******** From: Max Cacas <MCacasat_private> To: "'Declan McCullagh'" <declanat_private> Subject: FW: Mike Dertouzos dies Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 11:56:34 -0400 Declan, Thought you might want to bring to the attention of the Politech list the death of Mike Dertouzous. I got to hear him once, and it was one of those really enlightening moments. Listening to him here at the Freedom Forum in 1997, was one of those moments that got me excited about the promise of the Internet, and the potential of technology to improve our lives. We've really lost an 'original' today. Cheers, - Max > http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/30/obituaries/30DERT.html > > August 30, 2001 > > Michael L. Dertouzos, 64, Computer Visionary, Dies > > By JOHN SCHWARTZ > Michael L. Dertouzos, a computer scientist with a knack for explaining the > ways that high technology affects people's lives, died on Monday night in > Boston. He was 64. > The cause of death is unknown, pending an autopsy. > Mr. Dertouzos, a faculty member of the Massachusetts Institute of > Technology since 1964, became the director of the institute's Laboratory > for Computer Sciences in 1974. Under his leadership, the laboratory > developed many of the technologies that underlie today's computers, > including one of the best-known methods for scrambling data, the RSA > encryption system, and innovations that helped bring the World Wide Web > into popular use. > Charles M. Vest, the president of M.I.T., described Mr. Dertouzos as > "larger than life," saying: "He was at once a leader, builder, visionary > and caring human being. Few individuals have so personally and profoundly > shaped their institutions and professional fields." > Mr. Dertouzos was instrumental in creating a home within his labs for the > World Wide Web Consortium, a forum of companies and organizations that > promotes the development of the Web. He recruited Tim Berners-Lee, the > inventor of the Web, to the labs. > Though he worked in some of the highest realms of computer science, Mr. > Dertouzos always insisted that technology be designed to serve people and > not the other way around. In 1999, for example, the labs announced the > "Oxygen Project," a $50 million effort undertaken with the M.I.T. > Artificial Intelligence Laboratory to make computers easier to use, the > institute said, and "as natural a part of our environment as the air we > breathe." > Mr. Berners-Lee, in a tribute posted on the Web (www.w3.org/People/ > Berners-Lee/2001/MLD.html), wrote, "Michael had been promoting the vision > of the information marketplace long before the Web came along." > In the tribute, Mr. Berners-Lee recalled Mr. Dertouzos's ability to cut > through confusion to get things done. It was early in the life of his > fledgling organization, and he recalled that the small group was "frankly > quite adrift." At that moment, he recalled, Mr. Dertouzos "took us in > hand" and held "one dramatic eight-hour meeting in which the mission, > goals and structure of the team was in place, and everything looked at > once logical and possible." [...] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------
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