Chip Morningstar
| Chip Morningstar | |
|---|---|
| Born | US |
| Residence | Palo Alto, California |
| Education | B.S.Comp.Eng., 1981, The University of Michigan |
| Occupation | author, academic and developer of software systems |
Chip Morningstar is an author, developer, programmer and designer of software systems, mainly for online entertainment and communication. He graduated from University of Michigan in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. While at the University of Michigan he also performed research in the Space Physics Research Laboratory, where he wrote device drivers and CAD software for electronic circuitry. Morningstar held many jobs throughout his career in the research and development of technology and programs. Most notably was Morningstar's role as project leader for Lucasfilm's Habitat, the first large-scale virtual multiuser environment. In March 2001, Morningstar and colleague Randy Farmer were awarded the inaugural "First Penguin Award" by the International Game Developers Association for their work on Habitat. He also participated in Project Xanadu, for which the word hypertext was first coined. Additionally, he is credited with coining the term avatar for an on-screen representation and pre-Internet work in online information marketplaces.
He is also well known for the publication of his article "How to Deconstruct Almost Anything". Currently, Morningstar resides in Palo Alto, California.
Chip Morningstar started his career as a research assistant at the University of Michigan and as an independent computer consultant. His original major was Aerospace at the University of Michigan. After his summer job in 1977 where he was surrounded by up to date computer technology, he changed his major to computer engineering. In 1979 he took a job at the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM) as a research engineer. While at ERIM he developed image processing software, languages and tools for the Cytocomputer. Morningstar also co-invented the Leonard-Morningstar image filter algorithm.
From 1984 to 1992, Chip Morningstar worked at Lucasfilm, Ltd. as a designer and programmer, as well as cyberspace consultant. While at Lucasfilm, Morningstar held the position of Project Leader for Habitat, an early graphical online multiplayer environment. Morningstar oversaw all development staff, as well as writing substantial portions of the server system himself. The game Habitat is where the term “avatar” was originated from in terms of gaming. The word used to be related to a Buddhist ritual. Morningstar redefined this word and gave “avatar” its modern meaning today.
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