Clifford Stoll, astronomer, scientist and author of Silicon Snake Oil, is undoubtedly a smart man (he once caught KGB hacker back in the infancy of the Internet). But did you know that he has a very … unique form of public speaking? Great Scott!
Here’s Clifford giving a talk at TED 2006 … wait till he pulls out a slide rule! Hit play or go to Link [YouTube] – via Fazed
Padraig
> he once caught KGB hacker back
> in the infancy of the Internet
Actually, Clifford discerned a discrepancy of a couple of cents in billing at Berkley, which eventually led him to track down members of a German hacking group. Although the information gained was purportedly sold to the KGB, the hackers themselves had no affiliation with either the KGB or the Soviet Union.
RSMilward
He wrote “The Cuckoo’s Egg” about the “KGB hacker” incident, a great read as I recall. Interesting that he mentioned the riots at SUNY-Buffalo, see http://books.google.com/books?id=h2Tp9VBvq68C&pg=PA238 for some details. I was on campus during that, an amazing radical time.
jeffrey
This guy is sooo incredibly annoying, and mannered.
Sure he’s brilliant.
But I find him painful to watch, kind nails-against-a-blackboard.
And way to full of himself.
Him
Hmmm…. He seems to crave motion, and he seems really nervous about being in a public place… Looks like Autism to me.
zav
Jeffery, I agree. Scattered sums it up for me. Focus young freaky haired Jedi. Focus.
David Govett
The guy’s a master time-waster. Notice how much energy he expends on saying nothing! I came away from listening to as much as I could stand without knowing anything new. Next time I see his name, I’ll know better than to waste my time.
anja
Him’s right… A forceful personality, seemingly disconnected thinking, but the ability to interact with people around him… sounds an awful lot like Asperger’s.
Ron Moses
There is no such thing as “very unique.” Either something is unique or it is not. There are no degrees of uniqueness.
brianch
“18 Minutes with an Agile Mind”
This guy’s mind is as agile as a butterfly. His mind doesn’t go the same direction for two wing beats.
Briannana
It seems that the neatorama hate squad are out in their flashy attire today. The man is certainly more than a touch eccentric, but you are all a bit damn quick to jump to the conclusion that he is suffering from a disorder.
Many highly intelligent people are flighty and strange. I had a brilliant electronic music instructor who paced like a crazy person when he lectured. He’d bob up and down, play with his hair, act generally hyper and strange. By the end of the class, he’d literally be dusted head-to-toe in chalk.
It bothered people. But whatever. He was damn brilliant. I think it’s the same with Mr. Stroll. Quit trying to diagnose him and actually listen to what he’s saying.
Algonkin
That guy is all over the map…but man he’s fascinating. I would love to attend one of his lectures.
…and thank you Briannana for saying that. You hit the hammer right on the nail.
Skipweasel
Great fun to watch, and if it’s a style of learning that suits you, great. Trouble is, not everone learns well from that style – that’s not to say there’s anything wrong with it, just that for every tutor like that you’d need a calm steady slow one.
There’s no point in being highly memorable if what you’re /teaching/ isn’t remembered as well.
nihil
Regardless of his style he’s cool and if anyone is interested Klein mugs, jars, etc can be purchased online kleinbottle . com without the spaces. I found these a couple years ago and it’s cool to see the person behind some of them.
Mo
That was amazing! Just as powerful as “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch. I wish I had teachers like that when I went through school. His mind is definately racing with thoughts and deciding what to say next.
nick
I can understand being annoyed by or impatient with Clifford Stoll. Having followed him since The Cuckoo’s Egg came out, he’s pretty much always been this way. I recall an interview on The Today Show perhaps, where he sat cross-legged in the chair (still hopping up and down) and played with a yo-yo the whole time.
While he may take a while to get to a point, it’s like reading a fractured narrative to me. There are lots of little points that seemingly do not add up or go anywhere, but if you can make the connections you can draw quite a bit from it, much as in this “lecture” where the shards are connected by the inscription on the bell.
hotea1313
i have a friend who is just like that its very odd i never knew there were other people like that
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