Speaker
David Upton
Agenda
2:30pm - Starts
5:00 pm - Ends
Synopsis
Gordon Pask, an enigmatic figure in the world of cybernetics, was a visionary thinker with a genius for turning ideas into actuality.
Working at a time when computers were still in their infancy, Pask explored the uncharted territory of artificial intelligence and human-computer interaction,developing a theory of learning and interaction, and building machines to embody his ideas.
Pask’s eccentricities only added to his mystique. With his penchant for dressing like an Edwardian dandy and his habit of working predominantly at night, he was unusual and not always understood, even by those who admired him.
He was best known in the field of cybernetics, which is now unfashionable. He seems to have been equally at home with digital or analogue computers, and he even tested out a self-building chemical computer.
About the speaker
David Upton is currently secretary of the Computer Arts Society, an SIG of the BCS just like the CCS.
After a first career with the Diplomatic Service, he set up a small specialised management consultancy firm counting some of the world’s largest companies among its clients. For his third career, he is developing a practice as a computational artist, based in Richmond, Surrey, where Pask once lived and worked.
My artistic web site is at www.codedwalls.com
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This event is brought to you by: Computer Conservation Society
