GATES RELIES ON CAPE MAN: RICH COMEAU, COMPUTER GURU GO WAY BACK

When computer wizard Bill Gates looks for advice outside the ranks of his Microsoft empire, who does he call?

Rich Comeau in Cape Girardeau.

Comeau is director of research and development for Horizon Music Inc., here. He has been programming computers since 1978. That is when he first met "Mr. Bill."

"That was before he was a 'gazillionnaire,'" Comeau said.

Today, Comeau is one of a hand-picked few testing the much heralded Windows 98 before its release. Comeau, through his work at Horizon, also designed an integral part of Bill Gates' computerized home.

Gates' $50 million house in Seattle, Wash., is a living computer, Comeau said. Computers are activated through voice commands, and microphones are strategically situated throughout the house. Comeau designed and patented an amplifier that boosts the sounds from anywhere in the house. The device is called a preamp.

"He could have bought any preamp he wanted, and there are a lot more expensive preamps out there," Comeau said. "But he made the right choice and bought the best."

Horizon Music supplied Gates with 336 preamps, which were installed and used for a wedding, the first big event held at the house. Gates and his people were so pleased, Comeau said, that they came up with some new ideas and reordered all 336 with new specs.

Comeau and his two-person team are currently working on the new preamps at Comeau's Cape Girardeau lab. All the computer work stations at Digital Labs are running Windows 98. It is due to be released by Microsoft, but no one is saying when.

"I install two to three new versions a week," Comeau said. "This is the most stable version of Windows I've used."

He said the new program also improves reliability and speed over Windows 95. Comeau was one of the original 50 testers for "Chicago," the name of Windows 95 before it was released.

"I think people would be very pleased if they released this version," Comeau said.

He double-checked the contents of an envelope and sealed it up. "This is my latest patent application," he explained. The patent, he said, is a method to eliminate salmonella.

He then demonstrated his latest patent, a system that converts sound to light and light to sound. Sound, he explained, can be carried a long distance without losing quality.

Downstairs from the lab, Comeau pointed out the see-through speakers in his living room. "In my spare time I'm writing a book about how people can build these themselves with stuff from a hardware store," he said.

"I'm a scientist," Comeau said. "That's what I do here. I invent things."