Obituary: Remembering Ken
Vector 22:3, page 59
From Linda Alvord¶
Meeting Ken Iverson could cause mental transformations. Your mental shards of ideas might experience changes much as your laundry does in a washing machine. First all your notions about a topic slosh around in your head, back and forth in a washing cycle that confronts inconsistencies and redundancies. Then at some moment, a spin cycle rearranges everything. Conflicting concepts and incongruities confront each other in an endless swirl. A moment of absolute silence changes everything. Excess ideas are gone. And a rinse cycle reveals unifying concepts and unseen connections with amazing clarity. And thus, your ‘Tools of Thought’ are clean, refreshed, and ready for use.
Thankfully I had the opportunity to spend time with Ken and experience these kinds of changes. I also have his legacy of APL and J and a vast array of books, articles and labs to lead my thinking in new directions. Mostly, I treasure the memories of his presence.