Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web 25 years ago in 1989

Tim Berners- Lee 'invented' the World Wide Web 25 years ago on March 13, but chances are you have never heard of him. 

In 1999, Time magazine named Berners- Lee as one of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century, saying, "He wove the World Wide Web and created a mass medium for the 21st century. The World Wide Web is Berners-Lee's alone. He designed it. He loosed it on the world. And he more than anyone else has fought to keep it open, nonproprietary and free.

In an earlier article I noted that Berners- Lee had commented on the forward slash in URLS being unnecessary. I was delighted to see on Wikepedia that he confirmed it years later after I heard him speak at the University of Toronto. In a Times article in October 2009, Berners-Lee admitted that the forward slashes ("//") in a web address were actually "unnecessary". He told the newspaper that he could easily have designed URLs not to have the forward slashes. "There you go, it seemed like a good idea at the time," he said in his lighthearted apology`.


Most recently in November 2009, Berners-Lee launched the World Wide Web Foundation in order to "Advance the Web to empower humanity by launching transformative programs that build local capacity to leverage the Web as a medium for positive change."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee



HERE IS MY ARTICLE ON T IM BERNERS PUBLISHED  IN MARCH 2009

The 20th anniversary of the World Wide Web didn't get much media attention today. In fact I just noticed a short article on MSN marking the occasion, and its inventor Tim Berners-Lee is not well known outside academia.

But Berners-Lee may be the single most important person since Guttenberg in changing the way we communicate. I was so privileged to spend an afternoon listening to him in 1996 while attending a conference "The Internet Beyond the Year 2000" at the University of Toronto. To be honest, even though I had developed one of the first graduate programs in New Media Communications in Canada at College of the Rockies, I had no idea who Tim Berners-Lee was before that afternoon.

Perhaps most striking about him was his great modesty Here was one of the great thinkers and scientists of our time, and he had no need to be 'the sage on the stage.' After giving his talk, Berners-Lee sat on the edge of the stage to take questions.

The first question was from Dr Somebody from Some University, who started with "Dr Berners-Lee.." and before he got any further, he was cut off by Berners-Lee who said, "Tim will do." The professor didn't get it and again said, "Dr Berners-Lee.." only to be cut off with "Tim" and a shake of his head. The room broke up.

He was asked many questions but one that stuck in my mind was, "What would you do differently now." Berners-Lee replied after a moment, "I realized I didn't need the forward slash." Again the room broke up.

He was also asked about the process involved in inventing the web and how long it took. He said that he had been "thinking" about it for a long time and then one day simply decided to get it done.

Perhaps the single most impressive moment I saw of Berners-Lee was at a showcase of technology and industry. Students from Confederation High School in Nepean had created a web page, and Berners-Lee, hands behind his back, went up to them and asked some questions. At no time did he identify himself as the inventor of the web.

After he left I went over and asked the students if they knew who their visitor was. They didn't and when I told them, like students everywhere, they were afraid they had made mistakes. I assured them Berners-Lee was likely delighted to see their work.

For those who don't know exactly what he did, Berners Lee wrote the first Web clients and server and defined the URL, HTTP, and HTML specifications on which the Web depends. He was then working at CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory.

Knighted in 2003, Sir Tim Berners Lee is now the director of the W3 Consortium and is a principal research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

To have been able to spend time listening to him has to count as one of the most truly memorable moments of my entire teaching career.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Berners-Lee

Graham Bertrand chair of Chapleau Winter Carnival with Jimmy Dillon as Carnival King in 1978

Jimmy, Graham, Debbie, Bonhomme, MJ

Graham Bertrand was the chair of 'A Taste of the North', the Chapleau Winter Carnival, while Jimmy Dillon, who was instrumental in reviving the annual winter celebration was honoured by being named King of the Carnival in 1978.

Debbie Ferguson, a Chapleau High School student was the Queen of the Carnival.

Graham, 34 years later, was co-chair with Nadia (Huard) Fortin of the 90th anniversary reunion festival of Chapleau High School, in 2012.

My files show that Graham was a member of the Chapleau Recreation and Festival Chapleau committees in 1973, so for more than 40 years he has been actively involved in the life of his community. With his wife Rose, he co-chaired the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of Chapleau as a municipality held in 2001.

 I won't even try to list all the ways he has volunteered  for Chapleau activities.

I will mention one though -- Graham was a great trainer for the Chapleau Intermediate 'A' Huskies when they played in the Northland Intermediate Hockey League. He also played donkey baseball!

Bill Scheer, Pat Swanson and Graham

In 1978, at carnival time the coach of the Intermediate Huskies was Doug Prusky and captain was veteran J.C. Cyr.

Jimmy Dillon helped revive the Chapleau Winter Carnival as chair of the  carnival committee during the 1950s as well as serving as manager of the Chapleau Huskies -- Intermediate ' teams who were always entered in the Northern Ontario Hockey Association playoffs.

Jimmy also ensured there was youth representation on the carnival committees. For example, I was president of the Student Council at Chapleau High School in 1957-58, and was a committee member. I think Ken Schroeder was involved in the ski races. Ken would also have been playing goal for the Chapleau High School hockey team at carnival.

My main job was to look after the referees for the hockey tournament, and we brought Leo Fletcher of Sudbury, one of the best of the time to be the neutral referee. He was housed in the YMCA -- a famous place in those years with Mamie Watson running the dining room with an iron fist so to speak. 

 At carnival time, those Intermediate Huskies teams vied for the Ernest  'Sonny' Bignucolo Memorial Trophy. Sonny, an outstanding goaltender was killed while on active service in Canada's Armed Forces.

I was once told  that Jimmy was a great manager who even accounted for "every piece of tape." 

He was also president of the Chapleau Liberal Party Association, and also a personal friend of Lester B. 'Mike' Pearson, who became prime minister, was the local Member of Parliament.

Keep Smiling Graham!  My email is mj.morris@live.ca