Leefel

life and accomplishments of lee felsenstein

By cecejcarnine

  • Lee Felsenstein is born in Philadelphia in 1945

    Lee was born in the "Strawberry Mansion" neighborhood in Philadelphia to Jewish immigrant parents. His father Jake was an artist who worked in a locomotive plant and was also a member of the Communist party. The family was very involved in politics. At a young age, Lee Felsenstein became fascinated with technology as well.
  • Attended the University of California Berkeley

    Attended the University of California Berkeley

    He attended the UC Berkley to study electrical engineering at first in 1963.

  • He got a work study job at NASA's Flight Research Center

    He began this work-study job to pay his tuition at Berkeley. However, he had to leave after they found out about his family's Communist affiliations.
  • He travels back to Berkeley and joins the Free Speech Movement

    He travels back to Berkeley and joins the Free Speech Movement

    Lee Felsenstein joins the free speech movement and uses his talents with technology as an audio technician. He became a mix of a political activist and an engineer.

  • Lee drops out of Berkeley

    After dropping out he alternates between jobs in tech and work in political activism.
  • Lee began writing for the underground civil rights newspaper "The Berkeley Barb"

    Lee began writing for the underground civil rights newspaper "The Berkeley Barb"

    In his articles, Lee Felsenstein would evaluate the movement's demonstrations through a more organizational and structured perspective (like that of an engineer).
  • Lee began working on the XDS-940 computer with the Resource One group

    Lee began working on the XDS-940 computer with the Resource One group

    The Resource One group belonged to a part of a larger group, which also prioritized activism. This group's goal was to use technology and professional skills to help the communities further.

  • Lee met female hacker Jude Milhon through the "Berkeley Barb"

    Jude Milhon was one of the early female hackers and introduced Lee to Efrem Lipkin. Together they created the Community Memory.
  • Lee was still working with Resource One but wanted the goal to shift towards the hacker ethic

    Lee was still working with Resource One but wanted the goal to shift towards the hacker ethic

    Lee Felsenstein wanted the group to be less bureaucratic and focus more on open use.
  • The Community Memory project was formed by Lee Felsenstein & Efrem Lipkin

    The Community Memory project was formed by Lee Felsenstein & Efrem Lipkin

    This project was formed from Resource One in Berkeley and was greater influenced by the hacker ethic. The goal of this project was to bring computers and people together.
  • Community Memory became a public bulletin board system

    Community Memory became a public bulletin board system

    The original Model 33 terminal connected to the bulky XDS-940 computer in the Leopolds Records room in Berkeley. To function you would just use the ADD and FIND commands to add or locate an item. Overall CM became a communication/sharing network for all types of mediums.
  • Influenced by Ivan Illich's "Tools for Conviviality" and began work on the Tom Swift Terminal

    Influenced by Ivan Illich's "Tools for Conviviality" and began work on the Tom Swift Terminal

    This book explained that hardware should be easy to use and it should have the "long term view of the eventual symbiosis between the user and the tool". Because of these ideas, he came up with the Tom Swift Terminal.

  • Created his consulting firm "Loving Grace Cybernetics"

    He believed that computers should be of personal use to the public and not just used for the "technological elite"
  • The Community Memory project ended

    The Community Memory project ended

    The project ended due to issues with funding (Resource One) and the technology (the XDS-940) crashing.

  • Lee began moderating meetings for the club

    Lee began to moderate meetings for the club in an effort to make the meetings align with the "hacker spirit"
  • Lee created a prototype for his Video Display Module

    Lee created a prototype for his Video Display Module

    Lee's VDM used new microprocessor chips and shared its memory like a "mini-time-sharing system" the video display and the computer
  • Lee Felsenstein came to the first Homebrew Computer Club meeting

    Lee Felsenstein came to the first Homebrew Computer Club meeting

    The Homebrew Computer Club was a group of "computer hobbyists" who would meet to discuss computing and technology, founded by Gordon French and Fred Moore. After the announcement of the Altair 8800 computer, the group decided to meet. This group had a major impact on future innovations in computers. https://youtu.be/NXTZ-JNBfeQ
  • Worked at Osborne Computer Corporation and designed the Osborne 1

    Worked at Osborne Computer Corporation and designed the Osborne 1

    The Osborne 1 was the first mass-produced portable computer, which was designed by Lee Felsenstein.