David J. Farber
Encyclopedia
David J. "Dave" Farber is a professor of Computer Science
, noted for his major contributions to programming language
s and computer networking. He is currently Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science and Public Policy at the School of Computer Science
, Heinz College, and Department of Engineering and Public Policy
at Carnegie Mellon University
.
in 1956 and began an 11-year career at Bell Laboratories, where he helped design the first electronic switching system (ESS-1) and the SNOBOL
programming languages. He subsequently held industry positions at the Rand Corporation and Scientific Data Systems
, followed by academic positions at the University of California, Irvine
, and the University of Delaware
.
At Irvine his research work was focused on creating the world's first operational Distributed Computer System. While a member of the Electrical Engineering Department of the University of Delaware
, he helped conceive and organize the major American research networks CSNET
, NSFNet
, and the National Research and Education Network
(NREN). He helped create the NSF/DARPA-funded Gigabit Network Test bed Initiative and served as the Chairman of the Gigabit Test bed Coordinating Committee.
Dr. Farber subsequently was appointed Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunication Systems at the University of Pennsylvania
where he also held appointments as Professor of Business and Public Policy at the Wharton School of Business and as a Faculty Associate of the Annenberg School for Communication
. He served as Chief Technologist at the US Federal Communications Commission
(2000–2001) while on leave from the university.
Dr. Farber currently serves on the board of advisors of The Hyperwords Company Ltd of the UK, which works to make the web more usefully interactive and which has produced the free Firefox Add-On called 'Hyperwords
'.
, ACM Fellow, and recipient of the 1995 SIGCOMM Award
for life-long contributions to computer communications. He has served on the board of directors of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
, the Electronic Privacy Information Center
advisory board, the Board of Trustees of the Internet Society
, and as a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on High Performance Computing and Communications, Information Technology and Next Generation Internet. He runs a large (25,000+ readership) mailing list called Interesting-People.
Examples:
There is a growing archive of Farberisms, many created by other people in his style, at this link: http://www.cs.arizona.edu/icon/oddsends/farber.htm
Farberisms should not be confused with "Yogiisms" (popularized by baseball player Yogi Berra
). The former are most often non-sequiturial
mondegreen
s, while the latter are typically either pleonasm
s or oxymoron
ic redundancies
, though both usually share the goal of making a point through surreally humorous, absurdist
misuse of language, especially the alteration of cliché
s through malapropism
and mixed metaphor.
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, noted for his major contributions to programming language
Programming language
A programming language is an artificial language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs that control the behavior of a machine and/or to express algorithms precisely....
s and computer networking. He is currently Distinguished Career Professor of Computer Science and Public Policy at the School of Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science
The School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA is a leading private school for computer science established in 1965. It has been consistently ranked among the top computer science programs over the decades. U.S...
, Heinz College, and Department of Engineering and Public Policy
Engineering and Public Policy
Engineering and Public Policy, informally known as EPP, is an interdisciplinary academic department within the Carnegie Institute of Technology , Carnegie Mellon University's engineering college. EPP combines technical analysis with social science and policy analysis, in order to address problems...
at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
.
Career
Dr. Farber graduated from the Stevens Institute of TechnologyStevens Institute of Technology
Stevens Institute of Technology is a technological university located on a campus in Hoboken, New Jersey, USA – founded in 1870 with an 1868 bequest from Edwin A. Stevens. It is known for its engineering, science, and technological management curricula.The institute has produced leading...
in 1956 and began an 11-year career at Bell Laboratories, where he helped design the first electronic switching system (ESS-1) and the SNOBOL
SNOBOL
SNOBOL is a generic name for the computer programming languages developed between 1962 and 1967 at AT&T Bell Laboratories by David J. Farber, Ralph E. Griswold and Ivan P. Polonsky, culminating in SNOBOL4...
programming languages. He subsequently held industry positions at the Rand Corporation and Scientific Data Systems
Scientific Data Systems
Scientific Data Systems, or SDS, was an American computer company founded in September 1961 by Max Palevsky, a veteran of Packard Bell and Bendix, along with eleven other computer scientists. SDS was an early adopter of integrated circuits in computer design and the first to employ silicon...
, followed by academic positions at the University of California, Irvine
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine , founded in 1965, is one of the ten campuses of the University of California, located in Irvine, California, USA...
, and the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
.
At Irvine his research work was focused on creating the world's first operational Distributed Computer System. While a member of the Electrical Engineering Department of the University of Delaware
University of Delaware
The university is organized into seven colleges:* College of Agriculture and Natural Resources* College of Arts and Sciences* Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics* College of Earth, Ocean and Environment* College of Education and Human Development...
, he helped conceive and organize the major American research networks CSNET
CSNET
The Computer Science Network was a computer network that began operation in 1981 in the United States. Its purpose was to extend networking benefits, for computer science departments at academic and research institutions that could not be directly connected to ARPANET, due to funding or...
, NSFNet
NSFNet
The National Science Foundation Network was a program of coordinated, evolving projects sponsored by the National Science Foundation beginning in 1985 to promote advanced research and education networking in the United States...
, and the National Research and Education Network
National Research and Education Network
A National Research and Education Network is a specialised internet service provider dedicated to supporting the needs of the research and education communities within a country....
(NREN). He helped create the NSF/DARPA-funded Gigabit Network Test bed Initiative and served as the Chairman of the Gigabit Test bed Coordinating Committee.
Dr. Farber subsequently was appointed Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunication Systems at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
where he also held appointments as Professor of Business and Public Policy at the Wharton School of Business and as a Faculty Associate of the Annenberg School for Communication
Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania
The Annenberg School for Communication is the communications school at the University of Pennsylvania. The school was established in 1958 by Wharton School's alum Walter Annenberg as "The Annenberg School of Communications." The name was changed to its current title in the late 1980's.Walter...
. He served as Chief Technologist at the US Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(2000–2001) while on leave from the university.
Dr. Farber currently serves on the board of advisors of The Hyperwords Company Ltd of the UK, which works to make the web more usefully interactive and which has produced the free Firefox Add-On called 'Hyperwords
Hyperwords
Hyperwords was a term for interactive text. Whereas hyper-links have the specific meaning of words which are linked to specific destinations, hyperwords refers to all interactive words where the idea is that the reader can issue commands on the text...
'.
Honors and community service
Dr. Farber is an IEEE FellowIEEE Fellow
An IEEE member is elevated to the grade of IEEE Fellow for "unusual distinction in the profession and shall be conferred by the Board of Directors upon a person with an extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest"...
, ACM Fellow, and recipient of the 1995 SIGCOMM Award
SIGCOMM Award
The SIGCOMM Award recognizes lifetime contribution to the field of communication networks.The award is presented in the annual SIGCOMM Technical Conference.The awardees are:* 2011 Vern Paxson* 2010 Radia Perlman* 2009 Jon Crowcroft* 2008 Don Towsley...
for life-long contributions to computer communications. He has served on the board of directors of the Electronic Frontier Foundation
Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation is an international non-profit digital rights advocacy and legal organization based in the United States...
, the Electronic Privacy Information Center
Electronic Privacy Information Center
Electronic Privacy Information Center is a public interest research group in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues and to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and constitutional values in the information age...
advisory board, the Board of Trustees of the Internet Society
Internet Society
The Internet Society or ISOC is an international, nonprofit organization founded during 1992 to provide direction in Internet related standards, education, and policy...
, and as a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee on High Performance Computing and Communications, Information Technology and Next Generation Internet. He runs a large (25,000+ readership) mailing list called Interesting-People.
"Farberisms"
Prof. Farber is famous for humorous and often either nonsensical or ironic turns of phrase, known as Farberisms.Examples:
- "It's about 15 feet as the eye flies."
- "You have to take the bitter with the sour."
- "I enjoy his smiling continence."
- "I could tell you stories that would curdle your hair."
- "That solution fills a much needed gap."
There is a growing archive of Farberisms, many created by other people in his style, at this link: http://www.cs.arizona.edu/icon/oddsends/farber.htm
Farberisms should not be confused with "Yogiisms" (popularized by baseball player Yogi Berra
Yogi Berra
Lawrence Peter "Yogi" Berra is a former American Major League Baseball catcher, outfielder, and manager. He played almost his entire 19-year baseball career for the New York Yankees...
). The former are most often non-sequiturial
Non sequitur (absurdism)
A non sequitur is a conversational and literary device, often used for comedic purposes. It is a comment that, because of its apparent lack of meaning relative to what it follows, seems absurd to the point of being humorous or confusing....
mondegreen
Mondegreen
A mondegreen is the mishearing or misinterpretation of a phrase as a result of near homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning. It most commonly is applied to a line in a poem or a lyric in a song...
s, while the latter are typically either pleonasm
Pleonasm
Pleonasm is the use of more words or word-parts than is necessary for clear expression: examples are black darkness, or burning fire...
s or oxymoron
Oxymoron
An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms...
ic redundancies
Redundancy (language)
In linguistics, redundancy is the construction of a phrase that presents some idea using more information, often via multiple means, than is necessary for one to be able understand the idea....
, though both usually share the goal of making a point through surreally humorous, absurdist
Absurdism
In philosophy, "The Absurd" refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any...
misuse of language, especially the alteration of cliché
Cliché
A cliché or cliche is an expression, idea, or element of an artistic work which has been overused to the point of losing its original meaning or effect, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel. In phraseology, the term has taken on a more technical meaning,...
s through malapropism
Malapropism
A malapropism is an act of misusing or the habitual misuse of similar sounding words, especially with humorous results. An example is Yogi Berra's statement: "Texas has a lot of electrical votes," rather than "electoral votes".-Etymology:...
and mixed metaphor.
External links
- Farberisms
- Interesting People email list archive