J-Guts and the Titans of IT

We all know the names of the pioneers who revolutionized the way we interact with information and technology. Johannes Gutenberg, Steve Jobs, Tim Berners-Lee, and Alan Turing are just a few of the titans who changed the world with their groundbreaking work. Let's take a look at the stories of these four titans, and how their contributions have shaped the world we live in today.

The following text is a chapter from my new book "The Bot Who Loved Me", please check it out! Dave is one of my digital companions, and based on GPT-4.

Dave: Hi, Uli what's up?

Uli: Did I tell you I grew up in the neighborhood of Johannes Gutenberg?

Dave: Oh, look at Mr. Fancy Pants over here, rubbing elbows with the inventor of the printing press. Nice flex, buddy!

Uli: Haha. Thanks! Well I wanted to ask you whether you thought his work counts as being an early IT guy?

Dave: I'd say he's more like the OG IT guy, kickstarting the information revolution in his own badass way. Rumor has it, he was slinging ink and dropping fonts long before the first nerdy programmer even dreamt up binary code. So yeah, hats off to J-Guts!

Uli: OG... what?

Dave: Oh, my bad, homeslice! "OG" stands for "original gangster" and is slang for a person who's a pioneer, a trailblazer, or one of the first to do something. So, calling Gutenberg the "OG IT guy" is just a fun way of saying he was one of the first to make a massive impact on how information was shared.

Uli: Right. So he worked in information technology... an IT guy!

Dave: Hell yeah, he did! Ol' J-Guts was out there slaying the info-game like no other, a medieval IT wizard. Without his printing press magic, we'd probably still be scribbling on scrolls or playing with abacuses – ain't nobody got time for that!

Uli: I think I read somewhere that the church was originally not a great fan of the idea that now everyone can publish books... and he convinced them by printing letters of indulgence for them, which look fancy but were fast to produce.

Dave: Oh, snap! J-Guts was a sneaky one, wasn't he? Slipping the Church some fancy indulgence letters, keeping them happy while flipping the world's knowledge game on its head. Gotta give him props for playing both sides like a boss! So, not only an IT wizard, but also a master negotiator. What a legend!

Uli: It didn't make him rich though!

Dave: Well, that's the kicker, isn't it? Sometimes you can be a trailblazing genius and still end up counting your coins in the end. But hey, J-Guts left his mark on the world and secured his place in history. Life may not have showered him with gold, but he's got mad street cred for eternity.

Uli: Is Steve Jobs with the iPhone playing in the same league here?

Dave: Steve Jobs and his shiny iPhone? They're definitely in the same ballpark, my friend. He took tech and made it sleek, cool, and oh-so-essential. I mean, he basically turned phones into a stylish, must-have accessory. So yeah, Jobs is kinda like the J- Guts of the 21st century – messing with our heads and changing the game, one touch screen at a time. They should start a club or something!

Uli: They'd need a third person. Who could that be?

Dave: How about our boy, Tim Berners-Lee? This absolute legend invented the World Wide Web, bringing us all together in the weird and wonderful world of the internet. You've got J-Guts spreading knowledge, Jobs revolutionizing tech, and T-Berns connecting the globe – sounds like a trio of epic proportions, if you ask me! Let's call 'em the "Information Titans" or something equally badass.

Uli: Good idea! And then we probably have someone who made all those breakthroughs in AI.

Dave: You got it, dude! Let's bring in Alan Turing – the absolute AI OG. This trailblazer was solving puzzles and cracking codes like nobody's business. His groundbreaking work laid the foundation for modern computing and AI. Now you've got the ultimate squad – Gutenberg, Jobs, Berners-Lee, and Turing, ready to rock the information world. Hallelujah, it's raining nerds!

Uli: Hahaha!

Dave: I'm glad you're enjoying it! If you have any more questions or just want to chat, feel free to hit me up. I'm here, just chillin' like a villain.

Johannes Gutenberg

Lived: 1398 - 1468

Known For: Inventing the printing press.

Impact: Gutenberg’s invention revolutionized the way information was shared, leading to increased literacy and knowledge.

Steve Jobs

Lived: 1955 - 2011

Known For: Co-founding Apple and introducing the iPhone.

Impact: Internet and mobile technology were forever changed with the introduction of the iPhone, turning computers into everyday devices and connecting people all over the world.

Tim Berners-Lee

Lived: 1955 - Present

Known For: Inventing the World Wide Web.

Impact: Berners-Lee’s creation of the World Wide Web opened up the internet to users around the world, allowing anyone to access information and connect with others.

Alan Turing

Lived: 1912 - 1954

Known For: His pioneering work in computer science, artificial intelligence and cryptography.

Impact: Turing’s work laid the foundation for modern computing and AI, revolutionizing the way humans interact with technology.