The Origins and Development of Computer Graphics

SPEAKER

Stephen Marshall

AGENDA

18:00 - Arrive, refreshments and networking

18:30 - Start of talk

19:30 - Q&A

20:00 - Close and adjourn to a local hostelry

SYNOPSIS

Computer graphics are everywhere, from the smartphone in your pocket to tablets, laptop and desktop computers, video games, public information displays, CGI in films – the list is endless.

We think of computer graphics technology as originating with the early video games of the 1980s and 1990s, however, its development goes back to the very beginning of electronic computation.

In this presentation I will trace the fascinating history of computer graphics from its source in Project Whirlwind at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1949 through the developments in timesharing and computer-aided design of the 1960s and ‘70s to the high-quality interactive graphics that give today’s personal computing devices their amazing capabilities.

SPEAKER BIOGRAPHY

Stephen is a former R&D engineer who now writes books on the history of technology. His first book, ‘The Story of the Computer: A Technical and Business History’, is the only comprehensive treatment of the subject written from both a technical and a business perspective.

His second book, ‘The Story of the Robot: A Short History of Automation and Robotics’, examines the history of the robot within the wider context of automation, thereby allowing the reader to fully appreciate the origins and evolution of robotic systems. He is currently working on his third book, a history of music technology.

Stephen is a Chartered Engineer, a Chartered Information Technology Professional and an avid member of the Computer Conservation Society.

The Story of the Computer – A Technical and Business History

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