Collaborate Disseminate
While you might think the military doesn’t have a sense of humor with names. Take the AN/MSQ-19 “automated tactical operations central” for example. (Video, embedded below.) But then, when you …read more Continue reading Retrotechtacular: Military Graphics in the 1960s
Anyone who has ever made a living writing code has probably had some version of the following drilled into their head: “Always write your code so the next person can …read more Continue reading Retrotechtacular: Critical Code Reading, 70s Style
If nothing else good came out of 2020, we can say that we at least have “Instrument of the People” — some 1967-era footage of Gibson Guitars’ “craftory”, which was …read more Continue reading Retrotechtacular: Gibson Factory Tour, 1967-Style
If you only watch the first 60 seconds of 1967’s “At Home, 2001,” you’ll be forgiven for thinking that the film is riddled with missed predictions. And to be sure, …read more Continue reading Retrotechtacular: A 1960s Look at the 21st Century Home
The recent Supercon 6 badge, if you haven’t seen it, was an old-fashioned type computer with a blinky light front panel. It was reminiscent of an Altair 8800, a PDP-11, …read more Continue reading Retrotechtacular: Programming by Card
The Weather Channel has decided to pull the plug on its automated weather display, a favorite experience for weather geeks everywhere. However, it wasn’t the original weather nerd TV station. …read more Continue reading Retrotechtacular: The Original Weather Channel
Do you know the name [George Devol]? Probably not. In 1961 he received a patent for “Programmed Article Transfer.” We’d call his invention the first robot arm, and its name …read more Continue reading Retrotechtacular: The Original Robot Arm
It is a shame that there are fewer and fewer “nerd stores” around. Fry’s is gone. Radio Shack is gone. But the best ones were always the places that had …read more Continue reading Retrotechtacular: Oh Boy! We’re Radio Engineers!
Before it was transformed into an ephemeral stream of ones and zeroes, music used to have a physical form of some kind. From wax cylinders to vinyl discs to tapes …read more Continue reading Retrotechtacular: 1990s CD Mastering Fit for a King
Before it was transformed into an ephemeral stream of ones and zeroes, music used to have a physical form of some kind. From wax cylinders to vinyl discs to tapes …read more Continue reading Retrotechtacular: 1990s CD Mastering Fit for a King