Comments on: Mother of all Demos http://blog.longnow.org/2008/06/04/mother-of-all-demos/ The Official Weblog of The Long Now Foundation and Friends Sun, 23 Nov 2008 14:23:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 By: charlie http://blog.longnow.org/2008/06/04/mother-of-all-demos/#comment-4694 charlie Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:24:10 +0000 http://blog.longnow.org/2008/06/04/mother-of-all-demos/#comment-4694 It's always fascinating to reach back to a documented event or demonstration of a pivotal moment in human history of invention. Thinking forward, 40 years forward, what will we look at today with the same awe? It’s always fascinating to reach back to a documented event or demonstration of a pivotal moment in human history of invention.

Thinking forward, 40 years forward, what will we look at today with the same awe?

]]> By: J.L. Johnson http://blog.longnow.org/2008/06/04/mother-of-all-demos/#comment-4638 J.L. Johnson Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:19:58 +0000 http://blog.longnow.org/2008/06/04/mother-of-all-demos/#comment-4638 Fantastic! It's like learning that the Romans had invented gunpowder! A very good example of how "progress" consists of good ideas that must often wait for enabling technolgy and markets to catch up. Fantastic! It’s like learning that the Romans had invented gunpowder!
A very good example of how “progress” consists of good ideas that must often wait for enabling technolgy and markets to catch up.

]]> By: Stewart Brand http://blog.longnow.org/2008/06/04/mother-of-all-demos/#comment-4628 Stewart Brand Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:04:01 +0000 http://blog.longnow.org/2008/06/04/mother-of-all-demos/#comment-4628 I only filmed the bits from the Menlo Park (SRI) end, and they appeared on Doug's screen as part of the demo---the hand moving the world's first mouse, the chord keyboard, Doug's real display, Jeff showing the system guide, Biill collaborating, and the Menlo crew. The guy wrangling the whole operation was Bill English, on a direct line to Doug's ear, so he could tell him when to stall while a bug was fixed in real time or the system could catch up, talk to my ear about what to shoot next, etc. It was ballet on a high wire with no net, beyond the screaming edge of what the technology could handle, for an hour and half with no pause or visible breakdown. The demo had been scripted but not rehearsed, so we were all improvising along with the event as it developed. Everybody had so much familiarity and skill with the new tools, they could wing it live. The NLS system was built for teamwork; the demo exemplified that as well. When it was done, we all sighed with relief at the SRI end. We had no idea the audience in San Francisco was giving Doug a standing ovation that wouldn't stop. It still hasn't stopped. I only filmed the bits from the Menlo Park (SRI) end, and they appeared on Doug’s screen as part of the demo—the hand moving the world’s first mouse, the chord keyboard, Doug’s real display, Jeff showing the system guide, Biill collaborating, and the Menlo crew.

The guy wrangling the whole operation was Bill English, on a direct line to Doug’s ear, so he could tell him when to stall while a bug was fixed in real time or the system could catch up, talk to my ear about what to shoot next, etc. It was ballet on a high wire with no net, beyond the screaming edge of what the technology could handle, for an hour and half with no pause or visible breakdown. The demo had been scripted but not rehearsed, so we were all improvising along with the event as it developed. Everybody had so much familiarity and skill with the new tools, they could wing it live. The NLS system was built for teamwork; the demo exemplified that as well.

When it was done, we all sighed with relief at the SRI end. We had no idea the audience in San Francisco was giving Doug a standing ovation that wouldn’t stop. It still hasn’t stopped.

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