Winning by cheating is just as impressive as winning fairly, probably even more so. Your opponent was better than you in every way, and you beat them with your brain.
This song proves we didn't really give a sh(I)t about racism. We were all just grooving to the music and the beat. Too bad people still can't live that way
>> Doug Bonderud May 24th 2017 From Music to Missile Defense: The Very Interesting Life of Jeff Baxter
If you're a classic rock 'n' roll fan, you've probably heard of Jeff Baxter. Known as "Skunk" to friends and bandmates, Baxter was a founding member of Steely Dan and later joined the Doobie Brothers for some of their most popular albums. If you've got an interest in government counterterrorism and technology, meanwhile, Mr. Baxter's name may also be familiar. It turns out the long-haired, hippie-type fella from Washington D.C. is actually a noted national security expert with a flair for thinking outside the box. Here's a look at the very interesting life of this guitarist turned government resource.
The Man and the Music Baxter started out aiming for a career in journalism but always had an interest in music while working at a music shop in Manhattan, he met up-and-coming guitar legend Jimi Hendrix and during part of 1966 was the bassist for Jimmy James and the Blue Flames. Next up was a short stint with psychedelic rock band Ultimate Spinach, then a move to Los Angeles where he became a founding member of Steely Dan. When the band retired from touring in 1974, he joined the Doobie Brothers and went on to be one of the most influential and in-demand session guitarists in Hollywood.
According to Guitar Player, Baxter is "one of the greatest guitars for hire in the business," at one point owning more than 400 guitars and providing stand-out solos for tracks like Steely Dan's "My Old School" or Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff."
Soloing Cybersecurity But the Skunk had another stripe: Baxter was passionate about music technology and it got him thinking about how other types of tech, notably data-compression algorithms and large-capacity storage devices used by military agencies, could also be used for recording. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Steely Dan guitarist received a subscription to an aviation magazine after mentioning his interest to a neighbor who happened to be a former Pentagon engineer which led him to wonder if existing military systems could be adapted to serve other purposes.
Armed with time and interest, Baxter wrote a five-page paper suggesting that the military's ship-based Aegis anti-aircraft system could be converted into a missile-defense solution. He took the paper to Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, who in turn passed it on to Rep. Curt Weldon. Both were amazed, and Baxter was quickly drafted into service as a consultant; along with the U.S. Department of Defense he's also done work for the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and private defense innovators such as Northrop Grumman.
Winning by cheating is just as impressive as winning fairly, probably even more so. Your opponent was better than you in every way, and you beat them with your brain.