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Contact: Terrie Phoenix ACM 212-626-0531 phoenix@acm.org
NEW YORK, NY, August 6, 1996 James Burke, world-renowned television host,
author, educator and frequent lecturer at universities and major corporations, has been
chosen by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) as the moderator for its
upcoming conference and exposition on the future of computing to be held in San Jose,
March 1 - 5, 1997.
As the Master of Ceremonies for ACM97: The Next 50 Years of Computing, Mr.
Burke will deliver opening comments and a special closing summary of the presentations,
and will moderate the interaction between the audience and plenary session speakers.
James Burke is widely respected for his thoughtful examinations, on television and in
books, of the evolution of interdependent technologies and their impacts on society" said
Robert Metcalfe, ACM97 chairman, computer networking pioneer, International Data
Group's vice president technology and Infoworld columnist. "Mr. Burke's
ability to relate these evolutions and impacts to non-technical audiences makes him the
ideal moderator for ACM97's plenary sessions in San Jose next March.
Mr. Burke is perhaps best known for his highly-acclaimed television series,
Connections, which first aired on public television in 1979 and examined how different
technologies evolved over time. He further expanded on themes explored in
Connections in his next series, The Day the Universe Changed. This 10-part series,
shown on public television in 1986, looked at critical discoveries and technological
innovations that have had a profound and lasting impact on societies, economies and
lifestyles over the last several hundred years. Mr. Burke authored companion books to
both series, which have been viewed in more than 40 countries around the world.
Connections drew the largest audience in history in the US for a documentary series. It
is also part of the curriculum at approximately 350 colleges and universities.
In his prolific body of work, Mr. Burke has demonstrated an uncanny ability to draw
connections between things that on the surface may appear unrelated. He logically
illustrates how one development has lead directly or indirectly to another, making a
strong argument in favor of the natural interdependency and interactivity of technology,
society and history.
Mr. Burke followed up on the phenomenal success of Connections and The Day
the Universe Changed, with a 20-part series for cable TV s The Learning Channel called
Connections2, which he wrote and produced from 1991 to 1994. This series has also
been developed into a CD-ROM, Connections - A Mindgame. Mr. Burke s most recent
books are The Axemaker s Gift, a study of the social implications of innovation, and
The Pinball Effect, the companion to the Connections 2 series. He is at present in
production on a new ten-hour series for The Learning Channel tentatively titled Journeys
on the Web.
ACM is a major force in advancing the skills of information technology
professionals
and students. ACM serves its global membership by delivering cutting edge technical
information and transferring ideas from theory to practice. ACM, with its world-class
journals and magazines, dynamic special interest groups, numerous conferences,
workshops, and electronic forums, is a primary resource to the IT field. For additional
information about ACM see http://www.acm.org on the World Wide Web.
ACM97, a worldwide interactive event on the next fifty years of computing,
includes a futuristic expo, plenary sessions, World Wide Web site and book. The event is
underwritten by Computerworld Inc., Hewlett-Packard Company, Intel Corporation,
Microsoft Corporation, Simply Interactive Internet Company and Sun Microsystems Inc.,
and will be held March 1-5, 1997, at the San Jose Convention Center. ACM97 will spark
discussion and debate with insights and comment from global leaders and conference
participants who together will examine the long-term future of information technology
(IT) and its impacts.
ACM97 is the celebration of both the IT industry s and ACM s 50th anniversary.
The Expo portion of ACM97 will be free and open to the public for four days, and tens of
thousands of people are expected to attend. The Expo will transform the convention
center into a world of high-tech pavilions and computer-animation theaters highlighting a
variety of computing domains and will demonstrate how each will impact our future.
The conference portion of ACM97 will include a large international group of
futurists, policy makers and thought leaders who will attend a three-day series of
presentations by some of the industry s foremost authorities.
An Internet web site (www.acm.org/acm97) will serve as a continuing forum for
discussion on the long-term future of computing, and an associated book entitled
"Beyond Calculation, The Next 50 Years of Computing" will be published by
Copernicus, a division of Springer-Verlag and distributed at ACM97 and worldwide
thereafter. Speakers Speakers for ACM97 to date include:
Posted: September 24, 1996 By: Tina Angleone |
