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Peter Landin |
Computer whizz – who didn’t own one
PETER Landin’s kaleidoscopic life can be defined as a constant thirst for new experiences and a quest to continually question things – and by doing so expand his and other’s knowledge.
Peter, who has passed away aged 78, lived for much of his life in Rona Road, Gospel Oak, from where some of his groundbreaking work in maths and computing laid the foundation for internet software systems.
Born in 1930, Peter went to Cambridge and became interested in the binary language used by early computers, and developed ways for different computers to read the same “language”.
Yet for someone whose work kick-started modern computing, he reacted to technology with a sense of disdain – he did not own a computer, and preferred to keep reams of paper files on topics of interest.
It was not the application of his research that interested Peter, rather the research itself – his sitting-room floor would be the drawing board for complicated algebraic equations. Peter never learned to drive, cycling everywhere. He did not own a TV. After graduating from Cambridge, his work was noted by American institutes. He and his wife Hanne spent time in New York in the early 1960s, but they returned to South End Green as Peter found American academia ultimately frustrating.
Peter’s politics were vital to his character. A prototype feminist before the women’s movement had really taken shape, he hated the idea of his wife Hanne playing a traditional role. He was a passionate advocate of nuclear disarmament, joining Bertrand Russell’s Committee of 100. He was arrested in Trafalgar Square and sentenced to prison: he lasted a week in Pentonville before becoming so bored he paid a fine to get out.
He never joined a political party – he was not a “joiner” and party bureaucracy went against his core beliefs. Other political areas he worked in included civil rights: Peter was bisexual and fought homophobia.
Music was a passion: He had a room full of sheet music and played piano with distinction.
He is survived by Hanne and his children, Daniel and Louise.
DAN CARRIER |
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