Artifact Details

Title

The Pixel: From Cave Paintings to Toy Story

Catalog Number

102792730

Type

Moving image

Description

Have you watched a video on a cell phone, played a videogame, or seen a movie? If so, you’ve experienced the power of the pixel.

From cave paintings to Toy Story, the pixel is the “big idea” that ties all digital imaging together. In his book, A Biography of the Pixel, Pixar cofounder Alvy Ray Smith shares the story of how this small but mighty idea started life in prehistoric times and has shaped human visual expression ever since.

Drawing on his decades of work in computer graphics, including inventing some of the key concepts still used in the field today, Smith shows how the pixel, and what he calls “Digital Light,” have transformed business, art, and entertainment. Come see and hear the story of the pixel – it will change the way you see the world forever!

Date

2022-08-11

Participants

Robertson, Barbara, Moderator
Smith, Alvy Ray, Speaker

Publisher

Computer History Museum

Place of Publication

Mountain View, CA

Duration

01:19:35

Format

MOV

Category

Talk

Collection Title

CHM Live

Lot Number

2022.0106