Snapshot from the past: Vint Cerf and I

Posted on June 18, 2007

I found this old picture from 1996 that I wanted to share on my blog

Vint Cerf is widely known as the Father of Internet.  He was part of the team that developed ARPANET, the first packet switching network which later evolved into the Internet as we know it now.  He currently works at Google and used to be on the board of Gallaudet University.  He has some hearing loss and his wife, Sigrid is deaf.

There is a funny story behind this picture.  Tayler and I got worked up when we found out that this Internet pioneer was visiting NTID.  I wasn’t originally invited to the special luncheon where Vint was personally meeting with a few NTID students.  However, I was able to talk my way into the room and sit at the same table where he was.  We got to talk about the IPv6 protocol which was still new at that time (Internet is currently run on IPv4 and will change to IPv6 within a few years).  I also asked him if he knew what was coming after IPv6 and he vaguely mentioned that other universities were doing some research on protocols beyond IPv6.

I told Tayler that I wanted to have something signed by Vint Cerf.  We wanted him to sign something that was related to the Internet- we agreed that it should be a computer part.  Because Vint was due to leave NTID within a hour, I couldn’t drive home to get a computer part and bring it back in time.  I ran into a friend’s room and took the keyboard (which I replaced later with a better keyboard).  My thinking was that everyone uses a keyboard to interact on the Internet and this would be a fitting part to be signed by Vint. 

When I met up with Tayler a few minutes later, he did me one better,  he had his modem with him.  The modem is what allows people to get on the Internet in the first place!  We went back to NTID and looked for him again. We finally caught up with him and he was flattered to sign our computer equipment.

On the back of the keyboard, he signed:  "You ask the best questions. – Vint Cerf"

I recently rediscovered this keyboard while I was boxing up stuff for my upcoming move to DC.  Ahhh memories!

_____

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  • http://banjosworld.blogspot.com Banjo

    What?

    Al Gore wasn’t the father of the Internet?

    Sorry, I couldn’t resist it.

  • anon

    Cerf isn’t on the Gallaudet University BoT anymore.

  • Jared Evans

    Thanks for the clarification. I’ve updated my blog.

  • http://www.earofmyheart.com LaRonda

    We all have someone famous in our world. Nice to see one of your inspirations.

    ~ LaRonda

  • Belle

    I do not think there is anything better in the world that he could have signed with than “you ask the best questions.” Cool!

  • Belle

    P.S. you haven’t changed in the past 10 yrs (physically, anyway)!

  • http://www.putzworld.blogspot.com Karen Putz

    Question is, does the keyboard work anymore? :)

  • http://www.newrealm.com.au SingleDoubt

    On March 2007, Alessandro Sorbello of New Realm Media http://www.newrealm.com.au interviewed Dr Vinton Cerf who was in Brisbane Australia to present ‘Internet, Infinity and Beyond’ excerpts from Dr. Cerf’s presentation are available online at New Realm. Mr Sorbello http://www.AlessandroSorbello.com posed questions to Dr. Cerf relating to the development of the Internet and its role in today’s society and what we can expect in the future. The interplanetary internet is set to change the face of communication not only on our planet, but also in the way we communicate with our technology in space.

    Dr. Cerf replied when asked a question by Mr Sorbello, “I can speculate about one other thing a large number of senses are going to be on the network, billions of these things scattered a letter the world in parks, building stinky wearing ties its in offices at that time in order to keep track for example what’s going on in the world around us and global warming is a big issue in some of the things that we need to know are going to be derived from major sensory networks which a part of the network but also you can imagine the systems are aware of this building like it and when here who is in here and how should I adapt my behavior to be more effective for the people who are in here that kind of responsiveness is possible as the world in which we live in becomes more aware of us as opposed to how we have to adapt to it.”