Results for: tech time warp
Tech Time Warp: The colorful history of the iMac
In April, Apple launched preorders for a new collection of new iMacs, available in seven bright colors with accessories to match. It’s a homage to the first iMac, which Steve Jobs introduced to the world May 6, 1998. The iMac...
Tech Time Warp: The “Model K” lays groundwork for digital computing
If you need inspiration for using your free time wisely, look no further than Bell Labs computer pioneer George Stibitz. One weekend during fall 1937, Stibitz (who was born April 30, 1904) sat at his kitchen table and used a...
Tech Time Warp: Introducing the Concept of a macro virus
As computer users learned from the Melissa virus, malware often arrives as a wolf in sheep’s clothing: a commonplace file such as a Word doc or Excel spreadsheet. But Melissa—the scourge of spring 1999—was not the first such “macro virus”...
Tech Time Warp: Tech begins moving toward accessibility
Accessibility is a top priority of developers today, and with good reason. As Tim Berners-Lee, W3C director and inventor of the World Wide Web, has said: “The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of...
Tech Time Warp: Remembering Microsoft’s Z80 SoftCard
Microsoft’s recent success with the Surface doesn’t change the fact the tech giant is primarily known for software. After all, Windows and Microsoft Office are ubiquitous in corporate life. But don’t let these juggernauts erase memories of the Z80 SoftCard,...
Tech Time Warp: Melissa virus opens eyes to risks of cybercrime
In 1999, the internet seemed like a more innocent place. Few of us were aware of the risks associated with logging on. But then the Melissa virus came along and opened our eyes. Reportedly named after a Florida stripper, the...
Tech Time Warp: John Vincent Atanasoff named inventor of the digital computer
The story of the Atanaoff-Berry Computer, or the ABC, has plenty of interesting twists—not the least of which is a March 19, 1972, court ruling pronouncing co-inventor John Vincent Atanasoff the rightful inventor of the electronic digital computer. Previously that...
Tech Time Warp: Torpig malware collects stolen financial data
Once upon a time, you could avoid malware by staying away from “seedy” websites. But the Torpig botnet—aka Sinowal, aka Mebroot—proved that even reputable business websites could be compromised and refer traffic to malicious download sites. First spotted in late...
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...
