What do Computers and Skateboards have in Common?
2001-07-27 00:46:02
They both sprang from the mind of John Mauchly that's what.
A while ago, I received a documentary on inventor John Mauchly. Who is John Mauchly you might ask? Well, according to the documentary MAUCHLY: The Computer and the Skateboard (© 2000 blastoff media), this man is truly one of the fathers of computing.
Co-Directors Paul David and Jim Reed did an admirable job introducing us to John Mauchly and two of his most well known inventions, the ENIAC & UNIVAC computers. The fact that Jim Reed is Mauchly's grandson seemed to give these filmmakers access to people and materials I don't think most others would have. This documentary is told mainly though conversations with those close to the inventor including Mauchly's widow Kay Mauchly (one of the original "women of the ENIAC"), Joe Chapline (friend of Mauchly and writer of the ENIAC/UNIVAC documentation), as well as archive interview footage with John Mauchly himself.
Overall I liked this film and found it quite interesting. There was one editing choice that really nagged me though. The fact that there are a lot of the "audio fade" cuts between different interviewees, where someone voice would be trailing off with an unfinished sentence fading away. I didn't really like that, I found it distracting and thought that "clean audio cuts" would have been better for the film. All the editing was done on a circa 1999 home Macintosh, so I guess I gotta cut editor/director Paul David some slack.
But damn, I really like the subject matter. And for the most part, the filmmakers let the information "sell itself" through the interviewees. They also shied away from other possible distractions like background music or cheesy narration. The somewhat "over the top" WWII era "news reel" near the beginning of the film provides a nice contrast to the rest of the style of the documentary, which is much more subdued and relaxed.
If you get a chance, see this film. With some "cleaning up" and slight re-edits, this would be something you might expect to see on "a good night" of PBS. As it is, you'll have to do a little work to see this film. It's available for rent or purchase via The Cinema Guild and it will also be shown at The Anthology Film Archives in New York City Sept. 29th and 30th. For further information on MAUCHLY: The Computer and the Skateboard, visit the film's website: http://www.blastoffmedia.com/mauchly/
T O P S T O R I E S
In 2010 Dr. Cheng-Huai Ruan discovered a way to cause a patient with an abnormal heartbeat to get back into a normal rhythm by sticking a finger up the patient's ass. (More...)
WKRP in Cincinnati aired from 1978 through 1982. Howard Hesseman played Dr. Johnny Fever, a DJ from Los Angeles who was fired from his previous job for saying the word "booger" on the air. In the show Hesseman would do some dialogue, introduce a song, and start the song. You'd hear a few notes, but never the whole song. (More...)
SF Hippies Can't Get Their Act Together
The annual 420 Hippie Hill event in Golden Gate Park, where large crowds of hippies, wannabe hippies, and hippie poseurs drape themselves in tie dye t-shirts and gather on a hill on 4/20 to smoke weed, was cancelled this year because the organizers couldn't get their act together. (More...)
Mozart to be inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame
Joining such hard-rocking inductees as Abba, Chet Atkins, Nat King Cole, and Neil Diamond, the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame is proud to induct Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. (More...)
Gary Busey definitely involved in a hit and run accident
Gary Busey was definitely involved in a hit-and-run accident, but won't face any charges because he's rich and famous. (More...)
Gary Busey allegedly involved in Malibu hit-and-run
"Sir! You hit my car! I need your information!" the woman yelled at Gary Busey driving a battered Volvo station wagon before he sped off. (More...)
C L A S S I C P I G D O G
The One I Feel Sorry For Is Joses
We've had a lot of Jesus coverage lately here at the PDJ. But let's face it, we're not exactly cutting-edge in this subject area. Jesus has been making headlines for, oh, I guess it's a couple thousand years now. Jesus is a very strong brand. Jesus has a lot of mindshare. (More...)
Songs Of Love And Special Things
Well, dear reader, there's no denying it: Spring has sprung. The air is pungent with the fertile aroma of Romance. And you know what goes with Romance, don't you? That's right, Lover, porn. And not just any porn, but the kind you can sing along to. (More...)
40 Acres, a Mule, and a Crummy 90-Second Spot on Weekend Update
Consider the plight of the Black Man. The Black Man on "Saturday Night Live," I mean. Has there ever been a more pathetic thing than a token unredeemed for 28 years? Where is the NAACP when you really need them? (More...)
Experimenter is a film released in 2015 starring Peter Sarsgaard. It tells the story of Dr. Stanley Milgram's life, including the infamous Milgram electric shock experiment, tests on crowds, and his work developing a theory on the mechanics of social networks. It currently streams on Netflix. (More...)
Our team of crack journalists went insane, and made the drive from Concord, California to Concord, New Hasmpshire on Interstate 80. Read the insightful observations of our intrepid travelers made on their journey into the heartland. (More...)
On the Implementation of a Grocery Bag And Overforestation Initiative
Patient Joab and his evil cohort, Patient Steve, develop a proposal for the plastic-v.-paper problem that EVERYONE can be happy with. An EXCLUSIVE from Spock Mountain Research Labs! (More...)