Ken Perlin's Tour

I really enjoyed touring Ken Perlin's studio. Ken was very charming, interesting, and well-informed. I really appreciated his overarching career goal of trying to make computers more organic and user friendly. it was exciting to see how his groundbreaking inventions were created by himself and a few students out of parts bought on ebay. His laboratory really brought home the democratic aspect of technological development. His invention of the pressure sensitive touch pad has so much potential for computer graphics and design. it brakes down boundaries between technology and the user, and turns the computer screen into a more three demensional space. It reminded me of Douglas Englebart's envisioning of an architect at work in the way a designer could easily move through 3d space in renderings of their design and shape it with their movements.