Michael Lawrence
5 HN recommenders · recommended in 10 months, 2010–2025
1:40 · 676K views · Jun 1, 2006
A short clip of Steve Jobs describing the computer as a bicycle for the mind. He compares human efficiency of travel to what computers do for mental work.
HN uses it as the source of the 'bicycle for the mind' quote, which commenters cite in discussions of computing, programming and LLMs.
11 comments from Hacker News
Just saw another brilliant Jobs quote, circa 1991, via my svlug friend Rick Moen. I think one of the things that really separate us from the higher primates is that we are tool builders. I read a study that measured the efficiency of locomotion for various species on the planet. The condor used the least energy to move a kilometre,and humans came in with a rather unimpressive showing about a third of the way down the list. It wasn't too proud of a showing for the crown of creation. So, that didn't look so good -- but somebody at _Scientific American_ had the insight to test the efficiency of locomotion for a man on a bicycle, and a man on a bicycle -- a human on a bicycle -- blew the condor away, completely off the top of the charts. And that's what a computer is to me. A computer is the most remarkable tool that we've ever come up with, and it's the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds. -- Steve Jobs, 1991 this video
> the Bay Area tradition that treated computers not as office appliances but as tools for thought, instruments of liberation Missed a great chance to use the "bicycle for our minds" Steve Jobs quote (one of my favorite since it resonates so clearly with me) this video
Interview with Steve Jobs where he talks about the computer as a bicycle for the mind: this video To put it in context, he starts off by talking about the efficiency of animal locomotion. In the animal kingdom, the condor is one of the most efficient. It uses the least amount of energy to travel a kilometer. Human walking is rather inefficient in comparison. However, with a bicycle, a man can blow away a condor.
The Steve Jobs quote mentioned about bicycles for the mind is cool this video . I know it's old but I hadn't seen it before. The rest of the article is kind of intellectual mush starting from saying "litigated against" in the first sentence when he hasn't and continuing in a similar vein.
Immediately made me think of Steve Jobs and this great clip: "Computers are like a bicycle for our minds." this video