Tech Time Warp: Was Java too much of a good thing?
This edition of Tech Time Warp takes us back to 1995—the public debut of Java, the legendary “Write Once, Run Anywhere” programming language—and a textbook example of the security perils of ubiquitous technology. The birth of Java On May 23,...
Tech Time Warp: Ransomware continues to make computer users WannaCry
This month’s Canvas ransomware attack—in addition to making finals week more stressful for thousands of college students and their professors—was a stark reminder about the continued threat of ransomware. Consider it a bit of a Tech Time Warp. It’s enough...
Pioneers in Tech: Why you should know Ida Rhodes
The Jewish calendar has been closely tied to mathematics for centuries—but it wasn’t until 1977 that Hebrew dates could be calculated by a computer program. The breakthrough was the work of retired human “computer” Ida Rhodes, born Hadassah Itzkowitz in...
Tech Time Warp: First prosecution under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
Does the punishment fit the crime? Let’s dive into this week’s Tech Time Warp to find out. Insiders from the nascent cybersecurity industry debated this question after the May 4, 1990, sentencing of Robert Tappan Morris, the first individual prosecuted...
Tech Time Warp: Apple II Forever launches a tech mainstay—the Apple Event
The simply named “Apple Events” are a cultural touchpoint, instantly recognizable to even Android users. These product launches have taken on an identity of their own, a legacy worth revisiting in this Tech Time Warp. They even catapulted the black...
Tech Time Warp: Chernobyl, the first malware known to damage computer hardware
This installment of Tech Time Warp looks back as the fast‑approaching 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident—along with a new report on damage to the defunct facility’s outer protective structure—calls to mind an anniversary in malware history. The fast-approaching...
Pioneers in Tech: Frances “Poppy” Northcutt, the first woman in Mission Control
All eyes have been on Artemis 2 this week and its many firsts. These include the first woman to fly to the moon (Christina Koch) and the first female launch director of a crewed launch (Charlie Blackwell-Thompson). That’s why this...
Tech Time Warp: The Conficker case study
Conficker was a nasty piece of malware that first emerged on the scene in November 2008. By April 1, 2009, many security experts and computer users were bracing themselves for the worst: a predicted “menacing” new phase as machines infected...
Tech Time Warp: A salute to the floppy disk, the foundation of “sneakernet”
The denizens of Gen Z and Gen Alpha may have never used floppy disks, and they may have never given much thought to what the “Save” icon represents. And, like the giant cell phones of the 1990s, the floppy disk...
Tech Time Warp: FBI releases its first warning about a computer virus
Twenty-six years ago, on March 28, 1999, the FBI took a historic step: Its National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) issued its first warning about a computer virus. The NIPC had “received reports of significant network degradation and email outages,” and...
