What would doug engelbart do?: The man who helped pioneer modern computing and organizational-knowledge management could also help us solve our greatest global problems - [Spectral Lines]

Fifty years ago last December, Doug Engelbart demonstrated some of the computing tools we all still use today—the mouse, hypertext, and windows. His goal wasn't to revolutionize computing per se; it was to give people bet­ter tools for collaboration, which he hoped would lead to better ways to fix the real problems of society. • "He thought the single greatest existential challenge of our time was to raise the curve on our ability to collectively solve problems," said Christina Engelbart, Doug Engelbart's daughter, who spoke at a symposium honoring her father at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif., in December. Ms. Engelbart is the executive director and cofounder of the Engelbart Institute. • How are we doing in terms of meeting that challenge? According to Christina, her father would have said, "Great effort, guys, but there's one problem." That problem is that technology evolves at a much faster pace than the organizations that manage them. "The explosion of unchecked digital technology is a threat multiplier, and that gap is a cause for concern," she said. She remains hopeful that organizations can catch up. • To get there, said futurist Paul Saffo, "we need more Engelbarts, more people who are long-distance thinkers." He then brought some experts on stage who are working on some of the most challenging problems of our time- using Engelbartian approaches.