packaged with a "dowsing
Dowsing
Dowsing is a type of divination employed in attempts to locate ground water, buried metals or ores, gemstones, oil, gravesites, and many other objects and materials, as well as so-called currents of earth radiation , without the use of scientific apparatus...
pendulum
Pendulum
A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced from its resting equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position...
" alongside the binding edge of the book. As per author's own word, this was done to make just an appearance of controversy. A chapter of the book deals with ideomotor effect
Ideomotor effect
The ideomotor effect is a psychological phenomenon wherein a subject makes motions unconsciously. As in reflexive responses to pain, the body sometimes reacts reflexively to ideas alone without the person consciously deciding to take action. For instance, tears are produced by the body...
and explains how there is nothing controversial about it.
Non-Prophecy from Kremna: A Study of Deception
Continuing his sceptical interest in fortune tellingFortune-telling
Fortune-telling is the practice of predicting information about a person's life. The scope of fortune-telling is in principle identical with the practice of divination...
, Voja Antonić took action against a prophecy
Prophecy
Prophecy is a process in which one or more messages that have been communicated to a prophet are then communicated to others. Such messages typically involve divine inspiration, interpretation, or revelation of conditioned events to come as well as testimonies or repeated revelations that the...
popular in Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
, made by self-proclaimed prophet
Prophet
In religion, a prophet, from the Greek word προφήτης profitis meaning "foreteller", is an individual who is claimed to have been contacted by the supernatural or the divine, and serves as an intermediary with humanity, delivering this newfound knowledge from the supernatural entity to other people...
s Miloš and Mitar Tarabić from Kremna
Kremna
Kremna is a village located in the Užice municipality of Serbia. In the 2002 census, Kremna had a population of 722 people. Kremna is well known for world famous prophets Miloš Tarabić and his nephew Mitar Tarabić...
village by the city of Užice
Užice
Užice is a city and municipality in western Serbia, located at the banks of the Đetinja river. It is the administrative center of the Zlatibor District...
. He uncovered that twelve issues of the book Prophecy from Kremna
Prophecy from Kremna
The Kremna Prophecies or Prophecy from Kremna are a collection of prophecies purporting to have been written before twentieth-century events that they describe...
were all different and altered over time.
During his research he visited Kremna where he was offered the "original handwritings" of Mitar Tarabić, who was illiterate.
Name of original (in Serbian language
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
): "Kremansko neproročanstvo: studija jedne obmane", ISBN 86-902159-2-1. Excerpts can be found on author's personal web site.
Patents that Won't Change the World
Being a proven inventor, Voja Antonić took pleasure in browsing other people's inventions and patentPatent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
s. He could not avoid noticing that many patents are at the very least naïve or just impossible. To top it all, he wanted to address the increasing appearance of people referring to patent applications as if they were actual patents. The result is yet another book, currently only available in Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
, free of charge and in electronic form, on the author's personal web site.
Possibly related to this book, Voja Antonić humorously presents how to build a "Vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
detector" on his personal web site. The periscope
Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
-like device exploits the assumption that vampires do not have a reflection
Reflection (physics)
Reflection is the change in direction of a wavefront at an interface between two differentmedia so that the wavefront returns into the medium from which it originated. Common examples include the reflection of light, sound and water waves...
in the mirror
Mirror
A mirror is an object that reflects light or sound in a way that preserves much of its original quality prior to its contact with the mirror. Some mirrors also filter out some wavelengths, while preserving other wavelengths in the reflection...
and allows the operator (viewer) to quickly and easily switch between the straight-through and periscope views. He states that he will not apply for a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
because "Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
is no longer working in the patent office and nobody else would be capable of understanding the true value of this invention".
Short stories
Voja Antonić wrote a number of short storiesShort story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
for his appearances in "Modulacije" (eng. Modulations) radio show hosted by Zoran Modli
Zoran Modli
Zoran Modli is a Serbian journalist, radio disc jockey and aviator. He was one of the most popular Yugoslav radio personalities, running one of the most notable radio shows of the early 1980s in Yugoslavia, Ventilator 202...
. He personally read them during live public broadcasts. Later he made them available on his web site (in Serbian language
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
).
- Appearance and disappearance of life (Serbian: Nastanak i nestanak života) http://www.paralax.rs/prica1.htm
- Three Cows (Serbian: Tri krave) http://www.paralax.rs/prica2.htm
- Amateur Business (Serbian: Amaterska posla) http://www.paralax.rs/prica3.htm
- Murder (Serbian: Ubistvo) http://www.paralax.rs/prica4.htm
- Modli http://www.paralax.rs/prica5.htm
- Life Guard (Serbian: Spasilac) http://www.paralax.rs/prica6.htm
- Idea (Serbian: Ideja) http://www.paralax.rs/prica7.htm
- Palm Tree (Serbian: Palma) http://www.paralax.rs/prica8.htm
- Bruises (Serbian: Modrice)http://www.paralax.rs/prica9.htm
- Kaona http://www.paralax.rs/prica10.htm
- Sparrowling (Serbian: Vrapče) http://www.paralax.rs/prica11.htm
- Successful Man (Serbian: Uspešan čovek) http://www.paralax.rs/prica12.htm
- Encounter (Serbian: Susret) http://www.paralax.rs/prica13.htm
- Messiah http://www.paralax.rs/prica14.htm
- Farewell (Serbian: Rastanak) http://www.paralax.rs/prica15.htm
- Premonition (Serbian: Slutnja) http://www.paralax.rs/prica16.htm
- Inertia (Serbian: Inercija) http://www.paralax.rs/prica17.htm
- Tamara http://www.paralax.rs/prica18.htm
- Tequila (Serbian: Tekila) http://www.paralax.rs/prica19.htm
- Déjà vu (Serbian: Dežavi) http://www.paralax.rs/prica20.htm
- Fog (Serbian: Magla) http://www.paralax.rs/prica21.htm
External links
- Ja, privatno (I, privately) - page maintained by Voja Antonić himself, in Serbian languageSerbian languageSerbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
[This web site currently doesn't exist. The last snapshot which Archive.org gives is of March 17, 2009 - http://web.archive.org/web/20090317094907/http://www.paralax.rs/]