This is the first in an occasional series on technical figures who have gone the way of the Great Auk. These are people who have contributed to the development of the Internet and Web.
Louis Moyroud
Moyroud, who died at age 96 in late June, was instrumental in the development of printing. He and his partner Rene Alphonse Higonnet developed the first photo-typesetting machine at an ITT subsidiary in Lyon, France. Their machine was a step on the journey from physical type to the type you’re reading now.
Paul Rosen
Rosen died on July 27 at 88 years old in New England. He was instrumental in developing the high-speed modem. While working at Lincoln Laboratories at MIT he and partner Jack Harrington patented a machine to transfer large amounts of data consistently over telephone lines. The modem was created to help radar installations around the country send information faster. Bad wording in the patent application he filed allowed others to make insignificant adjustments to create “new” products and avoid having to pay Mr. Rosen. Coolest thing about this guy? At the time of his death, according to the Washington Post, he was teaching senior citizens courses on existentialism.
Death’s head cheese photo by Sarah Katzenell
