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Back to Space after 21 years … with Majestic!
Majestic has announced a 3D Print of the Internet on International Space Station (ISS). Big data becomes “Art” in a zero gravity environment for the first time in history. It was a very moving moment when I realized how the circle of my professional career was closing around me after 21 years and I was going to witness that moment thanks to Majestic and the 3D print in Space. For those of you who are not familiar with 3D link profiles they are awesome beautiful! Here is my 3D profile:
3D Link Profile
When Dixon broke the news during dinner at a recent event in Munich, he sent me back in time, to another life, back to the early 90s when I worked for the Aerospace Industry, and how I got involved in the Internet.
It was early 1994, I forget the exact timeframe. One of those typical rainy (and windy) days at ESTEC. We were invited by the IT Staff to a presentation of a new technology we could use to exchange information with “Industry”. I was an ESTEC Staff member at the time and had been with ESTEC for nearly 4 years, after working (nearly) 1 year in Denmark on the Ariane 5 launcher and 3 previous years at what was Alenia Spazio.
I was an aerospace engineer with a strong technical pedigree.
Ehi this Internet is really interesting – I think it has a lot of potential
I commented with a few fellow engineers who attended the meeting with me. The reaction was “cold” to say the least.
Over the following days I had my Coax Cable Connection to the WAN enabled to access the Internet. Special software was required:  Peter Tattam had authored Trumpet Windsock to do so, but it was Agency policy to have  much more expensive software installed… finally the day came – my 386 computer equipped with a powerful co-processor was ready to explore the Internet.
It wasn’t easy.
Not having an IT background, I struggled to put the pieces of the puzzle together and with the help of a few friends with the right skills I was able to see the web in action thanks to the Mosaic Web Browser.
I was fascinated, lost for words and completely taken by a vision of people doing the same around the world from their homes.
I discovered an interest for the commercial aspects of a business which didn’t exist.
In 1994 you could surf the web in about 3 hours
I quickly became obsessed by the technology which had kidnapped my imagination and stolen my heart – this was going to be BIG. I wanted to know more, I wanted to know everything I could learn about the Internet.
I had just missed the First World Wide Web Conference in Geneva but was well in time for the second one.
Honey I have to go to Chicago in October – something incredible is happening and I need to know just what it is. There is a conference on the matter. It will last about 1 week, October 17-20 from Monday to Thursday …
That’s how I broke the news to my wife Mary one evening after I had given the Internet more thought and felt there would be no other way to stop the adrenaline rush.
Mary didn’t budge. But then Mary has always been there for me – she was there this time too.
If you think it’s that important then go – I’ll be here with Alex
I booked the conference and the hotel … and October 17th finally came.
I bought books to understand the Internet…
The Whole Internet Catalog – user’s guide and catalog
A directory of Electronic Mail
I attended every session and studied the conference proceedings during the evening…
Second World Wide Web Conference Proceedings (Vol.1)
Second World Wide Web Conference Proceedings (Vol.2)
It was the dawn of a new era and I wanted to a part of it
Mary can still remember that evening when I got home from Chicago. Little Alex (today 26 and Pay Per Click Specialist) was racing through our quiet home in Noordwijkerhout on the Doorpstraat on his red car…
So what happened? What did you see? What is this Internet about?
She asked as she poured me the whiskey I had asked for walking through the front door in total astonishment and overwhelmed with excitement. My first words were
This is going to change the world
And so it did.
The magic of that event and the awareness of that micro community are so well summarized by the introduction to the WWW2 conference…
Mosaic and the Web
The magic of those moments lives within me.
I’m an infinitesimal element of the Majestic 3D print, and so is my family always there for me, all along the way – never a dull moment!