“When the Internet arrived in Ireland... it was like having Amsterdam's Red Light District in your own living room.” LightRoomsInternetComputerRedIrelandLiving RoomAmsterdamRed Lights Author:Tom Dunne
“The Internet is like a town that leaves its streets unmarked on the principle that people who don't already know don't belong” PeopleKnowsPrinciplesStreetsInternetComputerTowns Author:James Gleick
“Telling computer guys that they need to have permission to quote things is like having to tell little children about Death.” NeedsChildrenLittlesGuyComputerPermission Author:Ted Nelson
“We are somewhat amused by the hysteria manifest in the press at the suggestion by Gordon Liddy that if one is menaced by bad guys (particularly the ninja) one is wise to shoot for the head. That statement has got a whole bunch of journalists and commentators bleeding from the nose. One wonders why it should. Where else should you shoot a man if he is probably wearing an armored vest? If you decide to shoot you have made the big decision. Where you place your shot is merely a technical matter.” IfsMenShouldMadeMatterWholeBigsGuyDecisionWonderWiseComputerShotsPressesStatementsBunchJournalistNosesManifestSuggestionsBad GuysBleedingCommentatorsAmusedHysteriaNinjaVestsBig Decisions Author:Jeff Cooper
“I have a confession to make. Yesterday, I was responsible for the deaths of millions of Britons. What happened is that MI5 asked me to trail Mehan Asnik, a suspected terrorist, through the streets of London. He had escaped from our security services while infected with a plague virus. Tracking him on CCTV, I swear I had him but then, in the rush-hour bustle, lost him. When the secure mobile rang, it was Harry Pearce at Thames House, chewing me out for the slaughter that had been caused by my mistake.” HouseLostHoursMistakeMillionsHappenedStreetsSecurityComputerResponsibleLondonYesterdayTerroristSecureConfessionSwearTrailsPlagueMobileVirusesSlaughterMy MistakesChewingTrackingBustleThamesBritonsRush Hour Author:Mark Lawson
“I've read all the books, I've watched all the films and now, thanks to the glory of home gaming, I've even kind of experienced it: I've landed on the beaches of Normandy, I have successfully held Pegasus Bridge and I've disabled German tanks with stolen Panzerfausts. I have fought in Italy, France and North Africa and if I had a Euro for every virtual life I've lost I'd be able to build a replica of Hitler's bunker in my back garden.” IfsKindBookHomeAbleFilmLostComputerGloryGardenThanksFranceBeachBridgesStolenTanksDisabledEuroGamingBunkersNormandyReplicaNorth AfricaPegasus Author:Tom Dunne
“Dr. Leonard Shlain, chairman of laparoscopic surgery at California Pacific Medical Center, said they took some four and five year-olds and gave them video games and asked them to figure out how to play them without instructions. Then they watched their brain activity with real-time monitors. At first, when they were figuring out the games, he said, the whole brain lit up. But by the time they knew how to play the games, the brain went dark, except for one little point.” YearsFirstsLittlesSaidRealPlayWholeGamesDarkBrainFiveFourFiguresActivityComputerMedicalVideoCaliforniaFive YearsInstructionDrsSurgeryLitChairmanPacificFive Year Olds Author:Roger Ebert
“GOTO, n.: A programming tool that exists to allow structured programmers to complain about unstructured programmers.” ComputerToolsComplainingProgrammingProgrammers Author:Raymond Simard
“Committee, n.: A group of people that, when given the task of deciding whether to start array indices from either 0 or 1, compromises to declare that they are to start from 0.5.” PeopleGivenGroupsComputerTasksCompromiseCommittees Author:Stan Kelly-Bootle
“A random sequence is one that cannot be algorithmically compressed : the shortest description of a random sequence is simply the sequence itself.” ComputerDescriptionSequence Author:Gregory Chaitin