As an enthusiastic collector of vacuum-tube and vintage stereo components, Alcocer has also recently begun building custom stereo systems, based around vintage amplifiers.

WSJ: Alejandro Alcocer Turns Passion Into Design

For instance, IBM is using Java as the technical heart of its San Francisco Project, a set of frameworks for building business applications, such as integrated financial systems, by combining pre-built components such as accounts payable and receivable modules.

CNN: IBM, the world's oldest start-up