The Dream Machine

The Dream Machine

1991
The Dream Machine
The Dream Machine

The Dream Machine

8.3 | en | Documentary

A five-part series about the origins, history and impact of the computer, a machine that changed the world.

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Seasons & Episodes

1
EP5  The Passing of Remoteness
Dec. 15,1991
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The Passing of Remoteness

The tens of millions of computers in the world have begun talking to one another. This "networking" has allowed all sorts of new communities to grow up, regardless of distance. But now, errors in information and programming can wreak havoc. Computer networks, including the Internet, and their global impact on communication and privacy. Interviews: Robert Lucky (AT&T Bell Labs), Dave Hughes, Kathleen Bonner (Trader, Fidelity), George Hayter (Former Head of Trading, London Stock Exchange), Ben Bagdikian (UC Berkeley), Arthur Miller (Harvard Law School), Forman Brown (songwriter, d.1996), Tan Chin Nam (Chairman, National Computer Board of Singapore), B.G. Lee (Minister of Trade and Industry, Singapore), Lee Fook Wah, (Assistant Traffic Manager, MRT Singapore), David Assouline (French Activist, now a senator), Mitch Kapor (founder, Lotus), Michael Drennan (Air traffic controller, Dallas-Fort Worth)

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The Passing of Remoteness

The tens of millions of computers in the world have begun talking to one another. This "networking" has allowed all sorts of new communities to grow up, regardless of distance. But now, errors in information and programming can wreak havoc. Computer networks, including the Internet, and their global impact on communication and privacy. Interviews: Robert Lucky (AT&T Bell Labs), Dave Hughes, Kathleen Bonner (Trader, Fidelity), George Hayter (Former Head of Trading, London Stock Exchange), Ben Bagdikian (UC Berkeley), Arthur Miller (Harvard Law School), Forman Brown (songwriter, d.1996), Tan Chin Nam (Chairman, National Computer Board of Singapore), B.G. Lee (Minister of Trade and Industry, Singapore), Lee Fook Wah, (Assistant Traffic Manager, MRT Singapore), David Assouline (French Activist, now a senator), Mitch Kapor (founder, Lotus), Michael Drennan (Air traffic controller, Dallas-Fort Worth)

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EP3  The Paperback Computer
Dec. 01,1991
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The Paperback Computer

The manuscripts of the Middle Ages, available to only a select priesthood, turned into the paperback book. How close are we to the "paperback" computer? The development of the personal computer and user interfaces, from Doug Engelbart and Xerox PARC to the Apple and IBM PCs. Interviews: Canon John Tiller (Library Master, Hereford Cathedral), Mitch Kapor (Founder, Lotus), Robert Taylor (Xerox PARC), Ted Nelson (Creator, Project Xanadu), Douglas Engelbart, Larry Tesler (Xerox PARC), Alan Kay (Xerox PARC), Ted Hoff (Co-inventor, microprocessor), Steve Jobs (Cofounder, Apple), Steve Wozniak (Cofounder, Apple), Mike Markkula (Investor, Apple), Lee Felsenstein (Designer, Osborne 1), Bill Gates (Chairman, Microsoft), Chris Peters (Manager, Office), Anne Meyer (Center for Applied Special Tech.), Dr. Henry Fuchs (UNC, Chapel Hill), Dr. Jane Richards (UNC, Chapel Hill), Dr. Frederick P. Brooks, Jr (UNC, Chapel Hill)

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The Paperback Computer

The manuscripts of the Middle Ages, available to only a select priesthood, turned into the paperback book. How close are we to the "paperback" computer? The development of the personal computer and user interfaces, from Doug Engelbart and Xerox PARC to the Apple and IBM PCs. Interviews: Canon John Tiller (Library Master, Hereford Cathedral), Mitch Kapor (Founder, Lotus), Robert Taylor (Xerox PARC), Ted Nelson (Creator, Project Xanadu), Douglas Engelbart, Larry Tesler (Xerox PARC), Alan Kay (Xerox PARC), Ted Hoff (Co-inventor, microprocessor), Steve Jobs (Cofounder, Apple), Steve Wozniak (Cofounder, Apple), Mike Markkula (Investor, Apple), Lee Felsenstein (Designer, Osborne 1), Bill Gates (Chairman, Microsoft), Chris Peters (Manager, Office), Anne Meyer (Center for Applied Special Tech.), Dr. Henry Fuchs (UNC, Chapel Hill), Dr. Jane Richards (UNC, Chapel Hill), Dr. Frederick P. Brooks, Jr (UNC, Chapel Hill)

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EP2  Inventing the Future
Nov. 24,1991
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Inventing the Future

Forty-five years ago a few brave souls risked everything to prove that computers were destined for more than just the laboratory. Interviews: Ted Withington (network engineer, industry analyst), Paul Ceruzzi (Smithsonian), J. Presper Eckert (ENIAC co-inventor, d.1995), Morris Hansen (former US Census Bureau, d.1990), John Pinkerton (Chief Engineer, LEO, d.1997), Thomas J. Watson, Jr. (Chairman Emeritus, IBM, d.1993), James W. Birkenstock (retired Vice President, IBM, d.2003), Jean Sammet (programming language historian), Dick Davis (retired Senior V.P., Bank of America), Robert Noyce (co-inventor, integrated circuit, d.1990), Gordon Moore (former Chairman of the Board, Intel), Steve Wozniak (Co-founder, Apple)

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Inventing the Future

Forty-five years ago a few brave souls risked everything to prove that computers were destined for more than just the laboratory. Interviews: Ted Withington (network engineer, industry analyst), Paul Ceruzzi (Smithsonian), J. Presper Eckert (ENIAC co-inventor, d.1995), Morris Hansen (former US Census Bureau, d.1990), John Pinkerton (Chief Engineer, LEO, d.1997), Thomas J. Watson, Jr. (Chairman Emeritus, IBM, d.1993), James W. Birkenstock (retired Vice President, IBM, d.2003), Jean Sammet (programming language historian), Dick Davis (retired Senior V.P., Bank of America), Robert Noyce (co-inventor, integrated circuit, d.1990), Gordon Moore (former Chairman of the Board, Intel), Steve Wozniak (Co-founder, Apple)

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EP1  Giant Brains
Nov. 17,1991
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Giant Brains

Englishman Charles Babbage conceived the basic idea of a computer about 150 years ago, as a machine that would eliminate error and relieve humans of the tedium of calculation. But it was not until the Second World War that the race to build the first computer began. In 1946, the Americans unveiled the ENIAC - it filled a large room, cost the equivalent of $3 million to build and had less power than a modern pocket calculator. Interviews: Paul Ceruzzi (computer historian), Doron Swade (London Science Museum), Konrad Zuse (inventor of the first functional computer and high-level programming language, d.1995), Kay Mauchly Antonelli (human computer in WWII and ENIAC programmer, d.2006), Herman Goldstine (ENIAC developer, d.2004), J. Presper Eckert (co-inventor of ENIAC, d.1995), Maurice Wilkes (inventor of EDSAC), Donald Michie (Codebreaker at Bletchley Park)

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Giant Brains

Englishman Charles Babbage conceived the basic idea of a computer about 150 years ago, as a machine that would eliminate error and relieve humans of the tedium of calculation. But it was not until the Second World War that the race to build the first computer began. In 1946, the Americans unveiled the ENIAC - it filled a large room, cost the equivalent of $3 million to build and had less power than a modern pocket calculator. Interviews: Paul Ceruzzi (computer historian), Doron Swade (London Science Museum), Konrad Zuse (inventor of the first functional computer and high-level programming language, d.1995), Kay Mauchly Antonelli (human computer in WWII and ENIAC programmer, d.2006), Herman Goldstine (ENIAC developer, d.2004), J. Presper Eckert (co-inventor of ENIAC, d.1995), Maurice Wilkes (inventor of EDSAC), Donald Michie (Codebreaker at Bletchley Park)

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8.3 | en | Documentary
Synopsis

A five-part series about the origins, history and impact of the computer, a machine that changed the world.

...... View More
Cast

Andrew Sachs

Director

Michael Chin

Producted By

BBC , WGBH

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