Cities and Computers: Their Architecture

 In Stanford EE Computer Systems Colloquium, Forrest Warthman and Martin Morf talk about:  "City architecture and computer architecture have many similarities in their form and function--how they are physically built, how their parts connect, and how these connected parts operate. Some of the similarities are evident from their sharing of words; "gate", "port", "pipeline", and "architect" are used to describe computer architectures and the people who design them, but these words and concepts are derived from ancient cities.Soon after young people growing up in cities begin exploring their homes the storage places (drawers and and cupboards), controlled openings (doors and windows), and hallway connections inside their homes -- they begin to understand how these parts work and what can be done with them. By the time they begin driving a car, their understanding expands to their city's road network which gives access to much bigger and more complex forms and functions. This understanding of how cities work can illuminate details about how computers and microprocessors work."