A Biography of the Pixel (2021)

mitpress.mit.edu

46 points·rg111··6 comments

I ordered this because it was mentioned in another thread. It's more context and philosophical before getting to the science, but that makes it a more interesting read. Smith has a unique perspective from his career and help driving the science forward.

This is one of the most insightful books that I ever read.

I don't work in computer graphics, yet I found it amazing.

I read it cover to cover.

I also purchased and read this. If you enjoy the minutae of scientific advances you’ll love this, but not a page-turner. Also a helpful scientific / historical primer for anyone who wants to understand graphics (pixels, shaders, etc)

I highly recommend this book as well. I am always on the lookout for technical books that have a good mix of history. One of my favorite examples is the "Disappearing Spoon", which is an engaging exploration of chemistry with stories. Biography of the Pixel is right up there with that.

There is a bonus chapter on his website: http://alvyray.com/DigitalLight/default.htm

I am still reading this but love it so far. I love seeing first-hand historical accounts for computing

I met Alvy Ray Smith at a graphics symposium in Utah a couple months ago. Seemed like a really great guy who obviously still has a lot of passion and excitement for a field he helped create. Been looking forward to reading this ever since.

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