Civil rights groups converged on Intel’s corporate headquarters to protest the lack of inherent diversity in computers’ binary code. Lisa Hellick, founder of Computer Users for Multicultural Languages (CUML), received a standing ovation when she addressed the crowd saying, “No longer will computers read just ones and zeros. We are here to let Intel know that many other numbers like 2, pi, and 1 ¼ need to be included, too.”
The protesters began their march at the Holiday Inn and Ramada Inn, located on the corner of El Camino Road and Great America Parkway, and made their way to Intel’s corporate headquarters approximately half a mile away. Organizers were momentarily concerned when over half of the protesters did not arrive at the rally in time, but then realized that many had stopped at Starbucks for coffee. Others had misunderstood the instructions and decided to drive to the rally instead of walk. Intel security guards estimate that the protest crowd swelled to two dozen people, but Ms. Hellick disputes that number, saying that she counted 27 concerned citizens in attendance. Other groups represented included Up with Fractions! and Girl Scout Troupe 48392, whose Den Mother is Ms. Hellick.
Binary code is the language that computers use to read and write data to hard drives, CD-ROMs, and 3 1/2″ disks. In binary code, the numbers one and zero are analogous to “yes” and “no” respectively. By making combinations of 1 and 0, a computer can represent anything from the letter “E” shown on your monitor screen to a complex computer program like Windows 95. Despite the availability of an infinite selection of possible numbers, only 1 and 0 are utilized. This is at the heart of CUML’s protest. “We now live in an information age where the computer language is used worldwide. In order for this language to represent all people, it needs to be more inclusive. No longer can just the privileged ones and zeros control how data is handled,” read a press release from CUML.
No longer can just the privileged ones and zeros control how data is handled.
Industry analysts were shocked by Intel’s swift response to the rally. Intel Corp. chairman Andy Grove called a news conference the following day to announce dramatic changes in the way computers will operate in the future. “Intel is the leader in the computer processor market and, as such, we have an obligation to address the concerns of any customers and members of society in general. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that Intel R&D Labs will begin work on expanding the binary language to include the number 2. Intel is committed to helping make the computer age more diverse and multinumerical.”
Dr. Jack Harold, Director of Research and Development at Intel, followed Mr. Grove’s introductory remarks with more technical information. “We are working on incorporating 2 into the standard computer language. The number 2 will represent either the standard 1 or 0. The choice between 1 and 0 will be random and can change each time that bit of code is read by the processor. This introduces randomness into the language. Although the data could indicate a 1 the first time it is read, the computer could read a 0 the next time. Thus, the data will have the ability to ‘change its mind’ at any time. We think this will have applications in artificial intelligence by allowing computers to mimic the female thought processes. As Mr. Grove stated, we at Intel are committed to respecting the sensitivities of all computer users.”
