Personal Computing 2.0 Night: From Dream Machines to Reality

In 1974, they imagined dream machines. In 2026, let's build some.

In 1974, Ted Nelson published Computer Lib / Dream Machines, a radical vision of personal computing that imagined computers as tools for human creativity and empowerment. At a time when computers were largely inaccessible, Nelson imagined a future in which anyone could shape technology around their own ideas and desires.

Over 50 years later, we're revisiting those original dreams at a moment when new advances in AI are making many of them possible in entirely new ways.

We have an original 1974 copy of Computer Lib / Dream Machines. So we're using it as the starting point for a night dedicated to the past, present, and possible futures of personal computing.

The first half of the evening will be a salon exploring the ideas in the book, the original aspirations of the personal computing movement, and what those pioneers got right, wrong, or left unfinished.

Then we'll move from imagining to making. In the second half, everyone will have a chance to use Imbue Studio to build their own dream machines, translating ideas from the discussion into actual software.

The central premise: What happens when we revisit the original dreams of personal computing, now that we have the tools to bring more of them to life?

Vibe

Part intellectual salon, part hacker night, part homage to the original personal computing movement.

Schedule

6:00–6:45 PM — Arrival, drinks, mingling, original book on display

6:45–7:00 PM — Welcome, introduce the book and vision for the night

7:00–7:45 PM — Facilitated salon on the original personal computing dream and its relevance today

7:45–8:00 PM — Transition from discussion to making, introduction to Imbue Studio and build prompts

8:00–9PM — Dream Machines hack session, building individually or in small groups

9–9:30 PM — Show and tell, lightning demos and reflections

Imbue is an AI company building tools to empower humans in the AI age. We're building toward an open agent ecosystem where you can understand, modify, and verify agents — so they only work in your interest. Learn about our work and what we stand for: www.imbue.com