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14 Hal Abelson Quotes

Hal Abelson presents thoughtful, measured insights on learning, technology, and mathematics.

Hal Abelson quotes

  1. If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants were standing on my shoulders.

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  2. Applicants must also have extensive knowledge of Unix, although they should have sufficiently good programming taste to not consider this an achievement

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  3. In the Middle Ages people built cathedrals, where the whole town would get together and make a thing that's greater than any individual person could do and the society would kind of revel in that. We don't do that as much anymore, but in a sense this is kind of like building a cathedral.

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  4. Anything which uses science as part of its name isn't: political science, creation science, computer science.

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  5. 'What's important is not just to develop the technology; it's to develop the processes.'

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  6. 'It is not that there is some magic technology. It is what are you going to do with it?'

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  7. Universities are meant to pass the torch of civilization.'

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  8. 'Giving it away helps defuse complex intellectual property issues of ownership and control that can distract the universities from their missions to disseminate knowledge.' - commmenting on MIT's Open Courseware program

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  9. Turtle Geometry: The Computer as a Medium for Exploring Mathematics (1981)

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  10. Logo for the Apple II (1982)

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  11. Apple Logo (1982)

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  12. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (1985)

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  13. Logo for the Macintosh: An Introduction through Object Logo (1992)

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  14. Architects of the Information Society (1999) - edited by with Simson L. Garfinkel

    #14