Building computer systems since 1979: from Navy-ruggedized microcomputers to AI-assisted systems.
Quasar Data Products
In 1979 Brian A. Catalucci, a Kent State graduate in Aerospace Technology, and Dave L. Kelley founded Quasar Data Products in North Olmsted, Ohio, near Cleveland. Brian was a United Airlines pilot at the time. Between 1980 and 1982 the company was renamed QDP Computer Systems, and it was later based on Brecksville Road in Cleveland.
QDP started as personal computers were moving from hobbyist kits to business machines. The Altair 8800 of 1975 had made the S-100 bus a common standard, so boards and peripherals from different makers could work together. QDP built S-100 systems for business and government use rather than for the home, alongside makers such as Cromemco and Processor Technology, while consumer machines like the Apple II and TRS-80 took a different path.
QDP’s advertisement for the QDP-300, “The Peace of Mind Computer.”
Flying and study
Brian flew as an Iowa Air National Guard fighter pilot, in the U.S. Air Force (Active Duty and Reserves), and with United Airlines, where he was a pilot and a Captain for over 36 years. He completed a Master’s degree and thesis in Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Colorado, and a PhD in Creation Science at Scofield Biblical Institute, where he is on the faculty.
BLC Technologies today
Today BLC Technologies, Inc. builds and looks after WordPress and PageMotor websites, servers, email and security for clients, and now AI-assisted systems: a direct AI connection for running a PageMotor site, an AI pattern-analysis engine for Rick’s Picks, and AI-driven site operations.
See BLC’s work →Sources: Wikipedia and Grokipedia, “Quasar Data Products,” and their references (InfoWorld, Computerworld, PC Magazine, Byte, The Plain Dealer); QDP-300 advertisement, Byte, January 1983.