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: The staying power of COBOL
Tech Time Warp: The staying power of COBOL
In this edition of Tech Time Warp, we see how technology moves quickly. Each new iPhone renders the previous generation obsolete, with the earliest models now firmly in the quaint antique category. That’s why it’s so remarkable that COBOL, a...
Tech Time Warp: A look back at the “Woodstock of the Web”
Tech Time Warp: A look back at the “Woodstock of the Web”
“The feeling of delicious possibility was immense.” This evocative line comes from the founding curator of the Computer History Museum, Marc Weber. It sums up what it must have been like to attend the first web conference 30 years ago...
Tech Time Warp: A nostalgic look at Mattel’s Computer Warriors
Tech Time Warp: A nostalgic look at Mattel’s Computer Warriors
Children of the 1980s are familiar with Transformers and can likely still sing “More than meets the eye…” but how many of us remember Mattel’s Computer Warriors? Produced only in 1989 and 1990, the Computer Warriors were in some ways...
Tech Time Warp: Voyager’s nearly 47 years of technology brilliance
Tech Time Warp: Voyager’s nearly 47 years of technology brilliance
In this edition of Tech Time Warp, we take a look at how, for almost 47 years, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has transmitted the amazing secrets of the universe back to Earth. Along with that, the news that engineers had...
Tech Time Warp: Not a stretch about IBM supercomputer
Tech Time Warp: Not a stretch about IBM supercomputer
It’s ironic that a computer deemed “not good enough” could have reigned as the world’s fastest computer for three years and made a lasting impact on the tech industry. But that’s the story we dive into in this edition of...
Tech Time Warp: The breakthrough against software piracy that wasn’t
Tech Time Warp: The breakthrough against software piracy that wasn’t
In this edition of Tech Time Warp we go back to April 14, 1995, when the Chinese government began widespread efforts to stop its government agencies from using pirated software. The move came after a Feb. 27, 1995, accord agreement...
Tech Time Warp: Don’t take Windows for granted
Tech Time Warp: Don’t take Windows for granted
When was the last time you thought about how easy Windows makes your life? Seriously, though: Now, the ease with which you move from application to application, use keyboard shortcuts, and even resolve crashes with CTRL+ALT+DEL just feels like functionality...
Tech Time Warp: The wicked ways of the Witty Worm
Tech Time Warp: The wicked ways of the Witty Worm
Although the goal of the Witty Worm wasn’t widespread damage—its entire target population was only 12,000 computers the world over—the malware made its presence known with a vengeance. Within 45 minutes of its first appearance at approximately 8:45 p.m. PST...
Tech Time Warp: Take a nostalgia trip with the World Video Game Hall of Fame
Tech Time Warp: Take a nostalgia trip with the World Video Game Hall of Fame
In this edition of Tech Time Warp, we look at how The Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York announced this year’s 12 finalists’ induction into the World Video Game Hall of Fame this month. The Strong’s World...
Tech Time Warp: Magistr “disembowels” computers
Tech Time Warp: Magistr “disembowels” computers
In early 2001, a nasty bug began making the rounds, hitting computer users hard with a particularly challenging payload as seen in this edition of Tech Time Warp. Magistr—sometimes called “Disemboweler” after the Swedish hacker group thought to be behind...
