Mark Weiser

Biography

"Mark was best known for his contributions to the field of mobile computing. He was often referred to as the father of "ubiquitous computing". He coined that term in 1988 to describe a future in which PCs will be replaced with invisible computers embedded in everyday objects. He believed that this will lead to an era of "calm technology," in which technology, rather than panicking us, will help us focus on what is really important to us".

Quotes

• The purpose of a computer is to help you do something else.
• The best computer is a quiet, invisible servant.
• The more you can do by intuition the smarter you are; the computer should extend your unconscious.
• Technology should create calm.

Articles

• "Open House," (Word Doc Link) from the online journal ITP Review.
• "The Invisible Interface: Increasing the Power of the Environment through Calm Technology", keynote speech at CoBuild98.
• "Designing Calm Technology," coauthored with John Seely Brown.
• "The Computer for the Twenty-First Century" Scientific American, 1991.
• Additional selected publications

Further Reading

• Ubiquitous Computing
• Xerox PARC
• Calm Technology

Related Articles

• Methods and technologies for experimenting with ubiquitous computing
• Ambient Intelligence to Go

Website

• http://www-sul.stanford.edu/weiser/