Doug Engelbart, born in 1925, is an American inventor of Swedish and Norwegian descent. First of all, I cannot help but to feel ashamed of my ignorance to such a prominent figure in the human history. And as I explore his personalities, I realized the many similarities between us yet as I probe further, I realized the huge difference in achievements between us. In other words, I am completely beaten in every similar aspect that we both share. And allow me to explain myself.

Me, as a fellow engineer and a scientist wannabe is in awe of his achievements. Mr Engelbart is the father of human-computer interaction that bridges the gap between cold machines and warm human flesh, fuses human intelligence with artificial intelligence, making it possible for most ordinary human being to handle the one of the most sophisticated inventions in the world—the computers. This makes him the forefather of computer ergonomic and Graphical User Interface (GUI). For example, he invented the computer mouse in 1967, which we still use today. By simply applying technology with innovation, he created an intuitive device that made computers navigation a breeze for all of us. That an invention which probably helped Bill Gates to become the richest man in the world. Without Mr Engelbart, computers would not be what it is today and I believe the same goes for technology. He democratizes technology and humanizes it; he, who paves the way for human technology development.

As a fellow philosophy enthusiast, Mr Engelbart is a firm believer of principle of linguistic relativity developed by Benjamin Lee Whorf. On the other hand, I am a fan of Thomas Aquinas but view philosophy as a mere source of entertainment, mental stimulus, and a topic for discussion. However, Mr Engelbart took his belief further and uses it a source of inspiration for his invention endeavors and it become the main drive behind his entrepreneurial pursuits. I truly pale in comparison as a true philosopher is indeed one that practices what he/she preaches.

If that is not enough to impress, Mr Engelbart is also a champion of “never too old” and “never say die” attitude. Currently in his late 80s, he is a director of Bootstrap Institute and is still making his contributions to the IT community. At an age where we are probably relishing the golden moments of our life, Mr Engelbart continues to pursue his passion. If the challenge of time alone is not enough to extinguish his burning passion, I doubt any other forces of nature could put out his flame of passion. And here I am, on the verge of giving up in my struggle with my engineering course.

A brilliant engineer, an outstanding scientist, an excellent inventor, a true philosopher and a fine man with an undying passion; to these traits I can only express awe and respect towards him. We are so similar yet so different; Mr Engelbart will definitely be a charismatic and compass figure in my life. He has inspired me to propel myself further and to go beyond my own limit; hoping that I will be able to close those differences between us just a little. There is no reason why I would refuse his autograph and I yearn for it in fact. As though this immortal seems to offer a handshake to lift me up from my mortal seat.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 16th, 2008 at 1:51 am and is filed under Mother of all Demos. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.