Sorry, but I couldn't resist (and how I tried to, folks) to forward this mail from Prof. R. Erik Spjut, that was sent to the csound list as a result a Csound-PD thread, that I provoked again ;) [BTW, that thread is quite interesting]
---- forwarded mail ---- Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2002 10:37:03 -0800 From: Erik Spjut Erik_Spjut@HMC.Edu To: csound@lists.bath.ac.uk Subject: [Csnd] Miller Puckette
List,
Sorry for the personal reminiscence, but the story of Miller Puckette
and Barry Vercoe goes back at least to the Experimental Music Studio
at MIT in the early '80s. In March of 1981 I visited MIT as a
potential grad school. I stopped in the EMS because I thought I might
like to pursue Computer Music as a minor. I told the person I met
that I was interested in computer music because I had a strong
background in music theory, I was experienced with analog
synthesizers (I had written the beginners user manual for a
Steiner-Parker box), and I was familiar with computers (knowing both
BASIC and FORTRAN quite well). The person asked me if I knew LISP. I
responded that I knew some people who had lisps, but I didn't know
what LISP meant in a computer sense. He then asked if I knew UNIX. I
replied I knew what a eunuch was, but I had never heard of UNIX. He
then told me that I knew nothing about computers, and turned and
walked away. I found out (much) later, when I was brave enough to go
back, that THAT had been Miller Puckette. In spite of Miller, I
fortunately got to learn Music-11 from Barry, and I've loved computer
music ever since, including weird academic stuff, techno, revoiced
baroque, and pop. I encourage all members of the list to occasionally
ask questions about music.
-- Prof. R. Erik Spjut (spyoot rhymes with cute) Presently: Visiting Lecturer at Cal Poly Usually: Engineering Department, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711 erik_spjut@hmc.edu Ph. (909) 607-3890 Fax (909) 621-8967
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