Tech Time Warp: First computer storage warrant issued
Nowadays, everyone knows the first things sought with a search warrant will be laptops and smartphones. The digital trails we all leave are revealing whether one is involved in something illegal or simply has a potentially embarrassing health condition. But...
Tech Time Warp: Mocmex sneaks in via digital photo frame
“Beware of Greeks bearing gifts” is the old saying associated with the story of the Trojan horse—the same story that gives Trojan viruses their name. In 2008, however, a more appropriate saying would have been “Beware of relatives bearing digital...
Pioneers in Tech: Roy L. Clay, the black godfather of Silicon Valley
The technology chapter of any Black history textbook would have to start with the life story of this week’s “Pioneers in Tech”, Roy L. Clay. After, he has more than earned the moniker the “Black Godfather of Silicon Valley.”
Tech Time Warp: The first published reference to “vaporware”
We all know people who are long on ideas and short on execution. In the software world, one might say these people create “vaporware.” Let’s get into this week’s Tech Time Warp. This term was first used in a Feb....
Tech Time Warp: Blackworm Offers Rare Chance to Analyze Spread of a Virus
In late January 2006, stopping the worm known as Blackworm (aka Nyxem, MyWife, Blackmal and, interestingly, Kama Sutra) was at the top of most network administrators’ to-do lists.
Tech Time Warp: Apple introduces the Lisa, its first personal computer
“Do you know, I put together that entire project—including the presentation slides—just this morning?” One might think the man at the start of this 1984 Apple demo video is starting to “mansplain” something to his female colleague. But then he...
Pioneers in Tech: Guido van Rossum, creator of the Python Programming Language
Happy early birthday to this month’s ‘Pioneers in Tech’ spotlight, Guido van Rossum, born Jan. 31, 1956, in the Netherlands, and creator of the Python programming language. Until 2018, he was known as Python’s “Benevolent Dictator for Life (BDFL),” a...
Tech Time Warp: You’ve seen the world’s most famous photograph
If you don’t know the story of this week’s Tech Time Warp, this will be one of the coolest bits of trivia you’ll learn all year. Remember the out-of-the-box Windows XP wallpaper? The grassy green hills and the brilliant blue...
Tech Time Warp: Ringing in the new year and waiting for Y2K chaos
Do you remember holding your breath on New Year’s Eve 1999, wondering if technological balls would start to drop after the ball dropped in Times Square? After governments and corporations spent an estimated $300 billion to $600 billion worldwide to...
Tech Time Warp: The first text message sent 30 years ago carried a timeless sentiment
Most of us send dozens of meaningless texts every day: ETAs, LOLs, emojis and snarky screenshots. With unlimited data plans, it’s easy to be fast and loose with SMS messaging. But the first text message—sent just over 30 years ago,...
