Theodore Nelson wrote this double-sided book in 1974. Computer Lib challenged the notion of computers’ purpose, claiming that it was a personal device. Nelson advocated the use of computers to help people write, think, and show. Dream Machines, the opposite side of the book, said that computers would enable generations of media and that the design of computer experiences should be a creative process taken on with the audience in mind. Nelson yelled that EVERYBODY SHOULD UNDERSTAND COMPUTERS! He also approached the ever-debated topic of computer-assisted instruction, claiming that it could be a good thing, but that currently, it was failing. I appreciated this part of the section the most because I have seen in elementary school how education using computers was not put to its best use.
22. From Theatre of the Oppressed by Augusto Boal
Augusto Boal was an advocate of interactive performance who focused his techniques towards therapeutic aims. In 1992 he ran for office as an act of theatre and was elected. With an emphasis on embodiment, Boal attempts to overcome the spectator/actor divide through his work. One of the most interesting parts of Boal’s writing was when he discussed invisible theatre, the presentation of a scene in an environment other than the stage. His example, which took place in a restaurant, was very compelling because the people in the restaurant were very engaged in the staged situation.
23. From Soft Architecture Machines by Nicholas Negroponte
Nicholas Negroponte places a great deal of emphasis on the architectural knowledge of space and design. He says that a user should be empowered by a computer, not hindered and confused. In 1967 Negroponte formed the Architecture Machine Group at MIT and placed attention on managing data spatially rather than in lists. In his essay “Intentionalities”, he questions the levels of awareness that a computer has and in the second part of his writing he argues against the concept that a computer has a special knowledge. What I found to be most interesting was a drawing that he used to illustrate his points.
24. From Computer Power and Human Reason by Joseph Weizenbaum
Joseph Weizebaum came upon his convictions when he programmed a chatterbot and then perceived some dangerous uses of the system that he had engineered. In his essay, he demands that scientists take responsibility for the use of what they discover and develop, much like Norbert Wiener. Weizenbaum’s most famous work is that of Eliza, a conversational program that he wrote. He came upon disturbing facts when some suggested that his program “doctor” be employed as a real therapist, thereby taking jobs from humans. I thought it was interesting when he told the story of his secretary who was so intimately in conversation with the computer that she asked him to leave the room when she was talking to it. I think that it is very intriguing that people can become so involved with interacting with a computer, even when they know it is not real.
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