Ted Nelson struggles with uncomprehending radio interviewer, 1979
Why Hacker News recommends it
HN cites it as a vivid record of how alien personal computing and hypertext sounded to a skeptical public, and as a favorite Nelson interview.
What it is
A 1979 CBC radio interview in which Ted Nelson tries to explain how computers could serve as tools for thinking and visualizing. The interviewer keeps failing to grasp the idea, and Nelson patiently answers again and again.
Recommended by 1 HN commenters across 1 different months, 2017 to 2024.
What Hacker News said
Strong rec dangirsh · 2018-01 · on “Ted Nelson on What Modern Programmers Can Learn from the Past [video]”
My favorite Ted Nelson interview: [this video] It gives a great perspective on Ted's prophetic vision for computers as well as the intense skepticism it raised in many.
Cites drtse4 · 2017-09 · on ““There Is No Reason for Any Individual to Have a Computer in Their Home””
From the same period, a radio interview where Ted Nelson tries to convince, unsuccessfully, a skeptical radio host that home computing has a future: [this video]
Cites tudorw · 2017-09 · on ““There Is No Reason for Any Individual to Have a Computer in Their Home””
As an adjunct, here's a journalist in 1979 struggling to comprehend Ted Nelson's vision that the computer would become a creative tool for the masses, [this video]
Cites abtinf · 2019-05 · on “‘Knitting Is Coding’ and Yarn Is Programmable in This Physics Lab”
Ted Nelson pointed out that knitting (or was it weaving?) is one of the most popular programming languages back in 1979. [this video] Edit to add: I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more knitting programmers today than all computer programming languages combined. Just the size and pervasive presence of Walmart or Joann’s yarn and fabric sections makes me almost certain.
Cites DonHopkins · 2020-03 · on “The Call of the Ocean: Hypertext, Universal and Open (1988)”
Ted Nelson: Computer Lib / Dream Machines (1975) [pdf] (worrydream.com) [LINK] [LINK] For what it's worth, YC is helping Ted Nelson sell his "Computer Lib / Dream Machines" book: [LINK] This book is a truly unique and is worth owning in hardcopy format. [LINK] Ted versus The Media Lab [video] (youtube.com) [LINK] [LINK] Interview with Ted Nelson (notion.so) [LINK] [LINK] Ted Nelson on What Modern Programmers Can Learn from the Past [video] (ieee.org) [LINK] [LINK] Ted Nelson struggles with uncomprehending radio interviewer (1979) [audio] (youtube.com) [LINK] [this video] Ted Nelson’s published papers on computers and interaction, 1965 to 1977 (archive.org) [LINK] [LINK] Ask HN: What is the best r
Cites superphunthyme · 2024-07 · on “The Objects of Our Life (1983)”
This one with Ted Nelson? [this video] It's got the skeptical interviewer, and at 9:56 (with some lead-in before) there is a discussion of libraries, catalogs, tagging, etc. Edit: and then he goes on to mention Dewey Decimal as well.
Critical shawnz · 2021-08 · on “Dumb Phone”
The author's arguments kind of remind me of those of the interviewer in this 1979 clip with Ted Nelson: [this video]