Sure. I started computer programming when I was 8, because I was born with a heart defect (that was fixed when I was 12) but I couldn’t really do sports. So most of my interests are indoor interests. So when I was 8 I encountered this "programming" thing. I found a programming book without a computer, so I was programming on paper until my parents got me a computer. And then afterwards I was just very attracted to computer science, because that year (1989) was the year of the personal computer, when computers became democratized and affordable. Coincidentally it was also the year of press freedom in Taiwan. Both of my parents work in the press around the time, so they lived through the time when Taiwan really didn’t have press freedom; and enjoying this blossoming of press freedom and expression, our generation really is the first generation to enjoy that personal technology from personal computers and also the freedom of the press and the freedom of speech.

Keyboard shortcuts

j previous speech k next speech