John Patrick is Vice President of Internet Technology at IBM and has championed many Linux-related projects there. In spite of the hokey title of his new book, Net Attitude, Patrick’s ideas about the Next Generation Internet (NGi) and Linux defy its decidedly unsavvy niche and its seemingly bad timing.
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Jay David Bolter: FutureText
Brian Eno calls him, “The New Gutenberg.” His work tip-toes through the same conceptual gardens as Marshall McLuhan, Ted Nelson, Douglas Englebart, and yes, even Johannes Gutenberg himself. Hypertext (he is one of the principle developers of Storyspace — a standalone Hypertext authoring environment), media evolution and the computer’s role in the writing process as well as education are a few of his points of interest. Continue reading “Jay David Bolter: FutureText”
Esther Dyson: Release 2.0
Esther Dyson personifies the expression “mover and shaker” like no other. She keeps more figurative fingers in more pies than she has actual fingers on her hands: Russian, Central European as well as American start ups, multiple boards of directors, frequent flying, constant consulting (for the likes of the two Bills: Gates and Clinton, among countless others) and she still finds time to swim for one hour every single morning. One of the least interesting facts about her is that she’s the daughter of famous physicist Freeman Dyson. Continue reading “Esther Dyson: Release 2.0”
Ellen Ullman: Close to the Machine
Ellen Ullman has been programming computers for over two decades, but her best writing isn’t her code: it’s her literary writing. Her 1997 book Close to the Machine is a haunting memoir from the front lines of the digital revolution. Whether it’s her many articles for Wired, The New York Times, her commentary on NPR or her books, Ellen’s grasp of the human condition through the ever-thickening haze of whiz-bang technology is her real strength. Continue reading “Ellen Ullman: Close to the Machine”