Barry Ptolemy City on August 3, 2011. Ptolemy has been quoted as saying he assembled this panel to "start a grand discussion about the future." Barry Ptolemy Robert Barry Ptolemy (born 1969) is an American film director, producer and writer. Ptolemy directed "Transcendent Man" (2009) a documentary film about futurist and inventor Ray Kurzweil. Ptolemy was born in Los Angeles, California. His father introduced him to computers at an early age, giving him a lifelong interest in technology. At the age of 12, Ptolemy worked with Steven Spielberg on the set of "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982) as an animal wrangler. Inspired by
Ancient Egyptian units of measurement Ancient Egyptian units of measurement The ancient Egyptian units of measurement are those used by the dynasties of ancient Egypt prior to its incorporation in the Roman Empire and general adoption of Roman, Greek, and Byzantine units of measurement. The units of length seem to have originally been anthropic, based on various parts of the human body, although these were standardized using cubit rods, strands of rope, and official measures maintained at some temples. Following Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia and subsequent death, his bodyguard and successor Ptolemy assumed control in Egypt, partially reforming its measurements, introducing some new