Credit:
This page is an expansion of a page created by Dr. Frank Biocca at the University of North Carolina.
To the original page.
The Classics
Harold Innis
Innis was a Canadian theorist of techno-media, and served as a mentor for McLuhan.
Marshall McLuhan (disciple of Harold Innis). See Project McLuhan
McLuhan is the "patron saint" of Wired magazine and is considered a prophet of the electronic generation. Author of Understanding Media instant quote from the McLuhan.
Buckminister Fuller
Fuller is credited with inventing the geodesic dome. Prophet of architecture and technology.
Norbert Weiner
Weiner was considered a child genius; developed into a prominent mathematician at MIT; addressed relationship between humans and machines; invented term cybernetics.
Jacques Ellul
Ellul is critical of technology, argues that it dehumanizes individuals and society. A French Marxist.
Alvin Toffler
Toffler and his wife are both noted authors on technology, believes we are in a post-industrial phase of techno-civilization.
See Wired Interview
George Gilder.
Gilder is a techno-enthusiast with political ties.
See Telecosm, and Wired's first and second interviews with Gilder.
Seymour Papert
Papert is a founding member of the MIT Media Laboratory and the LEGO Professor of
Learning Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Robert Lucky
Lucky is vice-president of applied research at Bellcore, the research branch of the Bell operating companies.
Clifford Stoll
Stoll is an author, including his most recent book, Silicon
Snake Oil: Second Thoughts on the Information Highway. His previous works have examined issues raised by computer hackers.
See an
interview with Stoll.
Critics, Cassandras, and Prophets of Doom
Langdon Winner
Winner is a professor in the Department of Science & Technology studies at Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute, concentrating on the social and political issues generated by modern technological change.
William Gibson
Gibson is the author of Neuromancer, which coined the term "cyberspace".
Sherry Turkle
Turkle is a Professor of Sociology at MIT who examines personas people assume when they are online.
Stephen Talbott
Talbott is the author
of The Future Does Not Compute - classic dystopic book about the interfaces and the net
note: this page is maintained by the Talbott's publishing company, it is very simple
Bruce Sterling
Sterling is a cyber journalist and author of The Hacker Crackdown. He is associated with the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR)
Brenda Laurel
Laurel is a performance artist who experiments with virtual reality. Considered an authority on human-computer interaction and interface design.
Jaron Lanier
Lanier is generally credited as the inventor of virtual reality.
Walter Bender
Bender is a News of the Future guru at MIT's Media Lab, also the leader of an interactive newspaper project.
William Mitchell
Mitchell is the dean of the school of architecture at MIT. He is the author of City of Bits.
This site made by
This site was created especially for students of the UNC School of Journalism's JOMC 050 Class, and anyone else who may be interested.
For more information, please contactdaikat@email.unc.edu