TWO EXHIBITIONS: THE PAST – THE FUTURE A. Michael Noll August 4, 2022 [The following commentary is authored by A. Michael Noll, and posted with the permission of the author. Michael was a pioneer in computer art in the 1960s, when the very idea of computer art might have been inexplicable.] In 1968, two exhibitions … Continue reading A. Michael Noll Reflects on Two Art Exhibitions
Socio-technical Systems
Metaverse: Commentary by A. Michael Noll
TODAY’S METAVERSE: A HAZY UNIVERSE FROM THE PAST August 4, 2022 © Copyright 2022 A. Michael Noll [The following commentary is authored by A. Michael Noll, and posted with the permission of the author. Michael experimented with many of the technologies of 3D and tactile telecommunication in the 1970s at Bell Labs. I always find … Continue reading Metaverse: Commentary by A. Michael Noll
Douglas Engelbart in a Flow of Inspirations
Douglas Carl Engelbart (1925-2013) is cited most prominently for his 1968 “Mother of All Demos”. He introduced his team’s research program by using of an early time-sharing computer system, what he called an “oN-Line System” (NLS), that used a “mouse” to support human interaction with the computer. For example, as you can see from his … Continue reading Douglas Engelbart in a Flow of Inspirations
Robots: Commentary by A. Michael Noll
REIN IN THE CLOUD REJOICE IN THE ROBOTS [The following commentary is authored by A. Michael Noll, and posted with the permission of the author. It illustrates the disagreement among experts on the social implications of new technologies, such as robotics, AI, cloud computing, and the Internet, demonstrating the value of continued research on the … Continue reading Robots: Commentary by A. Michael Noll
Get Back to the Classroom
Get Back to the Classroom Given continuing uncertainties about the COVID pandemic and its variants, it is understandable that many universities are not in a position as yet to commit to in-person, face-to-face, teaching and a return to normality on college and university campuses. This is particularly the case for those individuals – teachers and … Continue reading Get Back to the Classroom
Value Tradeoffs for a Cashless Society
A recent news story (Sunday Times 6 June 2021) highlighted the potential for Sweden to lead the way to a ‘cashless’ future.[1] Not surprising in the context of so many observable trends moving in this direction. However, it reminded me of the early forecasts of a cashless society that were debated in the 1970s, and sense, … Continue reading Value Tradeoffs for a Cashless Society
Social Media Could Have Prevented the UK’s Post Office Scandal
Over seven hundred (736) ‘sub-postmasters’ were charged – many if not most unjustly – with criminal offenses from 2000-2013 because of discrepancies in their accounts, leading to charges of theft, fraud, and false accounting (Meddings 2021). Had they been siphoning money from their accounts? We have learned that many of these discrepancies were due to the … Continue reading Social Media Could Have Prevented the UK’s Post Office Scandal
Online Micro-Choices in Remote Seminars, Teaching, and Learning
Online Micro-Choices Shaping Remote Seminars, Teaching, and Learning The move to online education has been a huge shift, dramatically hastened by the COVID-19 pandemic and the existence of technical options, such as online meeting platforms like Zoom and Teams. For decades, handwringing and resistance over moves toward more online instruction, seminars, and lectures has collapsed … Continue reading Online Micro-Choices in Remote Seminars, Teaching, and Learning
The Meaning of Like
Today’s newspaper was riddled with insults and accusations about who ‘liked’ or ‘shared’ various posts on Facebook. To paraphrase, one read ‘that a board member of x [any board or agency or organization] has “liked” or shared social media posts about y [any controversial topic] by z [any controversial figure].’ How could they? Months ago, … Continue reading The Meaning of Like
COVID-19 Balancing Acts
COVID-19 Balancing Acts The press has fostered growing recognition of the balance that politicians must strike between public health and the economy. This is important, but more attention needs to be focused on the balancing acts of individuals – the public at large. Each individual needs to juggle multiple pressures in making choices about staying … Continue reading COVID-19 Balancing Acts