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: 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...
Tech Time Warp: Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center Connects to NSFNET
Tech Time Warp: Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center Connects to NSFNET
If you’re schooled in tech history, you’ve heard of ARPANET, the U.S. Department of Defense precursor to the Internet. But ARPANET wasn’t the only network to pave the way for the Information Superhighway. Also worthy of mention is NSFNET —a project...
Tech Time Warp: Maxis, Creator of SimCity, Goes Public
Tech Time Warp: Maxis, Creator of SimCity, Goes Public
Once they’ve taken care of their basic needs, your Sims should get busy celebrating June 1. After all, on that date in 1995, software company Maxis—the gaming company founded by Will Wright and Jeff Braun—went public. Wright developed the idea...
Tech Time Warp: Highlights from Bill Gates’ 1995 Internet Memo
Tech Time Warp: Highlights from Bill Gates’ 1995 Internet Memo
For a guy quoted in 1993 as saying “The Internet? We’re not interested in it,” Bill Gates certainly had a major change of heart by May 26, 1995, when he sent a memo titled “The Internet Tidal Wave” to his...
Tech Time Warp: Network General — Maker of The Sniffer — Founded
Tech Time Warp: Network General — Maker of The Sniffer — Founded
Time for a pop quiz. Was “The Sniffer”: A. The title of a 1959 B-movie B. A piece of barware C. A revolutionary diagnostic tool for Local Area Networks If you guessed C, then you are either a network administrator or...
Tech Time Warp: The First Ethical Hacker
Tech Time Warp: The First Ethical Hacker
These days, the concept of an ethical hacker is so commonplace the profession has its own Certified Ethical Hacker designation, bestowed and governed by the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants. The ethical hackers of the world put their genius to...
Tech Time Warp: Spam email celebrates its 40th birthday
Tech Time Warp: Spam email celebrates its 40th birthday
As you work long hours to ensure your company complies with GDPR by May 25, it’s worth noting that proper use—or misuse—of data has been an issue for at least 40 years. Just ask Gary Thuerk, the self-described “father of...
Tech Time Warp: The Sasser worm teaches a lesson
Tech Time Warp: The Sasser worm teaches a lesson
In early May 2004, computer users worldwide learned a hard lesson: Don’t procrastinate when it comes to installing a security patch. Users at the Taiwanese post office, the train station in Sydney, and some of Wall Street’s biggest banks found...
Tech Time Warp: John McCarthy introduces LISP
Tech Time Warp: John McCarthy introduces LISP
Ask Alexa who coined the term “artificial intelligence,” and she’ll tell you John McCarthy. As a computer pioneer, John McCarthy provided the world with much more than a name for AI. He also developed the LISP programming language, one of...
