Reflections on science, technology, and computing — leavened by personal experience


N.B. You might want to grab a libation before reading. This is a long post. What does a young researcher do when he is suddenly thrust into leading a top-tier computer science department? He learns to fix problems before others see them, outwit university bureaucracy, make decisions that can change people’s lives, and protect the…

For much of my time at Microsoft, I wore two hats. As head of the eXtreme Computing Group (XCG), I oversaw research and advanced technology prototyping. Simultaneously, I also headed the Technology Strategy and Policy Group (TSPG), navigating the interplay between business and global regulation. This duality kept me in a state of near-constant motion.…
While I was chair of the National Science Board (NSB), which is the Presidentially appointed body charged with oversight of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), we launched a comprehensive review of how NSF selects and competitively awards funding for research proposals. We did so recognizing that leadership of the United States in Science, Technology,…

My wallet was empty, and the cabinets held just two cans of corn. Payday was at least a week away, and I had some important culinary decisions to make.

The U.S. lacks a coherent strategy for developing future high-performance computing systems, ones critical for national security, economic growth, and scientific discovery.

Go now, my child, and play with your toys. It’s where your dreams are born.