Reflections on science, technology, and computing -- leavened by personal experience
N.B. This essay is about three interrelated topics: (a) the art and soul of human writing, (b) the ethics of intellectual delegation via AI, and (c) the mechanistic reality of intelligence. Many years ago, I sat in a university cabinet meeting as we debated some forgotten, but seemingly momentous issue. At some point during the [ ] The post Who’s Doing Your Thinking (and Writing)? appeared first…
You have probably been the unwitting protagonist in the following social horror movie. A stranger approaches you and begins chatting animatedly, like an old acquaintance or confidant. Meanwhile, you nod vaguely, half-listening while seized by internal panic. You frantically attempt to triangulate a face, name and a context. It is a study in cognitive dissonance, [ ] The post The AI Whispered Your…
We need a moonshot that rebuilds our core computing infrastructure based on 21st century ideas, not just variants of those from the past century. It will not be for timid, the nostalgic, or the underfunded. Bold ideas and new approaches never are. The post HPC In An AI World appeared first on Reed s Ruminations: The Past, Present, and Future .
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. [ ] The post Geek Versus Chic appeared first…
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, [ ] The post Merit Review: Investing…
N.B. This is an old article, written a decade ago, but shared only informally with a few. In today s uncertain world, it seems appropriate to share it more widely. The news spread through the community as most things do – a whisper here, a brief allusion there. Everyone seemed to know, but nobody dared talk [ ] The post A Canticle for Reason appeared first on Reed s Ruminations: The Past, Present,…
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. [ ] The post RENCI and the Digital Antique…
N.B. Back in 1999, when I was a computer science professor and department head at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), I considered all that I knew about technology and research trends in computing, wireless communications, networking, modeling and simulation, and I asked myself, “What could life be like for my typical student in [ ] The post A 21st Century Student Experience,…
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 [ ] The post Courtside…
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 […] The post HPCDan Ports Reed’s Ruminations appeared first on Reed s Ruminations: The Past, Present, and Future .