Transcription of Nelson HT03

The speaker is Ted Nelson and the total duration of the stream is 00:08:00.080

(00:00:00.000 - 00:00:03.600) : ...my brain serving correctly, our next speaker is Ted Nelson (a224)
(00:00:13.000 - 00:00:14.800) : Ladies and gentlemen, (a225)
(00:00:14.800 - 00:00:16.800) : I'm very honoured to appear here. (a226)
(00:00:25.900 - 00:00:27.300) : ??? the time I'm on the light. (a227)
(00:00:30.700 - 00:00:33.500) : I'm very honoured to appear, (a228)
(00:00:33.500 - 00:00:35.000) : to have a chance to talk to this (a229)
(00:00:35.000 - 00:00:39.000) : distinguished group of investment bankers, (a230)
(00:00:39.000 - 00:00:40.900) : and I know how you must feel (a231)
(00:00:40.900 - 00:00:42.400) : after the dot.com crash. (a232)
(00:00:44.700 - 00:00:46.500) : The ones who made, (a233)
(00:00:46.500 - 00:00:48.200) : who made out well (a234)
(00:00:48.200 - 00:00:49.400) : are not here today (a235)
(00:00:53.100 - 00:00:53.700) : and of course, (a236)
(00:00:53.700 - 00:00:55.100) : the ones who lost everything (a237)
(00:00:55.100 - 00:00:57.100) : aren't either. (a238)
(00:00:57.100 - 00:00:59.800) : So you would be a group of the astute, (a239)
(00:01:01.800 - 00:01:03.300) : the far seing (a240)
(00:01:04.200 - 00:01:06.000) : who are able to understand (a241)
(00:01:06.700 - 00:01:08.000) : the concepts (a242)
(00:01:08.000 - 00:01:10.200) : I want to put before you. (a243)
(00:01:14.000 - 00:01:14.800) : A lot of talk, (a244)
(00:01:14.800 - 00:01:16.500) : there was a lot of tall talk, (a245)
(00:01:16.500 - 00:01:17.500) : in the late 90's (a246)
(00:01:17.500 - 00:01:20.600) : as the world's got bigger and bigger. (a247)
(00:01:21.400 - 00:01:23.600) : You heard (of?) all these wonderful tools (a248)
(00:01:23.600 - 00:01:25.200) : that were gonna help people (a249)
(00:01:25.200 - 00:01:26.700) : understand computers. (a250)
(00:01:26.700 - 00:01:30.100) : So we had talking paperclips. (a251)
(00:01:32.300 - 00:01:33.800) : For those to whom (a252)
(00:01:33.800 - 00:01:35.900) : the world wide web was too complicated (a253)
(00:01:35.900 - 00:01:37.900) : we had the Bonzi Buddy, (a254)
(00:01:37.900 - 00:01:38.600) : a gorilla, (a255)
(00:01:38.600 - 00:01:40.800) : a purple gorilla who would help you through (a256)
(00:01:40.800 - 00:01:42.500) : and stay on your browser. (a257)
(00:01:43.500 - 00:01:44.500) : And we have (a258)
(00:01:44.500 - 00:01:47.800) : the wonderful website askjeeves.com (a259)
(00:01:47.800 - 00:01:50.200) : which got I believe ten million (a260)
(00:01:50.200 - 00:01:52.900) : in first stage capital. (a261)
(00:01:55.000 - 00:01:55.900) : Jeeves says (a262)
(00:01:55.900 - 00:01:56.900) : as you got on the front page, (a263)
(00:01:56.900 - 00:01:58.500) : "ask me anything I know everything", (a264)
(00:01:58.500 - 00:02:01.200) : said "what is the population of Bulgaria ?". (a265)
(00:02:01.200 - 00:02:03.800) : "I know this about Bulgaria: (a266)
(00:02:03.800 - 00:02:05.800) : Bulgaria is a country". (a267)
(00:02:09.200 - 00:02:10.500) : And then a little list (a268)
(00:02:10.500 - 00:02:11.600) : distracts you from the fact (a269)
(00:02:11.600 - 00:02:13.300) : that it paid no attention to your question. (a270)
(00:02:15.500 - 00:02:17.200) : So we are seing, (a271)
(00:02:17.200 - 00:02:17.600) : we have seen (a272)
(00:02:17.600 - 00:02:22.200) : simultanously the dumb down of concepts (a273)
(00:02:22.200 - 00:02:24.500) : being offered to consumers, (a274)
(00:02:24.500 - 00:02:27.000) : and the escalation of idiocy (a275)
(00:02:27.000 - 00:02:30.200) : in the concepts being presented (a276)
(00:02:30.200 - 00:02:32.000) : to the likes of you. (a277)
(00:02:33.000 - 00:02:35.300) : So let's cut through this. (a278)
(00:02:35.700 - 00:02:37.700) : We have a computer world now (a279)
(00:02:37.700 - 00:02:40.700) : which has become a nightmare honky-tonk prison, (a280)
(00:02:41.700 - 00:02:44.200) : where fanfares and, (a281)
(00:02:44.200 - 00:02:45.900) : and pretty flashing lights (a282)
(00:02:45.900 - 00:02:47.100) : distract you from the fact (a283)
(00:02:47.100 - 00:02:48.600) : that everything is progressively (a284)
(00:02:48.600 - 00:02:49.500) : more complicated, (a285)
(00:02:49.500 - 00:02:51.900) : and you're being spied on on every site, (a286)
(00:02:51.900 - 00:02:53.900) : and nothing is available anymore, (a287)
(00:02:53.900 - 00:02:55.900) : and you have to sign up for everything. (a288)
(00:02:58.400 - 00:03:01.200) : I say : let's start over, (a289)
(00:03:02.900 - 00:03:04.400) : let's start over, (a290)
(00:03:04.400 - 00:03:06.100) : let's clean the slate. (a291)
(00:03:08.000 - 00:03:10.000) : Are you users of Windows ? (a292)
(00:03:10.000 - 00:03:12.500) : How are you doing on your backups ? (a293)
(00:03:14.700 - 00:03:17.200) : Have you had the machine halt (a294)
(00:03:17.200 - 00:03:19.400) : in the middle of backups by any chance ? (a295)
(00:03:20.600 - 00:03:23.000) : Have you lost any data ? (a296)
(00:03:23.000 - 00:03:25.200) : Have things disappeared (a297)
(00:03:25.200 - 00:03:26.600) : into strange parts (a298)
(00:03:26.600 - 00:03:29.200) : of your disk ? (a299)
(00:03:29.200 - 00:03:30.600) : And have you, have you had (a300)
(00:03:30.600 - 00:03:33.100) : to reinstall the operating system (a301)
(00:03:33.100 - 00:03:36.000) : and loose track of all your settings ? (a302)
(00:03:36.700 - 00:03:39.200) : Or are you a user of the Macintosh ? (a303)
(00:03:39.200 - 00:03:41.600) : Once so simple and unreliable. (a304)
(00:03:46.600 - 00:03:50.800) : Now rock solid and uncomprehensible ! (a305)
(00:03:51.700 - 00:03:53.500) : So the beginning user (a306)
(00:03:53.500 - 00:03:54.700) : puts something on the desktop, (a307)
(00:03:54.700 - 00:03:56.700) : "ok, now I file it inside, op", (a308)
(00:03:56.700 - 00:03:58.800) : and gets the full unix directory. (a309)
(00:04:00.200 - 00:04:01.400) : Right (a310)
(00:04:01.900 - 00:04:03.100) : How about Linux? (a311)
(00:04:03.100 - 00:04:04.200) : Oh that's great! (a312)
(00:04:04.200 - 00:04:07.200) : We have this wonderful command line interface (a313)
(00:04:07.200 - 00:04:08.400) : or we have the, (a314)
(00:04:08.400 - 00:04:11.100) : the gnome thing (a315)
(00:04:11.100 - 00:04:12.900) : with really nice (a316)
(00:04:12.900 - 00:04:14.600) : incomprehensible widgets (a317)
(00:04:14.600 - 00:04:16.200) : that were designed as a (a318)
(00:04:16.200 - 00:04:18.000) : dumbdown of the command line interface (a319)
(00:04:18.000 - 00:04:19.300) : as distinct from. (a320)
(00:04:20.300 - 00:04:22.900) : ...clarity (a321)
(00:04:24.900 - 00:04:25.900) : Everything is designed (a322)
(00:04:25.900 - 00:04:27.400) : either for people who (a323)
(00:04:27.400 - 00:04:29.000) : need to know too much, (a324)
(00:04:29.000 - 00:04:30.000) : or (a325)
(00:04:30.500 - 00:04:34.000) : for an imaginary stupid person. (a326)
(00:04:35.000 - 00:04:37.000) : So many people want design for (a327)
(00:04:37.000 - 00:04:38.000) : "the man in the street", (a328)
(00:04:38.000 - 00:04:39.400) : well, the man in the street (a329)
(00:04:39.400 - 00:04:40.500) : is lying on his back (a330)
(00:04:40.500 - 00:04:41.600) : with the bottle of a (a331)
(00:04:41.600 - 00:04:43.000) : weld?? Irish broom. (a332)
(00:04:47.000 - 00:04:49.800) : We need to design (a333)
(00:04:49.800 - 00:04:51.900) : for the intelligent (a334)
(00:04:51.900 - 00:04:53.800) : but clueless beginner; (a335)
(00:04:53.800 - 00:04:55.000) : and shall we say (a336)
(00:04:55.000 - 00:04:57.200) : "the power beginner". (a337)
(00:04:59.900 - 00:05:01.800) : We want to create a new computer world, (a338)
(00:05:01.800 - 00:05:02.400) : where (a339)
(00:05:02.400 - 00:05:04.100) : things are no harder (a340)
(00:05:04.100 - 00:05:04.800) : than they need to be, (a341)
(00:05:04.800 - 00:05:06.000) : and that's so difficult, (a342)
(00:05:06.000 - 00:05:08.300) : because the issue was never (a343)
(00:05:08.900 - 00:05:10.400) : electronics, (a344)
(00:05:10.400 - 00:05:12.100) : and was never (a345)
(00:05:12.100 - 00:05:14.400) : the inners of (a346)
(00:05:15.800 - 00:05:16.500) : complex operating systems, (a347)
(00:05:16.500 - 00:05:18.500) : the issue was always (a348)
(00:05:18.500 - 00:05:19.500) : (how much have I got) (a349)
(00:05:19.500 - 00:05:20.200) : You got two minutes (a350)
(00:05:20.200 - 00:05:22.200) : the issue was always (a351)
(00:05:22.200 - 00:05:22.800) : the design (a352)
(00:05:22.800 - 00:05:24.800) : of imaginary constructs. (a353)
(00:05:25.500 - 00:05:27.300) : You see, (a354)
(00:05:27.300 - 00:05:28.900) : science is supposed to be (a355)
(00:05:28.900 - 00:05:30.900) : about universals, (a356)
(00:05:30.900 - 00:05:33.500) : and yet computer science, I believe, (a357)
(00:05:33.500 - 00:05:35.400) : has become sidetracked (a358)
(00:05:35.400 - 00:05:37.300) : into the ramifications of tradition, (a359)
(00:05:38.800 - 00:05:40.300) : because (a360)
(00:05:40.300 - 00:05:42.400) : it's all about (a361)
(00:05:42.400 - 00:05:44.200) : computer languages (a362)
(00:05:44.200 - 00:05:45.200) : which are written (a363)
(00:05:45.200 - 00:05:46.100) : as long strings. (a364)
(00:05:46.800 - 00:05:48.300) : So, (a365)
(00:05:48.300 - 00:05:50.100) : you write a program as a long string, (a366)
(00:05:50.100 - 00:05:53.300) : and then you do string matching against the various variables (a367)
(00:05:53.300 - 00:05:54.600) : and the opcodes and so on, (a368)
(00:05:54.600 - 00:05:56.000) : and then that thing compiles (a369)
(00:05:56.000 - 00:05:57.000) : an executable. (a370)
(00:05:57.300 - 00:05:59.400) : So people go all off (a371)
(00:05:59.400 - 00:06:00.900) : into the (a372)
(00:06:00.900 - 00:06:01.900) : the consequences (a373)
(00:06:01.900 - 00:06:04.100) : of string parsing and syntax, (a374)
(00:06:04.100 - 00:06:06.500) : but the real issue is the complex executable, (a375)
(00:06:06.500 - 00:06:07.400) : making it understandable, (a376)
(00:06:07.400 - 00:06:09.200) : because computer languages (a377)
(00:06:09.200 - 00:06:10.400) : are about (a378)
(00:06:10.400 - 00:06:12.600) : the human mind's grasp (a379)
(00:06:12.600 - 00:06:14.400) : for the task to be done, (a380)
(00:06:14.400 - 00:06:15.700) : and maintaining it (a381)
(00:06:15.700 - 00:06:16.900) : through iterations (a382)
(00:06:16.900 - 00:06:18.500) : as you improve the program. (a383)
(00:06:18.900 - 00:06:21.100) : Ok, so the design, (a384)
(00:06:21.100 - 00:06:23.400) : so computer science has always been I believe (a385)
(00:06:23.400 - 00:06:24.000) : about (a386)
(00:06:24.000 - 00:06:25.800) : the design of imaginary constructs (a387)
(00:06:25.800 - 00:06:27.400) : and their ramifications. (a388)
(00:06:28.900 - 00:06:30.600) : But everybody thinks it's about reality, (a389)
(00:06:30.600 - 00:06:31.300) : and that's the mistake. (a390)
(00:06:31.300 - 00:06:32.100) : It's much more (a391)
(00:06:32.100 - 00:06:33.500) : like game design. (a392)
(00:06:34.300 - 00:06:35.800) : So the (a393)
(00:06:35.800 - 00:06:38.000) : game I am presenting to you, (a394)
(00:06:38.000 - 00:06:40.000) : the package let us say, (a395)
(00:06:40.000 - 00:06:41.800) : the zigzag virtual machine, (a396)
(00:06:41.800 - 00:06:42.900) : virtual interactive machine, (a397)
(00:06:42.900 - 00:06:44.900) : would be a cross platform (a398)
(00:06:44.900 - 00:06:46.800) : new user system. (a399)
(00:06:47.200 - 00:06:48.600) : The power beginner (a400)
(00:06:48.600 - 00:06:49.800) : can look at all the cells (a401)
(00:06:49.800 - 00:06:51.300) : and orthogonal connections, (a402)
(00:06:51.300 - 00:06:52.800) : the (a403)
(00:06:52.800 - 00:06:55.900) : relaxed beginner (a404)
(00:06:55.500 - 00:06:57.000) : can merely use the functions (a405)
(00:06:57.000 - 00:06:57.900) : "add relative", (a406)
(00:06:57.900 - 00:06:59.000) : "add appointment", (a407)
(00:06:59.000 - 00:06:59.600) : "deliver appointment", (a408)
(00:06:59.600 - 00:07:00.600) : "share appointment" (a409)
(00:07:00.600 - 00:07:01.600) : and making these, (a410)
(00:07:01.600 - 00:07:02.600) : and adding these (a411)
(00:07:02.600 - 00:07:04.800) : within the language of the system (a412)
(00:07:04.800 - 00:07:06.700) : so there's a unified package (a413)
(00:07:06.700 - 00:07:08.300) : you do not have to walk outside, (a414)
(00:07:08.300 - 00:07:09.800) : and it would be the same (a415)
(00:07:09.800 - 00:07:10.500) : running under linux, (a416)
(00:07:10.500 - 00:07:11.800) : and running under the macintosh, (a417)
(00:07:11.800 - 00:07:12.600) : and running (a418)
(00:07:12.600 - 00:07:13.700) : under windows, (a419)
(00:07:13.700 - 00:07:16.300) : by eschewing (a420)
(00:07:16.300 - 00:07:17.300) : the temptations (a421)
(00:07:17.300 - 00:07:18.900) : of each of these environments (a422)
(00:07:18.900 - 00:07:20.000) : and rather (a423)
(00:07:20.000 - 00:07:23.500) : creating a hermetically clean (a424)
(00:07:23.500 - 00:07:25.600) : internal world (a425)
(00:07:25.600 - 00:07:26.600) : we can start over. (a426)
(00:07:26.900 - 00:07:29.600) : So I offer to you (a427)
(00:07:29.600 - 00:07:31.000) : a simple new beginning, (a428)
(00:07:31.000 - 00:07:33.100) : a fresh start, (a429)
(00:07:33.100 - 00:07:34.500) : a sunny morning (a430)
(00:07:35.500 - 00:07:37.100) : after the hangover (a431)
(00:07:37.100 - 00:07:38.100) : nightmare (a432)
(00:07:38.100 - 00:07:39.800) : we have built today. (a433)