Computers/Information Technology

I would like to attempt here to describe, in terms of philosophical concepts, the development of foundational research in mathematics since around the turn of the century, and to fit it into a general schema of possible philosophical world-views [Weltanschauungen]. For this, it is necessary first of all to become clear about the schema itself. I believe that the most fruitful principle for gaining an overall view of the possible world-views will be to divide them up according to the degree and the manner of their affinity to or, respectively, turning away from metaphysics (or religion). In this way we immediately obtain a division into two groups: scepticism, materialism and positivism stand on one side, spiritualism, idealism and theology on the other. We also at once see degrees of difference in this sequence, in that scepticism stands even farther away from theology than does materialism, while on the other hand idealism, e.g., in its pantheistic form, is a weakened form of theology in the proper sense.

Claude Shannon isn't well known to the public at large, but he is one of a handful of scientists and thinkers who made our world of instant communications possible. Born in Gaylord, Michigan in 1916, into a fairly well-educated and intellectually stimulating environment, his younger days were spent working with radio kits and morse code, an early start to a promising career. (Later, he would remember Edgar Allan Poe's story "The Gold Bug", with its simple cryptogram, as another early influence.)

The 20th century is marked by dramatic technology innovation. The time-warp project is an attempt to archive the rapid advance in technology through the decades. Initially we are starting from 1900 to the present. So much has happened since the harnessing of electricity!

The Computer Museum of America has selected 10 computer pioneers to be inducted into the Computer Hall of Fame this summer, Museum Curator David Weil announced.
Half the 10 new inductees were selected by the public in an online poll. The other half of the Class of 2002 were chosen by a select panel of the Computer Museum of America.

This 1999 talk at UMass-Lowell was my last major lecture of the previous century, and it summarizes that century's work on the foundations of mathematics, discusses connections with physics, and proposes a program of research for the next century. Not to be confused with another talk with the same title, my Distinguished Lecture given at Carnegie-Mellon University in 2000.

Way back in the 1980s, I worked on what was then a new kind of software called outliners.
They started out as simple hierarchy editors, used by lawyers, educators, students, engineers, executives; people who think -- to plan, organize and present their ideas.
Over time the products became more full-featured, especially on the Macintosh. Then the category died out, no one can explain fully why that happened, but in the early days of personal computers, outliners such as ThinkTank, Ready and MORE were popular programs.

Corporations involved in the software industry are exploring open-source software, some with the enthusiasm of bodysurfers losing themselves in the roaring surf, others with the timidity of diffident waders in a lagoon full of sharks. They are by no means unified in their approach as an industry sector, or even internally within a single company. But there are executives and engineers at all of these companies who believe that an extraordinarily clear business case can be made for open-source software: Figure out how to make it your friend, before it starts dancing on your grave.

This is a HTML set concerning Lisp history

The following material is available:
A paper on the early history of Lisp
A paper on the influence of McCarthy to Lisp
LISP People
LISP Enterprises
A LISP bibliography
Lisp museum: searchable biography
The LISP-Tapes of the Pdp-1 LISP

The Tech is a cosmopolitan museum singularly focused on technology—how it works and the way that it is changing every aspect of the way we work, live, play and learn. Its people-and-technology focus and the integration of advanced technologies into visitor experiences and infrastructure, distinguishes it from other science centers.