The Melding Machine: from Processing Unit to Personal Computing

In 1995, I wrote an essay on the future of computers. My 1995 predictions looked 30 years ahead, but the currents they extrapolated have already reached the sea, and in the meanwhile forces I failed to foresee and springs of new ideas have changed the geography of the drainage basin beyond recognition, so it’s high time for a review. Over the same period, my own perspective has broadened considerably.

What started out as a follow-up essay has, as I started to gather the various threads, therefore mutated into something longer and less tidy. I’m not sure it’s worth turning the whole thing into something as organised as a book, so instead, here’s a series of blog posts!

  • Introspectus: a summary of the directions my thinking has taken since 1995.
  • Retrospectus: a review of the successes and failures of my 1995 predictions. Mostly of interest to those who enjoyed the original predictions, were there in the ’90s, or are interested in the occult art of prediction itself!

Last updated 2019/08/20