Sage of Silicon Valley.
The legendary computer scientist and Stanford University professor Donald Knuth has spent his intellectual life searching for patterns in theoretical computer science, making foundational contributions across a vast range of topics, and distilling them with unmatched clarity in his magnum opus, The Art of Computer Programming. Work on this monumental project began in 1962 and continues to this day. On the practical side, he is also the creator of TeX, the widely used typesetting system. Beyond computer science, Professor Knuth has a deep passion for music and is an accomplished pipe organist.
I met him yesterday morning at his home in Palo Alto. Not only had he heard of Goa, but he also recalled some of its history. When I asked if he had ever been to India, he said no — but added that he felt transported there every time he watched a Satyajit Ray film.
Professor Knuth stopped using email on January 1, 1990.
Professor Donald Knuth of Stanford University
5D Mark III, 85L II
Donald Knuth
5D Mark III, 85L II
Playing Bach's Toccata & Fugue on the pipe organ
5D Mark III, 14L II
What would we do without TeX and its variants? As a grad student, when I used LaTeX to typeset my first paper, I remember looking at the pdf output and thinking, “this looks like a real paper”. One of my fellow grad students dedicated his dissertation to Knuth.
his eyes are a clear indicator of his enthusiasm.
did he say “WHY” he stopped using email in 1990 ?