Re: technology and service

From: Guy Allen Brady (galbrady@engin.umich.edu)
Date: Fri Aug 08 1997 - 23:16:32 EEST


On Fri, 8 Aug 1997, Elaine Hunt wrote:

> I hope many of you saw "Triumph of the Nerds" on PBS this week. It was
> based on the 20th anniversary of the personal computer. It showed the
> first "user group" meeting at Stanford University and what a bunch of
> noisy, verbal yet dedicated "techno-weenies". Out of this group came Bill
> Gates and other who influenced the entire world based on a technology that
> had absolutely no value in the public eye. The first PC had no keyboard,
> no monitor, no output, no programming, nothing that any user could call
> 'user friendly.

yes, Yes, YES. I was struck by the similarity between how those
"techno-weenies" (now million and billionaires!!) were describing their
early visions of "computing" and the discussions here about RP trends (the
more philosophical ones, at least). I don't doubt the same drama could
be told about several of our RP colleagues in about 20 years from now.

> I hope that many of you will voice your problems as well as your successes,
> seek solutions, demand quality, and lift this technology to the heights
> that even Bill Gates has to up to it. Maybe I should visit Bill and point
> him to the 21st century output device, 3d printing. Your choice of
> material, color, texture and product.

Well, if he comes knockin' at the door, no matter what your narrow view of
him, let him in for heaven's sake!! Remember that poor fellow who ignored
IBM when they came??!

Elaine, if you go, I'll offer to drive.

          G. Allen Brady -- Graduate Research Assistant
Materials Science and Engineering - The University of Michigan
2219 H.H. Dow Bldg. 2300 Hayward Street Ann Arbor, MI 48105
work: 313/936-0177 fax: 313/747-4807 email: galbrady@umich.edu
           http://www-personal.engin.umich.edu/~galbrady



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