Gore honors ENIAC's 50th birthday

The Penn Band struck up "You Can Call Me Al," as Vice President Al Gore entered a filled-to-capacity Irvine Auditorium yesterday morning to deliver an address in celebration of the 50th anniversary of ENIAC. After citing lyrics from Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark" and playing a musical valentine card for his wife, Gore identified the crux of his speech. His 40-minute talk focused on the federal government's commitment to furthering science and technological research. " 'You can't start a fire without a spark,' " Gore quoted. "The federal government provided the initial spark that eventually flickered into extraordinary products." The audience, which was comprised of not only Penn students and faculty but other area students and community leaders, applauded and laughed through Gore's speech. And when Gore asked how many people regularly use the World Wide Web, nearly everyone in the auditorium raised their hands. Gore lauded ENIAC for being the forerunner of the computer age. "In the early days of ENIAC, nobody knew where it would all lead," Gore said. "Talented people improved on what ENIAC began." University President Judith Rodin presented Gore with a University of Pennsylvania Medal for Distinguished Achievement during her introductory remarks. Camera flashes punctuated the medal presentation, as more than 50 members of the national media covered yesterday's ENIAC celebration. The vice president also discussed the public's perception of technology, focusing on the individuals who are now pioneering the future of computers. "The spark of innovation that has led to multi-billion dollar industries has been the desire of the American people to work through self-government to spark good ideas," Gore said. Gore concluded his speech by wishing ENIAC a happy birthday. After the morning's ceremonies, Rodin said she was pleased with the event and Gore's speech. "We're also thrilled that he talked about the importance of research," Rodin said. "Obviously as a research university, we want the federal government continuing to make an investment on what we think are the important things for the future." Several students said that Gore's speech, while positively reinforcing a commitment to technology, did not discuss other key scientific political issues. "I thought the speech was sort of ironic since the [Communications Decency Act] is being passed and he's pushing innovation in computer research while stifling free speech," College senior Lauren Zaslansky said. College senior Jon Slotkin agreed that Gore should have addressed the recent telecommunications reform law. "Just like a good politician, Gore was able to discuss the Internet without discussing the CDA, even though it was the issue on everyone's minds," Slotkin said. But other students said the speech was fitting for the anniversary of the world's first programmable computer. "I thought Gore was well-prepared, informative and humorous," Engineering freshman Seelig Sinton said. "He is genuinely interested in the technology issue, which made him an appropriate choice for this event."

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