There is something special about a sunny spring morning in Palo Alto. It makes you feel like anything is possible. On this memorable day of anniversary we heard from many people who acted on what’s achievable over the course of their careers.
The second day of the recent events to honor Silicon Valley history “A Celebration of 50 Years of the Internet” took place at the Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel in Palo Alto on Sunday May 19, 2024.
The day was organized and run by People Centered Internet (Mei Lin Fung, Chair) and the IEEE. This was a hybrid event, with live attendees and simultaneous livestream by IEEE.tv.
The Cabana Hotel is the location where Vint Cerf and Robert Kahn designed the original internet architecture and TCP specification in 1973. Starting with “a sketch on the back of an envelope” and then a hand draft, the paper was published in the May 1974 issue of the IEEE Transactions on Communications.
The first panel, “TCP and the Internet – Origins and Subsequent Impact” included Vint Cerf, Robert Kahn (Chair and CEO, Corporation for National Research Initiatives), Judy Estrin (CEO, JLabs) and John Shoch (Office Systems Division President, Xerox PARC – retired). The wide-ranging discussion included technical history and the policy and political considerations in trying to keep the internet moving forward without too much control from corporate or political entities. I was struck with the passion the speakers had to keep the internet safe, accessible, and transparent with an added emphasis on dealing with misinformation and propaganda.
Judy Estrin, Vint Cerf and John Shoch discussing forthcoming panel 
Robert Kahn via Zoom 
V. Cerf and R. Kahn, “A Protocol for Packet Network Intercommunication” 
Vint Cerf, Judy Estrin & John Shoch being livestreamed by IEEE.tv
The next speaker was Sally Wentworth, Managing Director and incoming CEO of the Internet Society. Her talk, “Internet and Beyond – Internet Society & Internet Engineering Task Force,” reviewed the objectives of the organization: “The Internet Society supports and promotes the development of the Internet as a global technical infrastructure, a resource to enrich people’s lives, and a force for good in society. Our work aligns with our goals for the Internet to be open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy. We seek collaboration with all who share these goals.”
Wentworth talked about positioning the Internet Society in technical and global communities and advocating for “public policies that support and enable a globally connected Internet.”
The afternoon included a real highlight titled “Digital Transformation and Ancestral Intelligence in the Era of AI.” Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece, was interviewed by Konstantinos Karachalios, former Managing Director, IEEE Standards Association. Mitsotakis is emerging as a dynamic and even visionary world leader based on his successful leadership of the Greek economy and his support for using technology to benefit the people of his country.
After an eye opening and productive day it was clear the participants in these sessions changed the world of technology forever. Palo Alto has always been a hub for scientific creativity and collaboration. At this historic site, it was evident this direction continues.
See photos below for more on the afternoon activities. In my next post we will wrap-up the three part coverage with a visit to the Computer History Museum.
Sophie Muirhead IEEE Executive Director & COO
IEEE 802 Standards Committees – Panel Sessions
and Vint Cerf ready to cut the cake
(click/tap above for more and to zoom in on details)
All photos by George Plosker
Notes from a Queens Village Boomer 
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