RAND and the Information Evolution
A new report from RAND came out this week, which slipped under my radar.
Willis H. Ware (2008), RAND and the Information Evolution: A History in Essays and Vignettes [PDF]:
This professional memoir describes RAND’s contributions to the evolution of computer science, particularly during the first decades following World War II, when digital computers succeeded slide rules, mechanical desk calculators, electric accounting machines, and analog computers. RAND’s accomplishments included important advances not only in hardware and software but also in analytic techniques that exploited the speed and power of computers. From the beginning, RAND researchers were focused on using computers to improve applied studies that addressed complex, real-world problems. They also addressed the problem of infusing computing capability into an organization and helped to define the emerging profession of computer science. This memoir includes photographs and vignettes that reveal the collegial, creative, and often playful spirit in which the groundbreaking research was conducted at RAND.
The report was partly funded by ex-RAND egghead Paul Baran who practically invented the internet by devising the packet switching protocols that determine traffic routing. If he’s given his seal of approval to it then it’s probably worth reading. Straight to the top of my Christmas reading pile, closely followed by Antoine Bousquet’s new book, assuming Amazon can deliver it in time…
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