The city of the Leaning Tower is also a national leader in the area of all things high-tech, and Pisa will soon open a new museum dedicated to the history of the information technology. Following the recent death of Apple founder, Steve Jobs, Pisa mayor Marco Filippeschi told the press that he would like to dedicate a space to Jobs in the museum: ‘He taught us that we can look past the present, in an era in which some predicted the end of history and knowledge.’
‘Pisa has been the city of information technology for generations. Jobs invented the most fun, most innovative ways to experience the digital revolution, starting with our desks and taking it all so much further. For this reason, our city will hold a conference on him and his career and dedicate a special space in our new museum in the Vecchi Macelli area,’ Filippeschi explained.
Italy’s first computer was made in Pisa, in 1957. Assembled at the University of Pisa, the prototype was so big it occupied an entire room.
The University of Pisa, known nationally and internationally as a centre of innovation, recently announced another link to Apple: students at the university can now choose their courses for the semester on iTunes. Professors at the university prepared brief films, now available on iTunes, in which they each give an overview of their courses. ‘The videos are an instrument that the university has decided to use to strengthen its link with the outside world, to increase transparency with anyone who wants to know what we are teaching,’ explains professor Enrica Salvatori, head of the iTunes project. The videos can be downloaded from the University of Florence’s official iTunes channel; there are some 80 videos in total, describing courses in the humanities, veterinary science and the general sciences.
