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March 04, 2005
A Little Bit Out There (in OTTAWA, Canada)
March 4, 2005
I had an hour-long interview with The Ottawa Citizen , one of the most widely read Canadian newspapers. The interview was about my forthcoming visit to Ottawa, my life and work.
I made the point that the early computer pioneers were mathematicians attempting to solve computation-intensive problems in physics. The first computers, or rather supercomputers, on the Internet were for mathematicians attempting to solve computation-intensive problems in physics. The Internet, was invented, to enable mathematical physicists access remote supercomputers and to solve computation-intensive problems.
March 5, 2005
My interview did not appear in The Ottawa Citizen . It was bumped by stories about the release of Martha Stewart from prison.
March 6, 2005
I travelled from Washington to Ottawa, the cold but beautiful capital of Canada. I checked into the Les Suites Hotel (les-suites.com, 1002) at noon and had a quiet dinner at an Indian restaurant, swam in the hotel's indoor pool, slept for an hour and wrote my speech.
I thought that I will be speaking on information management but discovered the day before my speech that the marketing materials stated that I will be speaking on the future of the Internet.
March 7, 2005
After speaking from 10:15 to 11:00 a.m., I had an hour of meet-and-greet and returned to my hotel to get some sleep. I only slept for three hours the previous night.
Since both the computer and the Internet are primary technologies that created the need to manage information, the very information they have made so readily available. To accurately forecast the directions of information management requires that we first accurately forecast future computer technologies.
QUESTIONS tossed during the Meet & Greet:
I was asked to explain my statement "The focus was on computing, but that wasn’t the problem. The problem was about communicating."I explained that you can have a hundred of the greatest minds in the world in one room and working on the same problem, but if they don’t communicate, it is no different than having any one of them working the problem alone.
Because we named it a “supercomputer” we first think of “computing” when the word “supercomputer” is mentioned.
But the problem was not about computing. It was about communicating. Because we had been computing for centuries, we knew more about computing than about communicating.
March 8, 2005
I swam, had lunch and headed to the airport. I read the newspapers and saw a profile of me in The Ottawa Citizen newspaper. The same article was distributed by wire service to 280 Canadian newspapers and also picked up by African newspapers. I introduced many new concepts in my 20-page speech but the media only highlighted the theme "African scientist says email of the future will be telepathic..." See the article You Aint' Seen Nothin' Yet
AFTERTHOUGHTS
After my speech, a lady said that it sounds great to be able to communicate without keyboards and monitors. I told her that I will go nuts when my brain is bombarded with t-mail spams and other nonsenses. Her children will visit pornography sites without her permission.
Also, the CIA could send subliminal messages and suggestions to Osama bin Laden. And strangers will send sexual suggestions to each other.
The possibilities are endless. [Send me your thoughts!]
March 10, 2005
Dale and I chilled out at The Funk Box, a Baltimore (Maryland) night-club. The performers of the night were reggae legend Jimmy Cliff and a Kenyan cultural group Jabali Afrika.
The shows were great. I have been a Jimmy Cliff fan since 1972, as a teenager in Onitsha (Nigeria, Africa) and I have seen him in concert on two previous occasions. He was the first to bring reggae to a worldwide audience.
Listen to Jimmy Cliff here.
March 12, 2005
My attention now shifts to my forthcoming speaking engagements in Germany and New York. If the weather is nice, I might also vacation in late April in Amsterdam or Berlin.
Posted by emeagwali at March 4, 2005 09:17 AM
Comments
ilov bcos u make me proud of
Nigeria pls can u send me your book on why blacks refuse to go back home from advance countries ,thank u sir bcos i believe you will send it
kehinde johnson 2 soleye cerscent surulere lagos, nigeria
Posted by: keihnde at April 16, 2005 03:05 PM
p/s, i cannot see the reason why i cannot see any one to help me here in nigeria.p/s my comment is, if i can see any one to come with me, i will surprice the world with many things. I will make sure all and sundry on earth testifies my action.
i have to spend alot just to tell u this. this are hard 4 me.
Posted by: ekene at April 26, 2005 12:03 PM
I'm so delighted about all I have read of your scientific exploits. You are such a good gift of nature expecially to Nigeria.Most interestingly, your exploits are a great challenge to both Nigerians and non-nigerians alike. You are enough challenge to those Nigerians who think that 419 is the only way out and to those westerners who think that nothing good can come out of Africa. My only appeal is that Nigeria is in great need of your scientific prowess ranging from near-to- non-existent power supply to low level computer literacy. Never mind Government's deceptive statements.
All the best brother, keep the light shining.
Emiator.
Posted by: Emiator, O. Monday at May 28, 2005 07:53 AM
Dear Sir Emeagwali,
Congratulations on all you have given to mankind uptil now. I am an Igbo man presently living in Germany and would like to attend your speech whenever you are here. Please I would like to be kept posted concerning when and where the speech would take place. My dream has been to take a picture with my Idol and probably have a hand shake. May God continue to guide you and your family.
Sincerely,
Kevin Odu
Am Eikern 16
33818 Leopoldshoehe
Germany
Posted by: Kevin Odu at May 30, 2005 09:46 AM
U make we the Africans proud of our colour and physical endowments. moreso, u make me see the reason I should keep pursuing my aim of becoming a scintific Guru as u are. Truly, I love u. Never get tired; the world hasn't seen anything from the blacks yet. I am coming up.
Pls, do send me ur articles. I shall appreciate them. Thanks and god bless. Ya GAZIERE GI NKE OMA,OO!
Posted by: Emenike Charles Chibuisi at May 31, 2005 11:17 AM
You are great indeed. Because you are an African, a Nigerian and an Igbo man, it has become easier to relate with the universe. Africa can still be great. May be people like you need to 'invade' Africa in other to wipe out the 'curse of mediocrity'
OKONKWO PAT O arpa
11 James Robertson Street Surulere,
Lagos-Nigeria
Posted by: OKONKWO PAT O at July 16, 2005 02:53 PM
