Tamiko Thiel and The Connection Machine

Danielle Newnham Podcast

Today’s guest is Tamiko Thiel – lead product designer of The Connection Machine – a revolutionary massively parallel artificial intelligence supercomputer which was developed in the 1980s. Originally conceived by Danny Hillis from MIT’s artificial intelligence lab where he was studying under Marvin Minsky, Danny got an incredibly talented team together including Richard Feynman, Brewster Kale, Tamiko, and others to create what would become the fastest and most effective supercomputer of the time. And it’s this part of her career that we focus on today.

However, Tamiko went on to become a pioneering digital artist who has worked in the realm of virtual reality for the past thirty years, starting in 1994 when she worked with Steven Spielberg on the Starbright World project where they created an online interactive 3D virtual world for seriously ill children.

Tamiko also received a Bachelor of Science degree in Product Design Engineering, from Stanford University in 1979 and received a Masters in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 1983, with a focus on human-machine design and computer graphics, as well as a diploma from the Academy of fine arts in Munich, Germany.

In today’s conversation we dig deep into that special time in history when all the so-called experts said what Danny, Tamiko and co. were working on at Thinking Machines couldn’t be done and where… they proved them all wrong.

Enjoy!

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Image of Tamiko copyright Tamiko Thiel

Tamiko website / LinkedIn / Instagram

I am not on social media this year but stay in touch via my Newsletter / YouTube

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Tamiko in London March 2024

The Travels of Mariko Horo interactive virtual reality installation
By Tamiko Thiel, 2006/2017, with original music by Ping Jin

In "GLoW: ILLUMINATING INNOVATION"
Bush House Arcade, King's College, Strand, London
Exhibition: 08 March - 20 April 2024

Panel and opening event: 07 March, 6:30pm
Location: Great Hall, King's Building, Strand, King's College London

The CM-1 t-shirt and Tamiko's Travels of Mariko Horo mesh top will be shown in the following, with information on how to order them (from my web shops: http://tamikothiel.com/cm/cm-tshirt.html)

Curiosity Cabinet, King's College
171 Strand/Corner of Surrey St., London
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/curiosity-cabinet-showcases-antiquities-and-oddities-on-the-strand