Programmers And Pipe Organs

Speaking of ProgrammersAndMusic, the PipeOrgan appears to be relatively popular among computing types: several famous (and wealthy) programmers have at some stage bought (or built!) a pipe organ for their own home.

• DonKnuth - http://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/organ.html
• AlanKay - http://www.vpri.org/pdf/kprize_RN-2004-002.pdf, http://www.squeakland.org/school/HTML/essays/dynabook_revisited.htm
  • Kay ending his TheComputerRevolutionHasntHappenedYet talk at OOPSLA '97 with an organ-playing anecdote and metaphor - "just play it grand!": http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-2950949730059754521&q=kay#1h01m30s
• JefRaskin - http://jef.raskincenter.org/pictures/pipe_organ.html
  • At one point Raskin had a pipe organ but nowhere to put it, as the house he had been building for it had just collapsed: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jef_Raskin#Outside_interests. The whole saga seems very Raskinesque.

Why the pipe organ? It's mechanically complex, with many moving parts, which must appeal to the computer-minded. Probably they also appreciate the intricate and dense music it can play, and the intricate playing and concentration it takes to make that music. Maybe because you play it by sitting down and using a keyboard - or rather, at least one PianoKeyboard, probably at least one pedalboard, and other frobs. There's also no denying that your very own pipe organ is a relatively tasteful way to advertise your wealth, sophistication and nerdishness. (In Knuth's case his interest in the organ also ties in with his observant Lutheranism.)

Any other evidence of famous (or less-famous) programmer-organists?

• I want a business card that lists my title as "Programmer-Organist"...

[Perhaps delete this page and move the content to PipeOrgan?]

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Perl script in D-minor.... Diabolos in musica! ;)

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CategoryMusic