We got our wish. The legendary scientist and thinker pops up on the screen thinking out loud, his bald head emerging from unlikely places, explaining, demystifying, enlivening, engaging us in dialogue, and occasionally shrugging and walking off the page. Clever animations bring Minsky's ideas to life--literally. This CD-ROM was the first to liberate the video image from its little square frame, and its technical virtuosity is a perfect match for Minsky's challenge to conventional notions of what makes us tick. Why read The Society of Mind from beginning to end? Instead, trace thematic links via the ingenious "Idea Index." Or take a 360-degree, interactive tour of Marvin's living room, the perfect metaphor for his eclectic mind--and get the stories behind rocket models, robotic arms, Stevie Wonder's keyboard, and other artifacts from his unorthodox career. Lots of other stuff--archival footage from the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab, an interactive timeline of Minsky's life, a selection of his best articles, pop-up glossary terms, and a bibliography--make this an exceptional work. But Minsky himself makes it jump.

The Society of Mind features:

• Over 100 minutes of original archival QuickTime video
• Animated graphics throughout
• The full text of The Society of Mind, plus a selection of Minsky's best articles
• An interactive tour of Minsky's living room and a video timeline

Download audio as a 439K AIFF file, or as a 439K QuickTime movie.

This extraordinary programs combines video and graphics on the screen with the complete text of The Society of Mind. Minskys theories come to life as the visionary thinker walks, talks, and jumps across the page. Demonstrating how we recognize everyday objects, Minsky hoists an apple as big as a Volkswagen. A whimsical tour of his living room gives an intimate view of the inventors sensibility and achievements. These and dozens of other explorations inviteus into a dialogue with Minskys ideas and the wit, charm, and soaring intelligence which inform them. WINDOWS AND MACINTOSH COMPATIBLE FIRST PERSON: MARVIN MINSKY - THE SOCIETY OF MIND HYBRID CD-ROM VOYAGER