The Dream Machine: J.c.r. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal

Great book

One of the most comprehensive histories of the computer revolution; painstakingly traces the emergence of the technology with vivid portraits of the individuals involved, and how their decisions helped shape today.

Hold onto your transistors, because "The Dream Machine" is not your average tech read. It's an epic adventure that blasts you from the primitive spark of computing to the mind-bending realm of Artificial Intelligence. This book isn't just about circuits and code; it's a captivating story of human ingenuity, relentless curiosity, and the insatiable desire to push the boundaries of what's possible.The Dream Machine takes you back to the dawn of computing, where the abacus ruled the roost. You'll witness the birth of groundbreaking ideas, like the analytical engine of Charles Babbage, a contraption so ahead of its time it could be considered the first computer in spirit. The journey continues with the pioneers like Alan Turing who cracked the Enigma code, and John von Neumann, who laid the foundation for modern computers. Prepare to be awestruck by the sheer grit and intellectual power it took to bring these early machines to life.

The book evolves around the life and work of J.C.R Licklider an American psychologist turned computer scientist and pioneer who in the early 1960 envisioned and helped become the reality computers and Internet as we know then today. Book covers entire Lick's life and history of computing from inception in 20's until late 90's. This book makes me want to know more about the history. Huge thanks to the author for great read.

Great history of computing and the internet.

Both personal computers and the internet can be traced back to one brain. A brain just like yours (sorry machines) but thinking formidable thoughts. J.C.R. Licklider (1915 - 1990) was an original thinker educated in psychology and self-educated in information technology. An outsider laying down the roadmap for the future and vigorously pushing it to become real. Dreaming about human-computer symbiosis connected together by a multi network to greatly expand our intelligence and relations. It is hard to tell if this book is about Lick’s work or it is the history of both personal computers and the internet. One cannot tell these things apart. Impressive. My favorite part is the historical account on the connection among Computation (Turing), Cybernetics (Wiener), Information Theory (Shannon) and Computers (Von Neumann). This book is full of dreams and dreamers.

I'm biased, since I played a role in helping this edition come about, but I played a role for a reason. For such an importance force, there's surprisingly little cultural understanding of how the internet came to be, and of the kind of thinking and philosophy that underpinned it. It turns out that the story is quite remarkable. The Dream Machine is a meticulously-researched investigation that captures both the institutional dynamics and personal aspirations that led to personal computers and the internet. Waldrop digs deep (acoustics, cybernetics, information theory, Radar), and the result is a work that properly situates Licklider's work in its relevant context. I unreservedly recommend it to anyone who cares about the technology industry.