4 ms·

Alan Kay: Computer Applications – A Medium for Creative Thought (1972) [video]

113 points by jarmitage 11y ago

dang 11y ago
Wow! An Alan Kay talk from the heyday of PARC. This is really something.
joshmarinacci 11y ago
For anyone serious about our field, this is a must read (watch).
arxpoetica 11y ago
"Space War." Ahead of his time? ;)
noblethrasher 11y ago
Delighted to see this finally make the front page. I submitted it just a few days ago, but it was quickly buried: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10309001 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10309001 My favorite part starts at 40:50: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJzi9R_55Iw&feature=youtu.be&t=2450 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJzi9R_55Iw&feature=youtu.be... Paraphrasing: “Our goal is not to measure "answers right per test", or "test passed per year", but rather Sistine Chapel Ceilings per lifetime.” That gives me goosebumps every time I think about it.
- applecore 11y ago
  This is a strange quote, since a Sistine-Chapel-Ceiling can only be painted by an individual with great skill and thousands of hours of deliberate practice.
  - noblethrasher 11y ago
    Well, the context is educating children. Particularly, Kay's premise was that kids are naturally creative, curious, and artistic. He was concerned with process of developing a child along their "stylistic" axis, which opposed the conventional process of education that "beats the style out of them". Artistic skill is the product of thousands of hours of deliberate practice. But, there's an idea that the motivation for that kind of practice comes from a desire to develop a style that's all your own.
peter303 11y ago
He is still around. Wiki gives his post-PARC resume: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Kay https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Kay Most recently he has been running a small research institute: http://www.vpri.org/html/work/NSFproposal.pdf http://www.vpri.org/html/work/NSFproposal.pdf
- jarmitage 11y ago
  Here's a presentation from a few VPRI researchers from June 2015: Introduction and Overview - Alan Kay 2D Rendering (Gezira & Nile) - 17:05 - Dan Amelang Domain-Specific Languages (OMeta) - 34:20 - Alessandro Warth Imperative & Declarative Programming (Programming as Planning, Executable Specifications) - 59:38 - Hesam Samimi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAT4iewOHDs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAT4iewOHDs
- Dav3xor 11y ago
  One could say Alan Kay is still around, much like one could say giant redwood and sequoia trees are 'still around'. Always glad to see someone discover one of the greats. :) (edit) Oh wait, you probably already knew he existed. Tried to read too much into your post.
  - david927 11y ago
    It's still strange wording. It's like saying Beethoven was 'still around' in the 1810's. I don't know of a more prestigious group working on a more important area than CDG.
- endergen 11y ago
  I believe Alan Kay is now running an open research group out sponsored by SAP. I think it includes smarties like Bret Victor and Vi Hart. Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-29/sap-looks-to-xerox-for-r-d-inspiration-builds-idea-lab http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-29/sap-looks-...
vmorgulis 11y ago
The music reminds me Jethro Tull and King Crimson.
- sp332 11y ago
  Yes, it's a Jethro Tull tune called Bouree.
austenallred 11y ago
I really liked Alan Kay's talk from 2015: The Power of Simplicity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdSD07U5uBs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdSD07U5uBs
cconroy 11y ago
s/computer/dynamic medium/g

113 points by jarmitage 11y ago

dang 11y ago

Wow! An Alan Kay talk from the heyday of PARC. This is really something.

joshmarinacci 11y ago

For anyone serious about our field, this is a must read (watch).

arxpoetica 11y ago

"Space War." Ahead of his time? ;)

noblethrasher 11y ago

Delighted to see this finally make the front page. I submitted it just a few days ago, but it was quickly buried: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10309001 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10309001 My favorite part starts at 40:50: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJzi9R_55Iw&feature=youtu.be&t=2450 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJzi9R_55Iw&feature=youtu.be... Paraphrasing: “Our goal is not to measure "answers right per test", or "test passed per year", but rather Sistine Chapel Ceilings per lifetime.” That gives me goosebumps every time I think about it.

applecore 11y ago
This is a strange quote, since a Sistine-Chapel-Ceiling can only be painted by an individual with great skill and thousands of hours of deliberate practice.
- noblethrasher 11y ago
  Well, the context is educating children. Particularly, Kay's premise was that kids are naturally creative, curious, and artistic. He was concerned with process of developing a child along their "stylistic" axis, which opposed the conventional process of education that "beats the style out of them". Artistic skill is the product of thousands of hours of deliberate practice. But, there's an idea that the motivation for that kind of practice comes from a desire to develop a style that's all your own.

peter303 11y ago

He is still around. Wiki gives his post-PARC resume: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Kay https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Kay Most recently he has been running a small research institute: http://www.vpri.org/html/work/NSFproposal.pdf http://www.vpri.org/html/work/NSFproposal.pdf

jarmitage 11y ago
Here's a presentation from a few VPRI researchers from June 2015: Introduction and Overview - Alan Kay 2D Rendering (Gezira & Nile) - 17:05 - Dan Amelang Domain-Specific Languages (OMeta) - 34:20 - Alessandro Warth Imperative & Declarative Programming (Programming as Planning, Executable Specifications) - 59:38 - Hesam Samimi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAT4iewOHDs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAT4iewOHDs
Dav3xor 11y ago
One could say Alan Kay is still around, much like one could say giant redwood and sequoia trees are 'still around'. Always glad to see someone discover one of the greats. :) (edit) Oh wait, you probably already knew he existed. Tried to read too much into your post.
- david927 11y ago
  It's still strange wording. It's like saying Beethoven was 'still around' in the 1810's. I don't know of a more prestigious group working on a more important area than CDG.
endergen 11y ago
I believe Alan Kay is now running an open research group out sponsored by SAP. I think it includes smarties like Bret Victor and Vi Hart. Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-29/sap-looks-to-xerox-for-r-d-inspiration-builds-idea-lab http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-01-29/sap-looks-...

vmorgulis 11y ago

The music reminds me Jethro Tull and King Crimson.

sp332 11y ago
Yes, it's a Jethro Tull tune called Bouree.

austenallred 11y ago

I really liked Alan Kay's talk from 2015: The Power of Simplicity https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdSD07U5uBs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdSD07U5uBs

cconroy 11y ago

s/computer/dynamic medium/g