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Two e-mails about possible movie about

1401 themed Orchestral Music

Subject: Re:_Johannson_+_Morrison_music_and_film_production_(
- - - - was_RE:_Jóhann_Jóhannsson_concert_in_LA_|_invitation
From: Robert B Garner < robgarn @ us . ibm . com >
Date: Wed, Feb 08, 2012 10:30 pm
To: "David Metcalfe" < DM @ forma . org . uk >
Cc: ...

David,

Good to hear of progress on the prospective Johann Johannsson + Bill Morrison music and film production. I listened to Johann's interview and performance together with a string quartet on LA's KCRW station Thursday morning: http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/mb/mb120207johann_johannsson Expertly and beautifully performed. He mentioned "IBM 1401: A User's Manual", as last (unrelated) track was performed.

> Johann would like to make some new sound recordings using the restored 1401s at the CHM. Do you think it might be possible to work with your team there to try to write some new code for this, to explore what sounds we might be able to produce?

Yes! Stan Paddock (cc'd) already last year wrote an updated sound synthesis program for our 1401s (for inducing ethereal sounds into a nearby AM radio via the electromagnetic emissions from the 1401's magnetic core memory). We could undoubtedly add features. Also please see my footnote below about the museum's restored DEC PDP-1 classic computer that generates authentically old synthetic music. :-) Btw, Johann's father visited our 1401s last year. > He will hopefully be based for some time at Stanford, and he would be able to make a few visits to the Museum during the time, and write some new music incorporating the computer sounds. At certain points during his residency at Stanford, the Calder Quartet would work with him trying out sketches for the new compositions. That sounds fantastic! (I've tried to get Andrew Bales interested, director of the Silicon Valley San Jose Symphony. No luck yet. :-(

> We would also like to film the CHM machines, using a high speed HD camera to give us high quality, slow motion footage. Bill Morrison will direct this, at some point once we have funding in place for the creation of the work.

We'll have to time this judiciously, as this year the museum is planning to embark on a massive remodeling of our 1401 restoration room to accommodate the general public. The architect has renderings for a larger and less cluttered space. The 1401 systems would be shut down/removed during the remodeling. Probably won't get reworked until after July. Anticipated reopening is Jan 2013, but could be earlier if fund raising is accelerated.

> We are also very keen to film interviews with Francis O. Underwood, yourself and some of your volunteers. We might use clips of these in the finished piece, and/or Johann might incorporate some sound samples from them into the music. Whatever, we would plan to use them online as background material for the project, and possibly as extras on the DVD if the film is ever published in that format.

I'm sorry to report that Fran Underwood passed away last year, a heart breaking loss for us. However, the museum made a HD recording of his oral history, where I interviewed him. I also made an HD oral history of him in his home. And there's the recording from the 50th anniversary of the 1401 talk. (I played Johann's "IBM 1401: A User's Manual" for him - he loved it! His daughter had received a copy of the CD too, which is part of the story of how I re-located him.)

I'm sure most of our guys would be open to being filmed, as would the Endicott old timers (as IBM did for their 1401 centennial movie on youtube). Also the two other 1401 founders who spoke at the 50th anniversary talks: Chuck Branscomb (North Carolina) and especially Shel Jacobs (Saratoga, CA, nearby here). Also, if you're expanding your scope to other classic computers, you've got a larger pool to choose from! I'm too young to be filmed for this. ;-)

> And, if we could give the CHM rights to use these films too, might the museum be able to help with the initial costs of this filming?

I can bring this up with the museum's director of development. Perhaps we might even be able to do an add-on to the fund raising effort for the 1401 room remodel. Btw, I could introduce you to Grady Booch, a veteran software innovator (whose last company was acquired by IBM some years ago), who is working on a documentary series on the co-evolution of computing and humanity. He's giving a talk at the museum next week: http://www.computerhistory.org/events/#woven-loom-sorrow-br-br

> It might be useful to involve someone from the Museum in the process too, as Bill isn’t an expert in computer history, and probably could use some journalistic guidance in interviewing the engineers. Perhaps there is someone you could suggest who would be suitable for this role, either from the Museum or elsewhere – basically a good communicator about computer history.

A great candidate is Ed Thelen (cc'd), known as the "Garrison Keillor of computing." He has a broad knowledge of computing history, a generous sense of humor and even writes in a narrative poetry form. He's a web master of computing stories and history (including our 1401 site: http://ibm-1401.info). Another good person may be soft spoken 1401/museum volunteer Bill Worthington (cc'd). I'm afraid you might find the museum staff members to be overloaded. Nevertheless, I can see if there's interest.

> The footage we use can’t all be of the 1401; we will want to set it in the context of the wider social, cultural and technological changes that were happening throughout the 1960s when the 1401 was in production.

I totally concur: besides the fact that there are few recordings of the 1401 (I need to post the 1401 announcement video on youtube!), there exists captivating footage of many early iconic systems, such as UNIVAC, SAGE, IBM 700 series, British computers, etc..

> need also to set up contact with Endicott where apparently there are some additional archive materials and a restoration project

You may want to film IBM old timers there. (See my note below about their computer.)

> I just read something very interesting on the website of the UK National Archive for the History of Computing, which is based at Manchester University. ...

You absolutely should hook up with Manchester University. Also with Bletchley Park, "birthplace of computing" during the war: http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/ . They've rebuilt the massive mechanical Colossus computer, programmed by Al Turing et al during the war to decipher secret German transmissions (and then destroyed): http://www.bletchleypark.org.uk/content/visit/whattosee/ColossusRebuildProject.rhtm

You could also hook up with the great team at the British Computer Conservation Society, http://www.bcs.org/category/13184 . They're restored at least one classic British computer and are working to recreate EDSAC, one of the world's (two) "first" stored program computers -- both British (listening in on ENIAC von Neumann activities from Pennsylvania :-).

Another interesting place to film live machines could be in Sindelfingen, Germany at the "House of the History of IBM Data Processing": http://www-05.ibm.com/de/ibm/unternehmen/geschichte/museum.html It's a large "call for appointment" volunteer museum with many operating classic computers and various unit record equipment from the 1930s onward, including a very retro tube-based IBM 650, the world's most popular computer in the 1950s, before the solid-state 1401 grabbed that mantle during the 1960s. I can provide contact emails.

And another possible place to film operating older computers may be the Living Computer Museum in Seattle: http://www.pdpplanet.com/ . It's funded by Paul Allen, ex-Microsoft billionaire, complete with staff. I can hook you up with folks there if you're interested.

Looking forward to working with you and Johann on the film/music project! When will you be visiting the Bay Area again?

Perhaps a conference call soon between you, Ed Thelen and I sometime would be a next logical step?

Best Wishes,

- Robert

p.s. FYI, the museum's restored DEC PDP-1, from the same era as the IBM 1401, also plays music via a higher-fidelity four voice program written 40 years ago by Peter Samson, who still demos it today to visitors at the museum. However, its sound is not as ethereal as the 1401's via an AM radio, as the PDP-1 directly drives speakers, albeit primitively. Nevertheless, for an ethereal effect, I'm not sure if the PDP-1 guys have checked whether an AM radio also picks up its electromagnetic emissions as an AM radio does near the 1401's magnetic core stack.

p.p.s. Two years ago, we made arrangements for the Endicott/Binghamton folks (Center for Innovation and Technology) to receive an IBM 1440 system that had been privately stored in the California desert. The IBM 1440 was a cost reduced version of the 1401. It does have an interesting control panel. Although the museum has much larger more impressive ones (as for the IBM Stretch and 360/91), they don't blink. :-(

IBM Almaden Research, San Jose, CA
Office: 408-927-1739
Mobile: 408-679-0976
robgarn @ us .ibm . com

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From: "David Metcalfe"
To: "Robert Garner"
Cc: Robert B Garner/Almaden/IBM@IBMUS
Date: 02/08/2012 11:30 AM
Subject: RE: Jóhann Jóhannsson concert in LA | invitation

Hi Robert
Hope you’re well. Sorry for the delay in updating you about the project, which has been developing well.

We’ve had some positive discussions with both Stanford and UCLA about supporting the production of the film and the new music that Johann will write for it. We’ve have also developed a collaboration with the Calder Quartet, an amazing young LA-based string quartet who are rising stars of the contemporary classical music scene internationally, and who will perform the piece on tour and in recording the score for the film.

I need to revive my conversations with IBM archive – I had a great meeting there last fall, and need also to set up contact with Endicott where apparently there are some additional archive materials and a restoration project.

For your info, how we are planning to develop the piece is along these lines…

MUSIC
Johann would like to make some new sound recordings using the restored 1401s at the CHM. Do you think it might be possible to work with your team there to try to write some new code for this, to explore what sounds we might be able to produce?

He will hopefully be based for some time at Stanford, and he would be able to make a few visits to the Museum during the time, and write some new music incorporating the computer sounds. At certain points during his residency at Stanford, the Calder Quartet would work with him trying out sketches for the new compositions.

Any thoughts about the practicality of writing new programs would be very useful.

FILM
We would also like to film the CHM machines, using a high speed HD camera to give us high quality, slow motion footage. Bill Morrison will direct this, at some point once we have funding in place for the creation of the work.

We are also very keen to film interviews with Francis O. Underwood, yourself and some of your volunteers. We might use clips of these in the finished piece, and/or Johann might incorporate some sound samples from them into the music. Whatever, we would plan to use them online as background material for the project, and possibly as extras on the DVD if the film is ever published in that format.

Our preference would be to do this as soon as possible, although we don’t yet have secured funding to allow us to start work. Do you think that you could work with us on getting a good group of people to talk on camera? And, if we could give the CHM rights to use these films too, might the museum be able to help with the initial costs of this filming? I’m not sure yet what the total cost would be, and it would depend to some extent on where Bill needed to travel to film interviews, but we’re not talking about a major sum. It might be useful to involve someone from the Museum in the process too, as Bill isn’t an expert in computer history, and probably could use some journalistic guidance in interviewing the engineers. Perhaps there is someone you could suggest who would be suitable for this role, either from the Museum or elsewhere – basically a good communicator about computer history.

It seems that we will get access to the IBM Archive, and also possibly to UCLA’s extensive film archive. The footage we use can’t all be of the 1401; we will want to set it in the context of the wider social, cultural and technological changes that were happening throughout the 1960s when the 1401 was in production.

OTHER INFO
I just read something very interesting on the website of the UK National Archive for the History of Computing, which is based at Manchester University. Apparently, the Computer Science Department there created the world’s first stored program computer in 1948, and in the early 1950s sold the patents to IBM. I assume that these were used in the development of the 1401… are you aware of this at all or could you find out anything about it? It’s useful for me as it potentially creates a UK link (and way to hook in another commissioning partner here), but also it seems that the National Archive in Manchester has a number of holding of letters, notes, drawings and photographs relating to that first computer and the sale of the patent to IBM. Maybe some of these could be used in the film, or at least in the contextual programme.

I hope this is all useful and helpful. I am in the process of updating our project description and will mail you a pdf of it when I am done, in case you need to provide background on the project to any colleagues.

Please let me know if you can help with any of the questions above!

Tanks and all the best
David

Forma
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One of David's previous e-mails links to Interview: Jóhann Jóhannsson