If you want to find out more about the book, I recommend: http://friendlyorangeglow.com http://friendlyorangeglow.com that is, after you've gotten a copy of t

If you want to find out more about the book, I recommend: http://friendlyorangeglow.com http://friendlyorangeglow.com that is, after you've gotten a copy of the book. Really, everyone in the YC world ought to read this book. It is a completely alien history of computing that has basically nothing to do with Silicon Valley, and in some ways is heresy to Silicon Valley. The PLATO system was built 1000 miles to the east, in Illinois, and had very little (but not zero) cross-fertilization with Silicon Valley thinking. The exception is Xerox PARC, whose people including Kay and Goldberg had regular interactions and trips back and forth with their counterparts at the PLATO lab called CERL at Univ of Illinois. I have a whole chapter on PARC and Kay and how the PLATO project deeply influenced Kay. But seriously, if you have any interest in the untold histories of: • flat-panel gas-plasma display invention • e-learning and online courses (which PLATO was doing, for full credit, as early as mid-60s) • MUDs before MUD-1, including 3D dungeon games • multiplayer graphical games of all sorts • PLATO Notes as a precursor to USENET and Lotus Notes • instant messaging in 1973 • chat rooms in 1973 using Talk-o-matic • screen sharing • phishing, PLATO-style • emoticon long before Internet smileys started • crowdsourced online newspapers • the White House threatening to shut down, in 1973, ARPANET and PLATO, completely, because they had online forums talking about impeachment of Nixon • tons more I'd recommend you read the book. :) Meanwhile, feel free to ask me anything.