Results for: tech time warp
Tech Time Warp: The unifying nature of Unix time
As this Tech Time Warp is being written, the current Unix epoch time is 1770344462. That means one billion, seven hundred seventy million, three hundred forty-four thousand, four hundred sixty-two seconds have passed since midnight GMT Jan. 1, 1970 (not...
Tech Time Warp: Twenty-five years of Wikipedia rabbit holes
This may surprise you: Wikipedia turned 25 this January. (Be honest—how many Wikipedia rabbit holes have you gone done in the past quarter-century?) From “Hello, World!” to 7 million articles Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales made the first edit (“Hello, World!”)...
Tech Time Warp: Remembering the Brain virus, 40 years later
Revenge is a dish best served … via floppy disk? Forty years ago, two Pakistani brothers proved the floppy disk was a highly effective response to wrongdoing. Reports of the first PC virus, “Brain,” began circulating in January 1986. The...
Tech Time Warp: Happy 40th birthday to the National Center for Supercomputing Applications
Middle age looks good on this week’s Tech Time Warp, the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois. The National Science Foundation opened NCSA on Jan. 15, 1986, in response to an unsolicited proposal from eight Illinois...
Tech Time Warp: HP introduces the first scientific handheld calculator
In a world where smartphones are ubiquitous, it’s worth marveling that only 54 years ago, market research indicated there would be little interest in a pocket-sized scientific calculator. However, in a stroke of bad luck for the slide rule, HP...
Tech Time Warp: Wishing the world a “Merry Christmas” via text for 33 years
This week’s Tech Time Warp goes back thirty-three years ago when a 22-year-old software engineer in the UK started what is now a modern holiday tradition: sending Christmas greetings via text. Neil Papworth sent the first SMS text message to...
Tech Time Warp: The transistor quietly slips on to the scene
Today it’s widely accepted one of the greatest — if not the greatest — inventions of the modern world is the transistor, and it’s well known that the defining demonstration of the transition took place Dec. 23, 1947. But this...
Tech Time Warp: The Cray X-MP/48 brings style and substance to supercomputers
This week’s Tech Time Warp takes a closer look at “the world’s most expensive loveseat.” It’s quite the moniker for a pioneering supercomputer, but when you look at the legacy of electrical engineer Seymour Cray, it’s apt. The Cray X-MP/48, which started...
Tech Time Warp: Celebrating 30 years of Pixar magic
For many families, going to the movies is as much of a Thanksgiving tradition as parades and pumpkin pie. This week’s Tech Time Warp goes back to Thanksgiving weekend 30 years ago—Pixar’s big break. Toy Story was released in theaters...
Tech Time Warp: A bite-sized story from Apple history — how the Macintosh got its name
The 1984 introduction of the Macintosh computer featured the iconic and still-relevant Super Bowl commercial directed by Ridley Scott. More than 40 years later, this advertising masterpiece holds up, as does the brand it launched. Let’s dive into this week’s...
