AwesomeCast 732: Motherboard Memories: How Mom Inspired a Tech Career
It’s a special Mother’s Day edition of AwesomeCast! Host Michael Sorg is joined by his mom, Cathy—better known as Mom Sorg—for a heartfelt, humorous, and insightful conversation spanning decades of tech, theme parks, drafting, accessibility, and family stories. From tales of riding the Turtle at Kennywood to helping design parts of Epcot’s Spaceship Earth, Mom Sorg shares her pioneering journey as a female drafter and AutoCAD specialist in the 1970s and ‘80s. The duo also explore how Cathy’s work inspired Sorg’s lifelong tech passion and reflect on accessibility in theme parks and the evolution of educational inclusion.
Plus, the Chachi Says Video Game Minute brings hot headlines, from GTA 6’s record-breaking trailer to surprising job interview trends involving gaming.
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🔍 Bullet Summary of Topics Covered
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Chachi Says Video Game Minute
Gaming in Job Interviews: University of Agder in Norway suggests video game behavior can reveal character and teamwork skills in hiring.
GTA 6 Trailer Mania: The trailer reached 475 million views in 24 hours. The Pointer Sisters’ “Hot Together,” featured in the trailer, surged 182,000% in Spotify streams.
Hall of Fame Inductees: Quake, Tamagotchi, GoldenEye 007, and Defender enter the World Video Game Hall of Fame. Other finalists included Angry Birds, Modern Warfare, Harvest Moon, and more.
🏞️ Mother’s Day at Kennywood
Cathy and Sorg share their Kennywood adventures: calm crowds, carousel mishaps, and accessibility improvements like ride elevator access and disability passes.
Highlights included Ghostwood Estate, the Old Mill ride, and the Wiener Dog Races.
Comparisons made to Dollywood’s accessibility and service offerings.
🛠️ Cathy’s Drafting and Tech Journey
Cathy started drafting in high school in 1969, breaking gender barriers to become the first girl in her class.
Self-taught in AutoCAD during the early 1980s and worked on commercial and residential designs, including a $3M church project and her own family home.
Briefly helped design a structural element for Epcot’s Spaceship Earth — only recently rediscovered that contribution.
👨👩👧 Tech Legacy & Family Impact
Sorg reflects on growing up surrounded by computers and CAD tools, tracing his tech roots back to his mom and dad’s influence.
Cathy’s family background in trades and engineering helped shape a lineage of technical expertise—from electricians to CAD specialists.
💬 Reflections on Learning Challenges
Cathy discusses being mislabeled in school despite excelling in mechanical aptitude—later connecting her experiences to likely undiagnosed dyslexia.
The importance of acknowledging how far education and accessibility have evolved for neurodivergent students.
🏡 Community Projects & Pride
Cathy shares pride in seeing buildings she helped design still standing—from churches to homes to businesses throughout Beaver County.
Also discusses rebuilding her current church after a fire, contributing personally to its restoration plans.
