Here’s what the internet looked like in 1995, according to an episode of the PBS show Computer Chronicles. You don’t even have to watch the whole thing if you don’t want. It’s worth it to see the still-active host, Stewart Cheifet, talk about logging on to “your favorite newsgroups” while sitting in a coffee shop with a giant desktop computer in front of him. At least he knew what he was talking about, unlike Bryant Gumbel. (ht Mental Floss)
The computer above would be a hard sell to anyone … except the Amish. (photo by Adam Davidson/NPR; ht @pbump)
Apple to manufacture Mac line in the US
NBC News: In an interview with Brian Williams airing tonight on “Rock Center,” Apple CEO Tim Cook says one of the existing Mac lines will be manufactured exclusively in the US next year.Cook says he believes it’s important to bring more jobs to the US. “We’ve been working for years on doing more and more in the US,” he says.
Photo credit: NBC News
There have been rumblings that the new iMac was being manufactured in the U.S., but now we have confirmation that at least something is U.S.-produced.
“1234” unsurprisingly leads the pack, followed closely by “1111”. Check the top 20 and make sure you’re not using any of them. And then yell at your bank for making you remember all sorts of random passwords but still using a 4-digit PIN.
We know one person who isn’t happy about this revelation.
Steve was a genius and a visionary, and I’ve never viewed that my role was to replace him. Steve was an original. I’ve never really felt the weight of trying to be Steve. It’s not my goal in life. I am who I am. I am focused on that. On being a great CEO of Apple.Apple CEO Tim Cook • During an interview at the D10 conference on Tuesday night, speaking about his legacy compared to that of Steve Jobs. Cook revealed during the when talking to Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg that, in 1998, after five minutes of talking with Apple, he decided he really wanted to work there — after initially rebuffing them for weeks. While Cook gave a few hints about products — most notably the rumored Apple TV — the really interesting stuff was what he had to say about being an exec. You can read the full recap over here.
The last surviving member of the team responsible for LEO, the first business computer, has passed away. Utilizing a knowledge of circuitry and electronics that he acquired while maintaining homing torpedoes, Kaye worked with colleagues Dr John Pinkerton, Ernest Lenaerts and David Caminer to adapt the existing EDSAC computer for use with a variety of business applications. The LEO — short for Lyons Electronic Office — was born, and Kaye remained a staple of the computer development community until 1970. From 1970, until his retirement in 2004, Ernest ran the family props hire business founded by his father. (Photo via BBC) source
Tramiel, a holocaust survivor and founder of Commodore, died on Sunday. Born Idek Tramielski in his native Poland, Tramiel emigrated to the U.S. after being liberated from a Nazi concentration camp at the age of 16. After learning how to repair typewriters and calculators during his time in the U.S. Army, Jack founded Commodore planning to manufacture the devices. However, he found himself a pioneer in the world of personal computing after the release of the Commodore VIC-20 and, later, the iconic, fast-selling Commodore 64. Tramiel also owned Atari during the late ’80s and ’90s, an era which saw the release of the Atari ST computer, the Lynx and the Jaguar. He is survived by his three sons (Gary, Sam, and Leonard), and his wife Helen. (photos via Vonguard, VideoAl, Michael Tomczyk)
If you haven’t already seen this Evolution of Storage infographic, take a look. It’s beautiful and fun, and it has me thinking about the way we live.
The graphic falls apart on the right side, as the graphs stop following the key, but the infographic is pretty fascinating nonetheless.
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WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrives at the Supreme Court in London February 1, 2012.
Assange was detained in Britain in December 2010 on a European arrest warrant issued by a Swedish prosecutor after two female former WikiLeaks volunteers accused him of sexual assault. [REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth]
Read more: Julian Assange appeals extradition to UK’s top court
In case you’d like to follow along at home, ABC (Australia) has live video from the event.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lypxwcgr781qmaoalo1_500.jpg)
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange arrives at the Supreme Court in London February 1, 2012.
Assange was detained in Britain in December 2010 on a European arrest warrant issued by a Swedish prosecutor after two female former WikiLeaks volunteers accused him of sexual assault. [REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth]
Read more: Julian Assange appeals extradition to UK’s top court
In case you’d like to follow along at home, ABC (Australia) has live video from the event.
They’re going the way of the vacuum tube, typewriter, vinyl records, CRT and incandescent light bulbs.Mark Dean, IBM’s Middle East and Africa CTO • Talking about PCs. This is the one of the guys who originally designed the IBM PC, which has set the basic template for most desktop computers for roughly 30 years now. He goes on to say that he didn’t ever think that he’d witness its decline. “It’s becoming clear that innovation flourishes best not on devices but in the social spaces between them, where people and ideas meet and interact,” he said. And it’s true — think about all of the different devices we use today. The PC did start it all, but this article highlights why it’s evident that the PC is on its way out. source (via • follow)
Intel has plans to release a computer to compete with the Macbook Air and the iPad. The new computer — called an Ultrabook — would be extremely thin and have tablet-like features. It’d also be less than $1,000. The Ultrabook is a lot like the Macbook Air, so it’ll be interesting to see how well it can compete. It’s interesting to note that Intel hasn’t been so lucky with things like this in the past, though. A few years ago they tried something similar called an Ultra-Low Voltage notebook and it failed to catch on. But if Mac can do it, why can’t they? source
We have transitioned from jobs that primarily involved doing physical activity on our feet to ones where most of us make our living while sitting.Pennington Biomedical Research Center researcher Timothy Church • Describing why we use far fewer calories at work now than we did 30 years ago. To put it simply, we sit around a lot, a fact which anyone could tell you by the mere fact that they too sit around at their computers all day. Could someone create … like a Wii version of Excel or something like that? So we might have to exercise while adding things to a spreadsheet or blogging or cutting out a photo in Photoshop? Or could you turn our computers into treadmills that only power on while we’re running on them? Seems like all this technology at our disposable makes us lazy and fat or something. source (via • follow)
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