Tech Time Warp is a weekly feature that looks back at interesting moments and milestones in tech history.
Tag: Tech Time Warp
Tech Time Warp: A Cold War-era April Fools’ joke
Tech Time Warp: A Cold War-era April Fools’ joke
Google’s April Fools’ Day hoaxes have become an annual tradition, but long before Larry and Sergey met at Stanford, another Internet pioneer was having some fun online. On April 1, 1984, a message appeared on Usenet, an early online network...
Tech Time Warp: Pentium processor makes its debut
Tech Time Warp: Pentium processor makes its debut
Pentium. Even a quarter-century after the processor first made its debut, the brand name still carries connotations of speed and innovation. Intel’s famous product processor line was introduced March 22, 1993, and despite some notable issues, Pentium was above all...
Tech Time Warp: This worm might have been “Witty,” but it certainly wasn’t charming
Tech Time Warp: This worm might have been “Witty,” but it certainly wasn’t charming
Some viruses are merely pesky; others are downright nasty. The Witty Worm, which made its debut at approximately 8:45 p.m. PST March 19, 2004, falls into the latter category. Within a swift 45 minutes, the Witty Worm had corrupted the...
Tech Time Warp: AOHell was a long way from “You’ve got mail”
Tech Time Warp: AOHell was a long way from “You’ve got mail”
The speed of fiber Internet makes it easy to view the days of America Online with rose-colored glasses. Recalling the dulcet tones of the “You’ve got mail,” one tends to overlook the nefarious activities that occurred on AOL. It turns...
Tech Time Warp: The story of Herman Hollerith, inventor of the punch card
Tech Time Warp: The story of Herman Hollerith, inventor of the punch card
A 5-inch floppy is a quaint relic today, but even it had a predecessor: the punch card. Invented by Herman Hollerith in 1887 to solve the problem of tabulating census data, punch cards were the standard for business accounting well...
Tech Time Warp: Windows Refund Day, 20 years later
Tech Time Warp: Windows Refund Day, 20 years later
It is a universally acknowledged truth that Linux users are not Microsoft fans. At no time was this more apparent than on Feb. 15, 1999, when approximately 100 Linux users stormed Microsoft’s Silicon Valley offices in Foster City, California to...
Tech Time Warp: The one with Anna Kournikova
Tech Time Warp: The one with Anna Kournikova
Think before you click. It’s a mantra that could have stopped so many email viruses in their tracks. After all, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is — and that was the case with the Anna...
Tech Time Warp: Augmented Reality’s journey to the Super Bowl
Tech Time Warp: Augmented Reality’s journey to the Super Bowl
CBS has announced that Super Bowl LIII between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams will feature unprecedented use of augmented reality. Four cameras — including the popular Skycam — offer live augmented reality graphics will be used...
Tech Time Warp: Microsoft takes down the Waladec botnet
Tech Time Warp: Microsoft takes down the Waladec botnet
Waladec would be just another botnet that churned out spam if it weren’t for Microsoft’s groundbreaking approach to stop it. The botnet — which first began noticeably proliferating in January 2009 — was sending 1.5 billion spam messages daily. Microsoft’s...
Tech Time Warp: Happy birthday, Blackberry!
Tech Time Warp: Happy birthday, Blackberry!
On Jan. 19, the Blackberry turns 20. Not quite old enough to drink, but still relegated to the history books. (Although a spot at the Smithsonian isn’t too shabby.)
