Michael F. Fitzgerald’s “Letter from Cambridge: AI Solutions for Real Problems” brought back a flood of (happy) memories for one Alta Journal reader. Got something to say? We’d love to hear from you. Email letters@altaonline.com. Please include your name, city, state, and phone number so we can contact you. Letters may be edited for brevity and clarity.
SILICON VALLEY GETS ALL THE CREDIT
Your article brought a big smile.
I worked in what we today call the technology sector for 50-plus years and am now retired to the Sonoma Valley wine country. My first job was as a programmer in Bethesda, Maryland, in the software business in the mid-’60s, when software was “programmers by the hour.” I moved to Boston in ’78 and Palo Alto in ’86, ending my career in venture capital. The cultural and operational differences between [technology corridor Route] 128 and Silicon Valley are dramatic, and have been chronicled often. I have stories, but they will be redundant and I won’t share.
What got my attention was you noting that MIT, and Marvin Minsky in particular, was AI. One of my roles was sales VP for Automatix, a factory-automation company (circa 1980), which was pitching intelligent robotic systems by using sensors. Our sensor of choice was machine vision. If a vision system could guide a robot, the huge expense of fixtures and tooling could be minimized. Automatix was planning to shorten the name to AI. All the engineers wore beaver rings.
There were many war stories at Automatix, summarized by a popular saying inside the company: “It’s amazing when it works!”
Michael Schuh
Glen Ellen, California•
