Tech Time Warp: Patent issued for Williams Tube, an early form of RAM
After World War II, British electrical engineer Frederic Williams found himself on the hunt for his next project. During the war, he had developed radar technology that could identify friendly aircraft, using “Friend or Foe,” or IFF, radar. So, what...
Tech Time Warp: The modern-day Robin Hoods of the Chaos Computer Club
The Chaos Computer Club, Europe’s self-described “largest association of hackers,” has always taken an unorthodox approach to saving the world. Founded in 1981 by activist Wau Holland, the club — also known as the CCC — boasts 5,500 members and works to...
Tech Time Warp: The Birth of Pong and the Video Game Industry
The patrons of Andy Capp’s Tavern in Sunnyvale, California, didn’t know they were witnessing history during the night of Nov. 29, 1972. On that evening Al Alcorn installed the game Pong at the bar, jumpstarting the video game industry.
Tech Time Warp: Bill Gates and the Lakeside Programmers Group
Never underestimate the PTA’s power to change the world. If you need proof, look no further than Bill Gates. The Microsoft co-founder, billionaire philanthropist, and 1973 Lakeside Prep School alum got his start in technology when the Lakeside Mothers Club...
Tech Time Warp: If you give a mouse a patent
On Nov. 17, 1970, U.S. Patent 3541541A was issued to Douglas Engelbart, a Stanford University researcher. The patent was for the “X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System,” which — if you’re either skilled in tech speak or a computer...
Tech Time Warp: Fred Cohen’s work leads to the term “virus”
It’s usually difficult to pinpoint the origins of a physical virus, but when it comes to the term “computer virus,” we can trace that back to the graduate school work of computer scientist, Fred Cohen. On Nov. 10, 1983, he...
Tech Time Warp: The first electronic message between two computers
An estimated 281 billion emails are sent each day worldwide — and lo and behold, they all got their start with the letters “LO.” On Oct. 29, 1969 — just three months after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon —...
Tech Time Warp: National Cybersecurity Awareness Month marks 15 years of service
Fifteen years ago, in recognition of the massive “stranger danger” present online, the National Cyber Security Alliance (NSCA) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) observed the first National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Tech Time Warp: The curious cases of early hackers
These days, cybersecurity is such a pervasive concern that it’s easy to forget law enforcement and the courts once had no idea what to do with hackers. Some of the earliest cases of hacking and computer fraud predate the federal...
Tech Time Warp: Big-time data breaches and the cybersecurity sins that led to them
Cybersecurity often seems like a moving target. The bad guys have a seemingly endless supply of spammy servers, plus all the time and budget in the world, whereas those charged with protecting companies from cybercrime face normal business constraints in...