The Impact of the Digital Computer on Engineering Sciences

Extract

The first question that a prospective lecturer of the august series in honour of Frederick William Lanchester should ask himself is the possible reason why he has been selected. I confess that for a considerable time I have been at a loss to understand this signal honour bestowed upon me. My mind ventilated a number of possible explanations starting from the evident but rather tenuous reasoning that both the eminent Mr. Lanchester and myself can show a connection with the leading Technological Institute of Britain, the Imperial College. But is this sufficient as a justification? I doubt it. Another path I tried to explore ventured along the intriguing intentional verbal slips and monumental sayings of Lanchester. Is it possible—I asked myself—that the wise Council of the Royal Aeronautical Society selected me on account of my undeserved reputation to have been in my Golden Youth an angry young man, an enfant terrible, and an early exponent of the anti-establishment criticism.