Atari Research began in 1982 when Alan Kay was named Chief Scientist. Its initial charter was to look 5-10 years ahead at the future of computing, particularly for everyone and everyday life. Of particular interest was learning more about powerful, inexpensive, easy to use computers small enough to carry around (an absurd idea at the time). Alan coined this vision "Dynabook" a decade earlier.

In 1983, Bob Stein, an Atari researcher, hired a 12 year old to carry around a portable audio recorder with him for a week, to record every question that came to mind. The idea was that we often ponder more questions that we think we do, and that collecting such questions would provide clues into how to design the Dynabooks of the future. Bob selected a Palo Alto boy with Stanford professor parents. The Ifugao Question Journal was an attempt to complement and challenge Bob's data.


See Also:

"Art (and" or ‘versus’) Technology: Some Personal Observations," in Art@Science, Christa Sommerer, editor, Vienna and NY: Springer Press, 1997

"The Question Machine," Whole Earth Review, no. 65, Winter 1989

"Saving the First World," Send Magazine, San Francisco International Video Festival, 1984