Marshall Brain
Encyclopedia
Marshall David Brain is an American author, public speaker, and entrepreneur. A former college instructor and computer programmer, Brain is the founder of HowStuffWorks
.
, California
. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in Troy
, New York
in 1983 with a bachelor's degree
in electrical engineering
He was a member of the Alpha Chi Rho
fraternity
. Brain earned a master's degree
in computer science
from North Carolina State University
(NCSU).
Marshall founded the website HowStuffWorks
.com in 1998 and ran the site until 2002, when he sold it to The Convex Group, an Atlanta-based investment company owned by former Web MD CEO Jeff Arnold, for around $1 million.. In 2007, Convex sold it to Discovery Communications
for $250 million. Since 2008, a television documentary
with the same name has aired on the Discovery Channel
.
and robot
s and an online science fiction
novel on that topic, Manna
. Brain argues in his Robotic Nation series that automation will lead to structural unemployment
, requiring a basic income guarantee or guaranteed minimum income
.
Marshall Brain is a naturalist
. His websites Why Won't God Heal Amputees? and God is Imaginary reflect his views. He has created and posted some widely-viewed online videos on this subject, such as "10 questions that every intelligent Christian must answer". This is his most widely-viewed video on YouTube
, having been viewed over 6 million times.
, North Carolina
with his wife Leigh and four children. He serves on the North Carolina advisory board of DonorsChoose
.
HowStuffWorks
HowStuffWorks is a commercial edutainment website that was founded by Marshall Brain with the goal of giving its target audience an insight into the way in which many things work. The site uses various media in its effort to explain complex concepts, terminology and mechanisms, including...
.
Background
Marshall Brain was born in Santa MonicaSanta Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
in Troy
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1983 with a bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
He was a member of the Alpha Chi Rho
Alpha Chi Rho
Alpha Chi Rho is a men's collegiate fraternity founded on June 4, 1895 at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut by the Reverend Paul Ziegler, his son Carl Ziegler, and Carl's friends William Rouse, Herbert T. Sherriff and William A.D. Eardeley. It is a charter member of the North-American...
fraternity
Fraternities and sororities
Fraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
. Brain earned a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
from North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
(NCSU).
Career
Before founding HowStuffWorks, Marshall taught in the computer science department at NCSU for six years. He has written computer programming manuals and has run a software training and consulting company.Marshall founded the website HowStuffWorks
HowStuffWorks
HowStuffWorks is a commercial edutainment website that was founded by Marshall Brain with the goal of giving its target audience an insight into the way in which many things work. The site uses various media in its effort to explain complex concepts, terminology and mechanisms, including...
.com in 1998 and ran the site until 2002, when he sold it to The Convex Group, an Atlanta-based investment company owned by former Web MD CEO Jeff Arnold, for around $1 million.. In 2007, Convex sold it to Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications, Inc. is an American global media and entertainment company. The company started as a single channel in 1985, The Discovery Channel. Today, DCI has global operations offering 28 network entertainment brands on more than 100 channels in more than 180 countries in 39...
for $250 million. Since 2008, a television documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
with the same name has aired on the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
.
Beliefs and interests
Brain maintains a website with, among others, essays on transhumanismTranshumanism
Transhumanism, often abbreviated as H+ or h+, is an international intellectual and cultural movement that affirms the possibility and desirability of fundamentally transforming the human condition by developing and making widely available technologies to eliminate aging and to greatly enhance human...
and robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s and an online science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel on that topic, Manna
Manna (novel)
Manna is a 2003 science fiction essay by Marshall Brain that explores several issues in modern information technology and user interfaces, including some around transhumanism. It is meant to be a thought-provoking read or conceptual prototype rather than an entertaining novel...
. Brain argues in his Robotic Nation series that automation will lead to structural unemployment
Relationship of automation to unemployment
The relationship of automation to unemployment is a multivariate one, and people's ideas about its nature in their time, as well as their predictions about the future, have varied widely...
, requiring a basic income guarantee or guaranteed minimum income
Guaranteed minimum income
Guaranteed minimum income is a system of social welfare provision that guarantees that all citizens or families have an income sufficient to live on, provided they meet certain conditions. Eligibility is typically determined by citizenship, a means test and either availability for the labour...
.
Marshall Brain is a naturalist
Naturalism (philosophy)
Naturalism commonly refers to the philosophical viewpoint that the natural universe and its natural laws and forces operate in the universe, and that nothing exists beyond the natural universe or, if it does, it does not affect the natural universe that we know...
. His websites Why Won't God Heal Amputees? and God is Imaginary reflect his views. He has created and posted some widely-viewed online videos on this subject, such as "10 questions that every intelligent Christian must answer". This is his most widely-viewed video on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
, having been viewed over 6 million times.
Personal life
He resides in CaryCary, North Carolina
Cary is a large town and suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina in Wake and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located almost entirely in Wake County, it is the second largest municipality in that county and the third largest municipality in The Triangle after Raleigh and Durham...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
with his wife Leigh and four children. He serves on the North Carolina advisory board of DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose.org is a United States based nonprofit organization that provides a way for people to donate directly to specific projects at public schools ....
.
Books by Marshall Brain
| Title | Publisher | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| Marshall Brain's MORE How STUFF Works | John Wiley & Sons | ISBN 0-7645-6711-X |
| What If? | John Wiley & Sons | ISBN 0-7645-6657-1 |
| Marshall Brain's How Stuff Works | John Wiley & Sons | ISBN 0-7645-6518-4 |
| How Much Does the Earth Weigh? | John Wiley & Sons | ISBN 0-7645-6519-2 |
| The Teenager's Guide to the Real World | BYG Publishing, Inc. | ISBN 0-9657430-3-9 |
| Win32 System Services | Prentice Hall | ISBN 0-13-022557-6 |
| Visual C++ 2 | Prentice Hall | ISBN 0-13-305145-5 |
| Using Windows NT | Prentice Hall | ISBN 0-13-091977-2 |
| Motif Programming: The Essentials... and More | Digital Press | ISBN 1-55558-089-0 |
Television appearances
- Factory Floor with Marshall Brain (2008) – Host
- Who Knew? With Marshall Brain (2008) – Host
- The Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
(2006) – Himself
External links
- Official website
- WebKEW blog by Marshall Brain
- HowStuffWorks
- "What if I Shot my TV?" - features a video of Marshall Brain
- Interview with Changesurfer Radio