The Best of Creative Computing Volume 1 (published 1976)
Preface to the 2nd Edition
Preface to the 2nd Edition
The computer is an incredibly powerful intellectual tool that
everyone should know how to use, but at the same time it can
provide an enormous amount of fun! That's the basic
philosophy of Creative Computing, and of this book. I could
philosophize further on the goals and objectives of Creative
Computing, technology, people, kids, games, etc. but I'd rather
leave it up to you to draw your own conclusions out of the book.
This volume consists of material which originally appeared in
the first six issues of Creative Computing, the magazine of
recreational and educational computing. It contains articles and
other material from over 160 writers and artists. These
contributors run the gamut from corporation presidents to high
school students, from university professors to government
officials, and from scientific researchers to small press authors.
In a word, the material is diverse.
Creative Computing magazine is for students, educators,
hobbyists, and anyone curious about computers. It carries
articles and stories about the role of the computer in society,
its effect on privacy, jobs, medical care, space exploration, education etc.
It contains learning activities, programs, and
games for using computers in math, science, social studies, and
computer science. Also in-depth book reviews, puzzles, fiction,
poetry, computer art, and a liberal dose of foolishness in every
issue. The magazine is published monthly and has circulation
in 50 states and 22 foreign countries.
I commented in the preface to the first edition that the book
was rushed into print in literally 3 round-the-clock days, so
some typos remained. Thanks to the eagle eyes of Russ
Cooling of Toronto and Mark Shisler of Brewster, NY most of
the typos have been corrected. If it sounds as though l
leisurely put things in order between the first and second
printing - wrong! I finally got around to it when Linda of our
Book Service warned me we were down to 200 copies (about a
1-week supply) She had been telling me for the past month we
were running low but...
Anyway, hope this brings you some good cybernetic fun!
July 1977
David H. Ahl
