Edit: link had been to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJDv-zdhzMY but a user below posted this archive.org link which is better. Thanks, mxfh!
It's the perfect example of a practical solution Doug invented decades ago that still hasn't been matched by today's technology.
P.S. I was never able to find the link after I saw it once, so if someone here knows where to find it; please let me know.
I just told one my co-workers about this and he nearly broke down crying. I asked him who he was and he went into the same example you gave. To say he was ahead of his time is an understatement.
Always sad to lose such a visionary. I'm just learning about some of these incredible people and their amazing contributions.
See Max Jammer's Conceptual Development of Quantum Mechanics as a model. He was interviewing the Old Ones before they passed on.
Herbert Simon[1]
Norbert Weiner[2]
Marvin Minsky[3]
Richard Greenblatt[4]
Bill Gosper[5]
John McCarthy[6]
Barbara Liskov[7]
J.C.R. Licklider[8]
Edit: and, of course, we can't neglect Vannevar Bush[9] or Claude Shannon[10] either.
etc...
[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_A._Simon
[2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norbert_Wiener
[3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvin_Minsky
[4]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Greenblatt_(programmer)
[5]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gosper
[6]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCarthy_%28computer_scien...
[7]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Liskov
[8]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.C.R._Licklider
Is there any particular order I should tackle these?
Artificial Life
and
Hackers: Heroes Of The Computer Revolution
That said, the stuff Claude Shannon did basically established the field of Information Theory[1], which underpins huge swathes of our modern digital world. You could do worse than reading up on him.
I've read several accounts of this presentation ( one is in _What the Dormouse Said_ ), but don't recall an explanation.
"Engelbart referred to the on-screen cursor as a "bug" or a "tracking spot," and there were occasionally odd buzzing sounds in the background as he executed commands at the keyboard. The group had been experimenting with using the computer to generate different tones depending upon what was being executed, as a way of creating auditory feedback."
Looks like a pretty uniform buzz, too
http://archive.org/details/XD300-23_68HighlightsAResearchCnt...
I will say though that taking a look at it for just a few minutes is incredibly inspiring. It's a reminder that with enough passion and determination to push the boundaries of current technologies, anyone can become an innovator who sets in motion a wave of changes that effects the lives of everyone on this planet.