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


In 2004, I moved to North Carolina to found the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI). My goal was to bring a new approach to computationally mediated problem solving, one rooted in multidisciplinary teams and focused on important and vexing societal problems – health, environment, society, and economics. In a phrase, to be a catalyst for innovation.…

During the past fifty years, I have been privileged to see the digital revolution courtside, as well as play the game myself. It’s a journey from physical media – punched cards, paper tape, and typewritten documents – to digital media, high-speed computing (megaflops, gigaflops, teraflops, and petaflops), high-speed broadband, powerful consumer devices, and globe-spanning AI…

N.B. As I began this piece, I realized I was also deep in thought about being a witness and participant in the larger digital revolution. This post covers the mechanics and the pain of the blog migration. My next post will cover the memories of the digital revolution and my […]

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.