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: 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.)
Tech Time Warp: Mockapetris invents the domain name system
Tech Time Warp: Mockapetris invents the domain name system
It’s easy to tell your friends that your favorite blog is SmarterMSP.com. It would be harder to suggest that they visit 104.196.23.244. You can thank Paul Mockapetris for the ease with which you can recommend websites. In January 1985, Mockapetris...
Tech Time Warp: Patent issued for Williams Tube, an early form of RAM
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
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
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
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: Fred Cohen’s work leads to the term “virus”
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
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: The curious cases of early hackers
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: Spotlight on the FBI Cyber Division
Tech Time Warp: Spotlight on the FBI Cyber Division
These days, a sexy, offbeat hacker is a movie trope — a recent example Rihanna’s portrayal of “Nine Ball” in the glamorous Ocean’s Eight. Armed with laptops in chunky cases, these hackers use a few keystrokes to hack into government...
