Tech Time Warp: Harvest computer decodes secrets for the NSA
On February 27, 1976, a ground-breaking supercomputer was quietly decommissioned at the National Security Agency, with its story only to be told years later, once declassified. The one-of-a-kind Harvest computer—a special model of the IBM 7030, or Stretch—was specifically built...
Tech Time Warp: Technology and the right to privacy
One of the great ironies of modern life: Technology has made life easier, but it’s also made life more complex. It’s great that location data has made the road atlas obsolete, but how much privacy can you reasonably expect when...
Pioneers in Tech: The first African American PhD in Computer Science
The contributions of the Black community to technology history are only just beginning to be recognized, with “hidden figures” such as NASA’s Katherine Johnson finally receiving the accolades they deserve. Another tech pioneer that should be a household name is...
Five Super Bowl commercials from tech companies we can’t forget
When it comes to the Super Bowl, not everyone’s a football fan, but we can all agree the commercials are at least half the fun — and the tech industry has contributed some of the most memorable big game ads...
Tech Time Warp: Remembering the magic of GeoCities
Like so many relics of the internet, GeoCities is now a common punch line, as the pre-MySpace home of sparkly GIFs and questionable web design. But if you can shuck your too-cool-for-school UX eye, it’s no stretch to appreciate GeoCities...
Tech Time Warp: SQL Slammer reveals a harsh truth
Network admins the world over had a bad weekend in late January 2003. That’s when the SQL Slammer took the world by storm and, in the process, reminded everyone of a harsh truth: A security patch does no good if...
Tech Time Warp: Wikipedia launches as a side project to Nupedia
Still not a solid entry in a bibliography, Wikipedia is a highly useful place to find answers to your pressing questions—and it’s definitely a mainstay of contemporary life. The website at the top of your search results was launched January...
Pioneers in Tech: The ENIAC Six
On Feb. 14, 1946, John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert unveiled one of the U.S. Army’s best-kept secrets of World War II: the ENIAC. The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer was built behind closed doors in a restricted area at...
Tech Time Warp: The brothers behind the “Brain” PC virus
Over the years, the motives for malware creation have ranged from simple curiosity to monetary gain. In the case of the Alvi brothers from Pakistan, it was revenge, dished up on a floppy disk.
Tech Time Warp: Father Christmas worm visits NASA
Even hackers get into the holiday spirit. The Santy worm brought unwelcome gifts in December 2004, and the CHRISTMA EXEC brought a charming ASCII tree to screens in 1987. On December 22, 1988, the Father Christmas worm traveled to NASA...