Thirty-eight years ago today, Atari announced something called a video game. It was called Pong. In addition to providing the basis for the multi-billion dollar computer game industry of today, Pong was also responsible for the disappearance of millions of quarters back in the day.
I’m not blogging about Pong today. Instead, I’m blogging about the site that told me how today was Pong’s 38th birthday: This Day In Computer History.
Actually, the This Day In Computer History site is part of the computerhistory.org web site, run by the Computer History Museum of Mountain View, California.
It’s a great web site, making you really wonder how that thing you’re looking at right now came into being. I mean, given the state of computer science in the 1960s and 1970s, it’s a wonder we’re able to do anything we do today.
One of my favorite places on the site is the computer timeline. I mean, I must be getting ancient, because I recognize most of the systems. I worked on several of them, and owned a handful. Should I be embarrassed or proud?
I could open my own computer museum, I suppose. I don’t have all my old hardware. Back in the old days, when I would get a new PC every two years (and it made sense to, given how quickly the technology advanced), I would donate my old PCs to local charities. I no longer do that, but instead hold onto significant computers related to my books and for historical reasons.
A few years back, I posted this picture of my computer boneyard, which is out in the garage. That’s where I store my older systems and some honest antiques.
My computer boneyard.
A lot of the computers in the boneyard are old portable systems I bought for taking pictures in my Laptops For Dummies book. It was cheaper to buy the old systems on eBay and take my own pictures than it was to license the pictures.
Then again, my boneyard isn’t as nice as the computer museum, nor is the collection truly significant in a historical way. Then again, if a volcano blows and my boneyard is buried for 2,000 years under feet of ash, it might end up being significant. That would be cool, but I’m not planning on it.
All those lovely big monitors, I remember having to upgrade to a flat screen when I got a new PC desk because my old chunky box monitor was bending the table part on the top! Also today I had to use a mouse without a scroll wheel my word that is so hard trying to navigate any web page without one. It’s little things like that, that you take for granted like a scroll wheel that makes life easier.
Comment by chiefnoobie — November 29, 2010 @ 8:57 am
I wonder if the Apple touchpad will eventually take off as PC input device?
Comment by admin — November 30, 2010 @ 7:51 pm
Honestly, if it came out with a feature like that I may consider buying one. As of now though, the iPad costs too much and does too little for me to even be a little bit interested.
Comment by gamerguy473 — December 1, 2010 @ 2:40 pm
The iPad is a yuppie toy, not a geek toy.
Comment by admin — December 1, 2010 @ 2:42 pm