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: RSA doesn’t stand for really secure authentication (but it should)
Tech Time Warp: RSA doesn’t stand for really secure authentication (but it should)
The encryption algorithm frequently used to make online shopping sprees secure celebrates two anniversaries this week — the issuing of its patent (Sept. 20, 1983) and the expiration of said patent 17 years later.
Tech Time Warp: The history of WYSIWYG
Tech Time Warp: The history of WYSIWYG
This week marks the 70th birthday of Charles Simonyi, the Hungarian-born software executive behind Microsoft Office and Excel. Born on September 10, 1948, Simonyi is also responsible for an innovation the modern computer user might take for granted: WYSIWYG word...
Tech Time Warp: ‘Here You Have’ Virus Spams the World
Tech Time Warp: ‘Here You Have’ Virus Spams the World
The ‘Here You Have’ virus—which kept IT departments busy in early September 2010—has all the makings of a good Jack Ryan outing. Major corporate and government disruption? Check. (Entities from Disney to NASA were affected.) A hacker claiming credit on...
Tech Time Warp: Miss Manners Tackles Computer Etiquette
Tech Time Warp: Miss Manners Tackles Computer Etiquette
You know that writing in all caps equates to shouting online, and that emoticons in professional emails are a no-no, but did you know that Miss Manners has been doling out computer etiquette for almost 40 years? On Aug. 26,...
Tech Time Warp: Meet AROK the Robot
Tech Time Warp: Meet AROK the Robot
Remember Rosie the Robot, George Jetson’s trusty maid? Well, Rosie had nothing on AROK, the robotic assistant created by Chicagoan Ben Skora in the late 1970s. Weighing in at 275 pounds and standing 6 feet, 8 inches, tall, AROK (that’s...
Tech Time Warp: Microsoft Issues Alert on Blaster Worm
Tech Time Warp: Microsoft Issues Alert on Blaster Worm
Fifteen years ago, Microsoft had a big problem on its hands. Machines running Windows 2003/XP/2000/NT were being infected by a nasty worm known as Blaster. On Aug. 11, 2003, Microsoft issued an alert warning of Blaster, which exploited a vulnerability...
Tech Time Warp: Happy 50th Birthday, Intel!
Tech Time Warp: Happy 50th Birthday, Intel!
Your Intel insides are officially middle-aged. On July 18, 1968, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore, formerly employees of Fairchild Semiconductor, officially founded microprocessor giant Intel in Santa Clara, California. Differing from other tech fairy tales, Intel didn’t get its start...
Tech Time Warp: A Look Back at Antennagate
Tech Time Warp: A Look Back at Antennagate
In general, Apple products work so well—and the company has such a devoted customer base—that it’s easy to forget that even Apple has had its missteps. It’s been eight years since Antennagate, when the launch of the revolutionary iPhone 4...
Tech Time Warp: First UPC Scanned in Troy, Ohio
Tech Time Warp: First UPC Scanned in Troy, Ohio
The UPC is so ubiquitous for today’s shopper that it’s jarring to shop at one of the few retail establishments not using it (looking at you, Hobby Lobby). But it was just 44 years ago that the Uniform Product Code...
Tech Time Warp: DESCHALL Project Cracks 56-Bit Encryption
Tech Time Warp: DESCHALL Project Cracks 56-Bit Encryption
On June 17, 1997, a group of friends proved that it didn’t take too much effort—or computer power—to bring down 56-bit symmetric encryption, then the U.S. Department of Commerce’s standard for security. Since 1976, the government and financial institutions had...
