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The Philosopher of Palo Alto: Mark Weiser, Xerox PARC, and the Original Internet of Things
A compelling biography of Mark Weiser, a pioneering innovator whose legacy looms over the tech industry’s quest to connect everything—and who hoped for something better.
When developers and critics trace the roots of today’s Internet of Things—our smart gadgets and smart cities—they may single out the same creative Mark Weiser (1952–99), the first chief technology officer at Xerox PARC and the so-called “father of ubiquitous computing.” But Weiser, who died young at age 46 in 1999, would be heartbroken if he had lived to see the ways we use technology today. As John Tinnell shows in this thought-provoking narrative, Weiser was an outlier in Silicon Valley. A computer scientist whose first love was philosophy, he relished debates about the machine’s ultimate purpose. Good technology, Weiser argued, should not mine our experiences for saleable data or demand our attention; rather, it should quietly boost our intuition as we move through the world.
Informed by deep archival research and interviews with Weiser’s family and colleagues, The Philosopher of Palo Alto chronicles Weiser’s struggle to initiate a new era of computing. Working in the shadows of the dot-com boom, Weiser and his collaborators made Xerox PARC headquarters the site of a grand experiment. Throughout the building, they embedded software into all sorts of objects—coffeepots, pens, energy systems, ID badges—imbuing them with interactive features. Their push to integrate the digital and the physical soon caught on. Microsoft’s Bill Gates flagged Weiser’s Scientific American article “The Computer for the 21st Century” as a must-read. Yet, as more tech leaders warmed to his vision, Weiser grew alarmed about where they wished to take it.
In this fascinating story of an innovator and a big idea, Tinnell crafts a poignant and critical history of today’s Internet of Things. At the heart of the narrative is Weiser’s desire for deeper connection, which animated his life and inspired his notion of what technology at its best could be.
When developers and critics trace the roots of today’s Internet of Things—our smart gadgets and smart cities—they may single out the same creative Mark Weiser (1952–99), the first chief technology officer at Xerox PARC and the so-called “father of ubiquitous computing.” But Weiser, who died young at age 46 in 1999, would be heartbroken if he had lived to see the ways we use technology today. As John Tinnell shows in this thought-provoking narrative, Weiser was an outlier in Silicon Valley. A computer scientist whose first love was philosophy, he relished debates about the machine’s ultimate purpose. Good technology, Weiser argued, should not mine our experiences for saleable data or demand our attention; rather, it should quietly boost our intuition as we move through the world.
Informed by deep archival research and interviews with Weiser’s family and colleagues, The Philosopher of Palo Alto chronicles Weiser’s struggle to initiate a new era of computing. Working in the shadows of the dot-com boom, Weiser and his collaborators made Xerox PARC headquarters the site of a grand experiment. Throughout the building, they embedded software into all sorts of objects—coffeepots, pens, energy systems, ID badges—imbuing them with interactive features. Their push to integrate the digital and the physical soon caught on. Microsoft’s Bill Gates flagged Weiser’s Scientific American article “The Computer for the 21st Century” as a must-read. Yet, as more tech leaders warmed to his vision, Weiser grew alarmed about where they wished to take it.
In this fascinating story of an innovator and a big idea, Tinnell crafts a poignant and critical history of today’s Internet of Things. At the heart of the narrative is Weiser’s desire for deeper connection, which animated his life and inspired his notion of what technology at its best could be.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published May 25, 2023
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434 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 4, 2023
Palo Alto sits at the center of Silicon Valley as the world capital of technological development. In the final decades of the twentieth century, Xerox’s PARC labs held an eminent place within its culture and helped expand ideas like Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) and “ubiquitous computing.” The man who coined the latter phrase is Mark Weiser, a late scholar whose work I was not intimately acquainted with until reading this work. In this biography of an influential technologist, Tinnell provides a biography of a man as moved by philosophy as by technology, who died too early in life from stomach cancer.
The son of a science professor, Weiser entered college to study philosophy before transferring and studying computers all the way through a doctorate. Exposed to computers through his father, he had fiddled with them computers as a grade-school student. His philosophical explorations led him to move on from a Cartesian view of life (where everything exists in mental maps, compatible with a digital view of the world) to one more inspired by Martin Heidegger. The German Heidegger, in his classic Being and Time, saw humans as “beings in the world” who are always engaged in life instead of being a disinterested observers. Weiser latched onto Heidegger’s view as a way to explain how technology should help human efforts. Technology should not be an all-knowing “butler” (as classic AI purports) but as a calm, silent tool in the background to make our lives easier.
Weiser developed this understanding during the heyday of Xerox PARC labs, which is featured prominently in this biography. The lab put together elite basic researchers in technology and funded their explorations amply. They focused on developing ideas about technology (like GUIs popularized in Windows or MacOS or calm technology) and stayed away from firm rights of intellectual property. Their spirit of collaboration is borne through this book and easily could comprise its main topic, instead of Weiser. Weiser led their computer science lab and popularized concepts around “ubiquitous computing” (making computers in all sorts of devices) and the Internet of Things. In many ways, his vision has still not been fully birthed into existence and is at war with “classic AI” (seen in MIT’s Media Lab) for cultural supremacy. He saw, earlier than most, the problems with a society observed 24-7 by digital data collection.
Those, like myself, who are involved in developing software and technology should read this work, without a doubt. Understanding original ideas in depth is necessary to take full advantage of building upon them in one’s work. Though a writer and not a technologist, Tinnell shows a deep understanding of the history of technology. He also picks up on nuances in Weiser’s thought that most technologists would not appreciate. Thus, this book stands poised to exert strong influence on the IT industry, a dominant force in the modern world. It has impacted how I will pursue my work developing “smart” technologies, and I hope it will inspire others along the way.
The son of a science professor, Weiser entered college to study philosophy before transferring and studying computers all the way through a doctorate. Exposed to computers through his father, he had fiddled with them computers as a grade-school student. His philosophical explorations led him to move on from a Cartesian view of life (where everything exists in mental maps, compatible with a digital view of the world) to one more inspired by Martin Heidegger. The German Heidegger, in his classic Being and Time, saw humans as “beings in the world” who are always engaged in life instead of being a disinterested observers. Weiser latched onto Heidegger’s view as a way to explain how technology should help human efforts. Technology should not be an all-knowing “butler” (as classic AI purports) but as a calm, silent tool in the background to make our lives easier.
Weiser developed this understanding during the heyday of Xerox PARC labs, which is featured prominently in this biography. The lab put together elite basic researchers in technology and funded their explorations amply. They focused on developing ideas about technology (like GUIs popularized in Windows or MacOS or calm technology) and stayed away from firm rights of intellectual property. Their spirit of collaboration is borne through this book and easily could comprise its main topic, instead of Weiser. Weiser led their computer science lab and popularized concepts around “ubiquitous computing” (making computers in all sorts of devices) and the Internet of Things. In many ways, his vision has still not been fully birthed into existence and is at war with “classic AI” (seen in MIT’s Media Lab) for cultural supremacy. He saw, earlier than most, the problems with a society observed 24-7 by digital data collection.
Those, like myself, who are involved in developing software and technology should read this work, without a doubt. Understanding original ideas in depth is necessary to take full advantage of building upon them in one’s work. Though a writer and not a technologist, Tinnell shows a deep understanding of the history of technology. He also picks up on nuances in Weiser’s thought that most technologists would not appreciate. Thus, this book stands poised to exert strong influence on the IT industry, a dominant force in the modern world. It has impacted how I will pursue my work developing “smart” technologies, and I hope it will inspire others along the way.
August 10, 2023
Mark Weiser’s Quest for Calm Computing
I never cried before when I read a book about computers and their creators, but this time I did. Mark Weiser's death from cancer in 1996 was both sad and tragic, but he imbued his last few weeks with meaning by making a choice demonstrating what his life's philosophy had been all about, to be present and engaged with his fellow human beings, in particular his family, friends, and colleagues. When he was diagnosed with cancer and told that he had only three weeks to live, his first thought was to isolate himself and write the book he had always dreamt of writing, laying out his philosophy behind ubiquitous computing, an approach to computing that wanted to get them out of the way, so that they didn’t become a distraction from our humanity and human social life, but in the end he decided to spend the time with his ex-wife, daughters and friends. On the brink of death, he chose to be present.
The Philosopher of Palo Alto, written by John Tinnell, director of digital studies and associate professor of English at the University of Colorado at Denver, captures Mark Weiser's long struggle to keep the exploding new information technology from overwhelming us as humans.
Wherever you look in 2023 it seems that he lost his battle as parents and children, friends and lovers, stare down at the mobile phones to count Facebook likes or laugh at Tik-Tok videos rather than look at each other, talk and listen. But the battle is not over, and Mark Weiser's ideas are still simmering and nurturing many information technology developers, researchers, and critics.
It was at Xerox PARC's legendary research lab that Mark Weiser developed the concept of ubiquitous computing, a radical paradigm for what computers could and should do, as well as what they should not do. He was influenced by philosophers such as Michael Polanyi, Martin Heidegger, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, an influence that made him question the impact on computer research and development of the Cartesian split of mind and body.
To read the entire review, visit my blog The Nordic Link.
https://sandberghans.blogspot.com/202...
I never cried before when I read a book about computers and their creators, but this time I did. Mark Weiser's death from cancer in 1996 was both sad and tragic, but he imbued his last few weeks with meaning by making a choice demonstrating what his life's philosophy had been all about, to be present and engaged with his fellow human beings, in particular his family, friends, and colleagues. When he was diagnosed with cancer and told that he had only three weeks to live, his first thought was to isolate himself and write the book he had always dreamt of writing, laying out his philosophy behind ubiquitous computing, an approach to computing that wanted to get them out of the way, so that they didn’t become a distraction from our humanity and human social life, but in the end he decided to spend the time with his ex-wife, daughters and friends. On the brink of death, he chose to be present.
The Philosopher of Palo Alto, written by John Tinnell, director of digital studies and associate professor of English at the University of Colorado at Denver, captures Mark Weiser's long struggle to keep the exploding new information technology from overwhelming us as humans.
Wherever you look in 2023 it seems that he lost his battle as parents and children, friends and lovers, stare down at the mobile phones to count Facebook likes or laugh at Tik-Tok videos rather than look at each other, talk and listen. But the battle is not over, and Mark Weiser's ideas are still simmering and nurturing many information technology developers, researchers, and critics.
It was at Xerox PARC's legendary research lab that Mark Weiser developed the concept of ubiquitous computing, a radical paradigm for what computers could and should do, as well as what they should not do. He was influenced by philosophers such as Michael Polanyi, Martin Heidegger, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, an influence that made him question the impact on computer research and development of the Cartesian split of mind and body.
To read the entire review, visit my blog The Nordic Link.
https://sandberghans.blogspot.com/202...
September 26, 2023
This is a strange little book that covers the life of Mark Weiser, a man who the author seems to believe occupies a pivotal role in the history of personal computing. Whether the author’s belief is warranted—or if indeed the entire book is warranted—is something I couldn’t quite decide by the time I reached the end of it.
Weiser’s professional life was spent working at the Xerox Corporation’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) where he had the enviable task of thinking Big Thoughts for a living. That is, imagining what the future of office technology might look like and setting a course for Xerox product research and development. This was in the 1980s and 90s when it still looked like a well-funded corporate tech think tank could single-handedly invent the future in some of the same ways that Bell Labs had done.
Author John Tinnell establishes Weiser as someone who grew up in thrall to early punch card-directed computers but who was also was keenly aware of how they could isolate their users from the world and other people. With a deep personal interest in certain philosophers, Weiser was compelled to find a new path for computing devices that would harness their beneficial powers without requiring that their users be holed up in isolating environments like college basement computer labs. Weiser’s love of computing instilled in him a desire to see computers in use everywhere, in a form that was so small and unobtrusive that they would be both a significant part of daily life and a glue that brought people closer together. In other words, he was an early techno-optimist. Tinnell suggests that Weiser’s interest in philosophy, coupled with his own frustrations in establishing deep personal relationships supplied the main motivations for the course of his professional career at Xerox PARC.
Fine. All well and good, but Tinnell’s case for why a book about Weiser’s career was needed isn’t particularly well made.
Weiser’s great claim to fame is the concept of ubiquitous computing, or “ubicomp.” Precisely what this concept is is never quite clearly articulated. And the author obliquely acknowledges as much multiple times throughout the text. While ubicomp seems to have been about the idea of computers packed into as many ordinary devices as possible, always fading into the background so as not to draw attention to themselves, it never really gets more specific than that. Instead, we’re fed a repeating stream of philosophical mumbo jumbo that doesn’t translate into understanding what Weiser was getting it. From Tinnell’s telling, Weiser’s audience often had the same problem. His ideas were vague and insubstantial, often with no demo hardware to look at. Indeed, Weiser himself may never have had a firm grasp of what ubicomp should have looked like. That’s a problem if you’re trying to establish an individual as a key figure in a technological history.
Weiser’s place is somewhat cemented in the minds of computing historians for a 1991 Scientific American article about ubicomp. At a time when the tech-interested were looking for a prophet to tell them from which direction the Next Big Thing was coming, Weiser scored big with this article. Unfortunately, Weiser seems to have ridden this moment of modest public fame to…well, not a lot beyond repeating the same pitch for several years at various international conferences. No major breakthroughs resulting from this article would ever come. Weiser would die from an untimely illness before reaching the age of 50, having little to show for his thoughts and efforts.
Weiser’s impact on the history of computing is murky at best. But one thing that’s clear is his (and his contemporaries’) deep enthusiasm for the embedding of computing devices into the tiniest corners of daily life. In the techno-enthusiast’s mind of the 1980s and 90s, computing tech was to be seen as a glorious boon that would free mankind and enhance his existence. What strikes me about their ideas is their rank naivety. They imagined what people like themselves would do with the technology. They never tried to imagine what the Worst People in the World would do with it, instituting relentless tracking, harvesting personal data, and continuously surveilling vast populations.
Weiser’s professional life was spent working at the Xerox Corporation’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) where he had the enviable task of thinking Big Thoughts for a living. That is, imagining what the future of office technology might look like and setting a course for Xerox product research and development. This was in the 1980s and 90s when it still looked like a well-funded corporate tech think tank could single-handedly invent the future in some of the same ways that Bell Labs had done.
Author John Tinnell establishes Weiser as someone who grew up in thrall to early punch card-directed computers but who was also was keenly aware of how they could isolate their users from the world and other people. With a deep personal interest in certain philosophers, Weiser was compelled to find a new path for computing devices that would harness their beneficial powers without requiring that their users be holed up in isolating environments like college basement computer labs. Weiser’s love of computing instilled in him a desire to see computers in use everywhere, in a form that was so small and unobtrusive that they would be both a significant part of daily life and a glue that brought people closer together. In other words, he was an early techno-optimist. Tinnell suggests that Weiser’s interest in philosophy, coupled with his own frustrations in establishing deep personal relationships supplied the main motivations for the course of his professional career at Xerox PARC.
Fine. All well and good, but Tinnell’s case for why a book about Weiser’s career was needed isn’t particularly well made.
Weiser’s great claim to fame is the concept of ubiquitous computing, or “ubicomp.” Precisely what this concept is is never quite clearly articulated. And the author obliquely acknowledges as much multiple times throughout the text. While ubicomp seems to have been about the idea of computers packed into as many ordinary devices as possible, always fading into the background so as not to draw attention to themselves, it never really gets more specific than that. Instead, we’re fed a repeating stream of philosophical mumbo jumbo that doesn’t translate into understanding what Weiser was getting it. From Tinnell’s telling, Weiser’s audience often had the same problem. His ideas were vague and insubstantial, often with no demo hardware to look at. Indeed, Weiser himself may never have had a firm grasp of what ubicomp should have looked like. That’s a problem if you’re trying to establish an individual as a key figure in a technological history.
Weiser’s place is somewhat cemented in the minds of computing historians for a 1991 Scientific American article about ubicomp. At a time when the tech-interested were looking for a prophet to tell them from which direction the Next Big Thing was coming, Weiser scored big with this article. Unfortunately, Weiser seems to have ridden this moment of modest public fame to…well, not a lot beyond repeating the same pitch for several years at various international conferences. No major breakthroughs resulting from this article would ever come. Weiser would die from an untimely illness before reaching the age of 50, having little to show for his thoughts and efforts.
Weiser’s impact on the history of computing is murky at best. But one thing that’s clear is his (and his contemporaries’) deep enthusiasm for the embedding of computing devices into the tiniest corners of daily life. In the techno-enthusiast’s mind of the 1980s and 90s, computing tech was to be seen as a glorious boon that would free mankind and enhance his existence. What strikes me about their ideas is their rank naivety. They imagined what people like themselves would do with the technology. They never tried to imagine what the Worst People in the World would do with it, instituting relentless tracking, harvesting personal data, and continuously surveilling vast populations.
August 30, 2025
I really enjoyed this biography of Marc Weiser, his vision, and the people around him. The book contains a fascinating, detailed description of the birthplace of modern user interfaces, as well as a range of people who would later become luminaries in their own right. It also compellingly describes personal struggles, the search for a vision, and being misunderstood. Although it is a bit long, I highly recommend it if you are interested in user interfaces and human-computer interaction.
November 16, 2023
An important history that explains the form of so much of our current digital world.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews