Against Usefulness
Summary
This essay argues that paradigm-shifting computing begins with research that may seem useless at first. It follows Folk Computer from Dynamicland to an open-source project, illustrating a room-sized, collaborative programming environment where the room is the computer and the code lives on paper. The piece also traces the lineage from Xerox PARC to CDG and Dynamicland, stressing the importance of independent thinkers and long-horizon funding over short-term market signals.