IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 41

commentary

Arthur Winston

Thinking Machines
in the Physical World

hese remark s by
Arthur Winston were
addressed to attendees of the 2016 IEEE
Conference on Norbert Wiener in the 21st Century,
Melbourne, Australia, held July
13-15, 2016.

T

Hi, I'm Arthur Winston. I was the
Technical Program Committee Chair
for the predecessor conference, Nor-
bert Wiener in the 21st Century, that
took place in Boston in 2014. I am
also a past President of IEEE.
I'm sorry I can't be with you in
person, but I am pleased and hon-
ored to welcome you to the 2016
IEEE Conference on Norbert Wie-
ner in the 21st Century - Thinking
Machines in the Physical World. I
would like to share with you person-
al reflections on Norbert Wiener and
his contributions.
I hope you don't mind but I brought
someone along who might be able
to help this presentation. Let me
introduce you to Norbert Wiener
(see Figure 1).
Norbert was a Professor at M.I.T.
when I was a Research Assistant
and working on my Doctorate. I saw
Norbert and was keenly aware of
his presence though I was not in his
department. He was in Mathematics
and I was in Physics.
You will notice that Norbert has
a goatee, a little beard and is some-

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MTS.2017.2697064
Date of publication: 8 June 2017

June 2017

tions of the lens were interchanged
so that the distant part was lower
leading to this posture.
To get an appreciation for the
human side of Wiener, I would like

A. WINSTON

what portly, his stomach sticks out.
When he walked, it was more pro-
nounced since he kept his head
back. I had heard that he wore bifo-
cals but that the near and far por-

Figure 1. Meet Norbert Wiener (Arthur Winston on left.).

∕

IEEE Technology and Society Magazine

41



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017

IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - Cover1
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - Cover2
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 1
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 2
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 3
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 4
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 5
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 6
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 7
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 8
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 9
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 10
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 11
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 12
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 13
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 14
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 15
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 16
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 17
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 18
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 19
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 20
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 21
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 22
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 23
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 24
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 25
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 26
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 27
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 28
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 29
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 30
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 31
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 32
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 33
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 34
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 35
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 36
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 37
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 38
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 39
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 40
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 41
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 42
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 43
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 44
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 45
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 46
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 47
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 48
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 49
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 50
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 51
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 52
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 53
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 54
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 55
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 56
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 57
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 58
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 59
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 60
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 61
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 62
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 63
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 64
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 65
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 66
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 67
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 68
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 69
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 70
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 71
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 72
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 73
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 74
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 75
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 76
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 77
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 78
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 79
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 80
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 81
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 82
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 83
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 84
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 85
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 86
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 87
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - 88
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - Cover3
IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - June 2017 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2021
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2020
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2019
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_december2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_september2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_june2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_march2018
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2017
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2016
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2015
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2014
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_winter2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_fall2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_summer2013
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/ieee/technologysociety_spring2013
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com