love reblogs that point me in new directions. internet at its best.

"Oh, Ted Nelson. You are forever the love child of Gary Gygax and Don Quixote.

One day, I hope to have a museum of utopian visions of computer systems. It will feature Nelson’s Xanadu, Engelbart’s NLS (and Hyperscope), Donald Bitzer’s PLATO, and Jef Raskin’s Canon Cat and Archy.

Beautiful, doomed visions of what might have been, all of them."

TO SEE how profoundly the book business is changing, watch the shelves. Next month IKEA will introduce a new, deeper version of its ubiquitous “BILLY” bookcase. The flat-pack furniture giant is already promoting glass doors for its bookshelves. The firm reckons customers will increasingly use them for ornaments, tchotchkes and the odd coffee-table tome—anything, that is, except books that are actually read.

I had no idea was more than a gimmick at first glance, thank @waxpancake for the amazing interview:

Alan Turing is one of the most important scientists who ever lived. He set in motion the digital revolution and his World War II code breaking helped save two million lives. Yet few people alive today have ever heard his name or know his story. A documentary film is being developed to change this. 100 years after his birth, an international production team is set to take viewers on a journey to rediscover the man and the mystery.

Alan Turing was a flamboyant Technicolor genius yet instead of accolades and respect, he faced prosecution by the British government because he was gay. In 1954, Turing committed suicide at age 41 after being forced to undergo hormone therapy to “fix” his sexual orientation. He left behind a lasting legacy and lingering questions about what else he might have accomplished if society had embraced his unique genius instead of rejecting it.

Research and development for this feature-length drama documentary is underway; with plans to reach many millions of viewers around the world online and through broadcast and theatrical release of the film.

A range of the historical maps of ARPANET, the Internet, Usenet, and other computer networks, tracing how these pioneering networks grew and developed.

Quitting this old school terminal emulator and staring at my own fancy computer makes me wonder how many years it'll be until someone is laughing at me.