Rear Admiral Grace Hopper addresses the NSA (1982)
August 27, 2024 2:35 PM Subscribe
Grace Hopper on Future Possibilities: Data, Hardware, Software, and People (Part One) 48:39
Grace Hopper on Future Possibilities: Data, Hardware, Software, and People (Part Two) 40:55
After the NSA denied a FOI request to get this lecture made public (they did send pictures of the video tape reels, though), the agency had second thoughts and engaged National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to retrieve the footage.
The resulting videos are a delight. Her insights on the value of data (and the costs of bad data) are spot on, even if they hark back to data processing days. Her stories of encouraging team members to give their best work still inspire. Her comedic digs at all of the other branches of the armed forces are given with impeccable timing. And yes, she gives out nanoseconds to the audience ...
(Grace Hopper previously)
Grace Hopper on Future Possibilities: Data, Hardware, Software, and People (Part Two) 40:55
After the NSA denied a FOI request to get this lecture made public (they did send pictures of the video tape reels, though), the agency had second thoughts and engaged National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to retrieve the footage.
The resulting videos are a delight. Her insights on the value of data (and the costs of bad data) are spot on, even if they hark back to data processing days. Her stories of encouraging team members to give their best work still inspire. Her comedic digs at all of the other branches of the armed forces are given with impeccable timing. And yes, she gives out nanoseconds to the audience ...
(Grace Hopper previously)
Brilliant. Funny. She explains things in a timeless way. Her insights are valid today.
Thanks so much for this post. I just popped back here after watching the first link. Now back to Rear Admiral Grace Hopper.
posted by lothar at 4:56 PM on August 27 [5 favorites]
I’m so glad this lecture was recovered. I haven’t listened yet, but I will try to find the time to. Thank you for sharing these links.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 7:35 PM on August 27
posted by Winnie the Proust at 7:35 PM on August 27
Ooh, thank you! This is on the to-watch list now :) Fantastic.
posted by tamarack at 10:19 PM on August 27
posted by tamarack at 10:19 PM on August 27
Meanwhile, my FOIA request for the NSA's exhaustive list of even prime numbers has been in their redaction queue for three years.
posted by autopilot at 2:33 AM on August 28 [3 favorites]
posted by autopilot at 2:33 AM on August 28 [3 favorites]
I did not believe I could watch 90 minutes of video these days... but I did, and it was a delight. Of course I knew of Hopper and her accomplishments, and have seen photos, but this made her real to me for the first time. Warm and funny and brilliant.
posted by evilmomlady at 4:13 AM on August 28 [1 favorite]
posted by evilmomlady at 4:13 AM on August 28 [1 favorite]
My university office is in the Hopper building (next to Turing and Ada), which is a slight indicator of just how important the Rear Admiral was as a computer scientist. As can be readily observed from these videos (as well as other appearances of her), she was also a brilliant and gifted communicator.
posted by bouvin at 4:24 AM on August 28
posted by bouvin at 4:24 AM on August 28
Fantastic post!
I watched the first ten minutes or so, and it's great so far. The disarming story to start with is a great empathetic tool, and I had to remind myself of who this is/was and just how astoundingly brilliant they were. RADM Hopper is on my short list of people to chat up when I finally finish that time machine.
posted by Sphinx at 9:46 AM on August 28
I watched the first ten minutes or so, and it's great so far. The disarming story to start with is a great empathetic tool, and I had to remind myself of who this is/was and just how astoundingly brilliant they were. RADM Hopper is on my short list of people to chat up when I finally finish that time machine.
posted by Sphinx at 9:46 AM on August 28
That was great! I knew of her as a namesake of awards and things, and this was my experience of her as a person. Off to look for a biography!
posted by janell at 9:37 PM on August 28
posted by janell at 9:37 PM on August 28
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And I shamelessly stole the nanosecond length wires from her for a couple classs I taught. OK, technically I suppose since I gave her credit for the idea it was more "I was inspired by" or something.
posted by sotonohito at 2:48 PM on August 27 [1 favorite]