2008/03/19

a blast from the past

While going through the latest at Jerry Pournelle's, I bumped into this:

Techniques of Systems Analysis

Back in my prior life as an Engineer, Herman's writings were some of the most prized. The Rand Corporation represented for many of us the creme-de-la-creme of top engineering and design skills.

If you feel like getting enlightened on the seminal work that resulted in IT System Analysis as we knew it during the 70s, 80s and 90s, then download this document and give it a read. It's free. So are many of the other documents there, from that era.

Warning: you *will* be required to use that grey matter between your ears! I do know that readers of this blog would take that as a given, but the warning remains: Herman had an IQ in excess of 180 and his writings definitely show it.

On a much sadder note:

A great soul is now back in space

No need for words. Just watch 2001, a Space Odissey. Better yet, read one of his many Sci-Fi books. Nothing would be a better tribute.

1 Comments:

Blogger Joel Garry said...

A couple more tidbits about Clarke clipped from the Washington Post feed:

One of his short stories, “Dial F for Frankenstein” (1964), inspired British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee to invent the World Wide Web in 1989.
...
Disabled by post-polio syndrome, the lingering effects of a disease that had paralyzed him for two months in 1959, Clarke said diving was as close as he could get to the weightless feeling of space.

His dive shop was destroyed in the 2004 tsunami.
...
In a 90th birthday video recorded in December, Clarke said he had only three last wishes: that someone find evidence of extraterrestrial life, that the world adopt clean energy sources and that an end be found to the long civil war in Sri Lanka.

Thursday, March 20, 2008 9:53:00 am  

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