A Friendly Orange Glow: PLATO and the Dawn of Cyberculture in the Silicon Prairie
(Room JW Grand Ballroom 3/4)
07 Jul 18
10:30 AM
-
11:45 AM
Long before what we know of today as “the internet,” a prototypical online community flourished, centered on the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Alan Baltis had the extraordinarily good luck to earn his computer science and MBA degrees there between 1977 and 1983 and was immersed in the PLATO community. Inspired by the recent publication of The Friendly Orange Glow by Brian Dear, we’ll straddle the line between detailed history and personal reminiscence as we discuss the origins of the PLATO system, its 25-year trajectory, and eventual powering down. We'll discuss PLATO-related innovations such as plasma panels, modems, multi-media devices, the TUTOR programming language, online communities, massive multiplayer online roleplaying games, hacking, instant messaging, blogging, virtual personae, and cyber addiction. You'll meet Dr. Graper, the Red Sweater, Nanook of the North, Hamir the Hermit, NMI, and Boy with Brain in a Jar. We'll share how a diaspora of post-PLATO folks had a huge impact on cyberculture across the U.S. An amazing untold story!