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There was a once famous story about Seymour Cray being asked, when they moved to a new building, where he wanted his office phone. He supposedly replied on th

There was a once famous story about Seymour Cray being asked, when they moved to a new building, where he wanted his office phone. He supposedly replied on the tree outside his window. I've searched the internet and have no luck finding where I read that (many years ago now). Seems like interruptions have been a nuisance to coherent thought forever. Edit: found another source citing the phone story, but not the original i had read, i think. https://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/home/tef/cray/tribute.html https://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/home/tef/cray/tribute.html

Nevermark 3y ago
> There was a once famous story about Seymour Cray being asked, when they moved to a new building, where he wanted his office phone. He supposedly replied on the tree outside his window. > I've searched the internet and have no luck finding where I read that (many years ago now). Here you go! [0] > A Tribute to Seymour Cray, by Charles W. Breckenridge, SRC Computers, Inc. > Presented during the keynote session at Supercomputing '96, November 19, 1996 > Seymour avoided publicity. He was given many awards and honors, and would have had many more had it not been for his nature to decline them in order to remain totally focused on his work. He led a streamlined life, designed to allow him to achieve his goals, goals that sometimes appeared to others to be utterly unachievable. He avoided distractions. Once when someone ordered a phone for him because they noticed that he did not have one in his office, when asked where he wanted it installed, he replied, with a twinkle in his eye, "on the tree outside my office." [0] https://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/home/tef/cray/tribute.html https://www.cgl.ucsf.edu/home/tef/cray/tribute.html