Vintage Technology Collector

Celebrating the birthplace of the Internet in pictures

2011-12-14T18:01:00.000-08:00

Network World reports: "Nov. 21 marks the 42nd anniversary of the first permanent Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) link between UCLA's Interface Message Processor (IMP) and the IMP at the Stanford Research Institute. By Dec. 5, 1969, the original four-node ARPANET environment was set up. History notes this network as the world's first operational packet switching network and the core of what is today’s Internet. UCLA recently opened the Kleinrock Internet Heritage Site and Archive in honor of the ARPANET project’s overseer Professor Leonard Kleinrock, to preserve and celebrate the birthplace of the Internet. The first message between the nodes had been sent by Kleinrock on Oct. 29, 1969. " (See the slideshow)

Apple 1 Computer 1976 Original | eBay

2011-12-11T18:38:00.000-08:00

An original Apple 1 Computer from 1976 is now available on eBay for with a starting bid: US $175,000.00, the auction ends at Dec 20, 2011 11:23:22 PST. The description states: "Original Apple 1 Computer made and purchased in 1976. A keyboard that was used with it will be included. Also a copy of the owners manual signed by Woz. Special courier delivery and payment arrangements- contact by email through ebay. No shipping fee.Will provide additional photos upon request."

Top 5 Most Wanted Retro Tech

2011-11-02T19:28:00.001-07:00

Technology's come so far, but we still crave cool retro gadgets to remind us all of our childhoods! Tom runs down the Top 5 most wanted retro tech according to GDGT.

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates Together (Video)

2011-10-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

Part 1

In their rare joint appearance at All Things Digital 5, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates discuss their contributions to the technology industry, the qualities they most respect in one another. D/All Things Digital text.

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10

Part 11

APPLE-1 Clone Demo

2011-10-13T20:14:00.001-07:00

This is a rare treat to see an APPLE-1 (clone) in action. It gives you a greater appreciation for how good we have it now (at least from a computing standpoint).

The evolution of Apple products

2011-10-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

View the evolution of Apple products in photos from CBS News, from the Apple 1 to the iPhone 4.

Apple History: the Home Computer to the IPod, IPhone and IPad

2011-10-05T21:08:00.001-07:00

Steve Jobs died today and to his family and friends I offer my condolences. In honor of his achievements as the CEO of Apple, I have included a video that offers a brief overview of Apple's history and accomplishments. In my not so humble opinion, Steve Jobs was the most charismatic CEO of any company, and had the ability to influence people with the company's products.

Apple has never really been that innovative from a technology perspective. Although their user interfaces and product designs have always been considered the best, and their marketing campaigns were genius.

Under Steve Jobs they were able to create products that popularized technologies. For example there were several other MP3 players years before the iPod, there were also several other smartphones years before the iPhone.

Floppy music DUO - Imperial march

2011-09-29T19:25:00.000-07:00

This is pretty cool, its two 3.5 floppy drives playing Imperial march.

Also, if you like this video check out: Queen Bohemian Rhapsody Old School Computer Remix

Google Touts Web Advances to Mark Chrome Browser's Third Birthday

2011-09-19T21:55:00.000-07:00

eWeek.com reports: "Few would disagree Google is the premier Web services company, offering the world's most popular search engine, the world's leading video Website in YouTube, a successful Webmail product in Gmail, and even a fledgling social network in Google . Perhaps no effort cemented Google's presence as a Web giant than the Chrome Web browser, which the company launched Sept. 1, 2008. Just three years in, Chrome has 15.5 percent market share, according to Net Applications, and over 120 million users worldwide, according to Google's last count in May. The company's speedy V8 JavaScript parsing engine, paired with sandboxed tabs that limit crashes to one tab per failure and a user-friendly interface, have contributed to Chrome's rise. Google is also trying to move the needle forward for HTML5, the Web language standard that the search giant, Facebook and other native Web development companies are embracing to propel their applications forward." (Read the rest of the article)

The history of computer storage

2011-08-25T21:59:00.000-07:00

ExtremeTech reports: "Throughout the history of computers, one aspect has plagued and restricted its growth more than any other: permanent storage. From the very first computers that used punched cards and tape for input and storage to the refrigerator-sized hard drive (pictured right), the tale of non-volatile memory lays the foundations for today’s ubiquitously digital world. At the same time, however, computer storage is strangely disassociated from the breakneck advances in silicon transistor fabrication, and so it offers an interesting counterpoint to the Megahertz War, Moore’s Law, and today’s surge towards low-power system-on-chip computing." (read the rest of the article)

The IBM PC Era: Where It All Started

2011-08-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

eWEEK reports: "Aug. 12 marked the 30th anniversary of the introduction of IBM’s 5150 personal computer. Recently, IBM executive Mark Dean, one of the engineers of the original IBM PC, said the post-PC era is here, and that it's not the devices, but the social interaction they enable, which now is driving innovation." (Read the rest of the article)

How volunteers rebuilt World War II computers

2011-08-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

PC Pro reports: "A single photograph, scraps of circuit diagrams drawn from memory and a pile of disused components – it isn’t much to go on, but from such meagre beginnings, engineers rebuilt one of the precursors to the modern computer.

The Tunny decryption machine – on display at The Museum of National Computing at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire – was a feat of engineering both during World War II when it was created, and over the past five years when it was rebuilt. This is the story of how a team of volunteers turned scraps of information into a fully functioning replica of a machine that helped to win the war." (read the rest of the article)

eBay: Very Rare KENBAK-1 Computer For Sale, only $20K

2011-05-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

The Kenbak-1 is regarded by the Computer History Museum of America as the worlds first personal computer. Robert Nielsen owned one of these machines since 1971 and in this video he shows you the inside of it. A rate KENBAK-1 computer is for sale on eBay.com right now.

Xerox PARC, Apple, and the Creation of the Mouse

2011-05-24T20:49:00.000-07:00

The New Yorker reports: "ANNALS OF BUSINESS about Xerox PARC, Apple, and the creation of the personal computer. Describes a visit by Steve Jobs to Xerox PARC in 1979. Xerox PARC was the innovation arm of the Xerox Corporation. In 1970, Xerox had assembled the world’s greatest computer engineers and programmers, and for the next ten years they had an unparalleled run of innovation and invention. By 1979, Apple was already one of the hottest tech firms in the country. So Jobs proposed a deal: he would allow Xerox to buy a hundred thousand shares of his company for a million dollars—its highly anticipated I.P.O. was just a year away—if PARC would “open its kimono.”"

This is probably the best article on the subject I have seen.

Note: To read the full article requires a subscription.

Great Video Game Crash of '83

2011-04-25T19:46:00.001-07:00

Molly gives us some video game history, telling the tale of the Great Video Game Crash of '83.

eBay: Popular Electronics January 1975

2011-04-02T09:35:00.000-07:00

On eBay is a Popular Electronics Magazine from January 1975, which has a famous article about the Altair 8800 in it.

Here is an excerpt from Wikipedia (whole article): "A cover story on Popular Electronics could launch a new product or company. The most famous issue, January 1975, had the Altair 8800 computer on the cover and this ignited the home computer revolution. Paul Allen showed that issue to Bill Gates. They wrote a BASIC interpreter for the Altair computer and started Microsoft."

Upgrading through every version of windows (HQ)

2011-03-04T17:45:00.000-08:00

Watch a full upgrade of the OS from MS-DOS 5 to Windows 7.

eBay: RARE PIPPIN ATMARK APPLE BOXED GAMES CONSOLE - eBay (item 380315003166 end time Feb-17-11 20:40:50 PST)

2011-02-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

[ITEM DESCRIPTION]
TITLE :RARE PIPIN ATMARK BOXED GAMES CONSOLE
GENRE :GAMES SYSTEM
WHOLE STATE :USED

You don't see many of these on eBay. Its one of those failed product re-banded by Apple that no one talks about.

For more information, check out the following Wikipedia article.

The evolution of hard drives | Storage - InfoWorld

2011-01-19T19:23:00.000-08:00

The evolution of hard drives | Storage - InfoWorld: "The history of the hard drive, from monsters that required teams of technicians to operate to coin-sized flash drives"

Rymdreglage - 8-Bit Trip

2010-12-13T21:58:00.000-08:00

Intel Past and Present: 25 Facts You Might Not Know

2010-12-08T17:37:00.000-08:00

eWeek reports: "Intel remains synonymous in many peoples' minds with terms such as 'microprocessor' and 'innovation.' Its constant barrage of television ads, often capped with that distinctive 'dum-da-DUM' jingle, has made it one of the few technology companies that your average American can actually name. Over its several decades of existence, Intel has developed the computational architecture underlying everything from arcade games and industrial electronics to the PC sitting on your desk. Although many people know the terms 'Pentium' and 'Intel Inside,' they may not realize that the company's innovations extend beyond powering laptops and desktops. In recent years, Intel's researchers have focused on everything from the ultra-wired home and more efficient cloud computing to robot butlers. The tablet PC and mobile markets are also firmly in the company's sights, as it seeks to leverage recent trends in those areas. The following slides detail 25 things about Intel's history and current workings: from the historic to the totally obscure."

Visual tour: 25 years of Windows

2010-11-22T21:28:00.000-08:00

ComputerWorld Reports: "Twenty-five years ago, on Nov. 20, 1985, Microsoft introduced its first version of Windows to the world. Not many people outside the technical press or the tech industry took notice. Product launch events that cost hundreds of millions of dollars were still years away.

What's changed in Windows in the last 25 years? Plenty. In this image gallery, we take a look at the various faces of Windows over the past couple of decades and clue you in to what happened at every stage of the operating system's development."

Apple computer for sale: only $160K!

2010-11-12T17:58:00.000-08:00

CNN.com reports: "An auctioneer is selling its distant ancestor and one of the world's first personal computers -- the Apple-1 -- for an estimated $161,600 to $242,400.

In 1976, Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built the computer out of Jobs' family garage and sold it for $666.66.

The Apple-1 will be auctioned by Christie's in London, England, on November 23, with a simultaneous auction held online."

The Story of the Ribbon (aka the Death of Clippy

2010-10-31T09:34:00.000-07:00

MIX Videos: "Farewell, menus and toolbars! Come hear the behind-the-scenes story of how the 2007 Office Ribbon user interface was imagined, designed, and validated. See never-before-shown early prototypes, hear about mistakes we learned from during the design process, and find out the principles of user experience design we used each step of the way in creating the first totally new user interface for Office."

eBay - Atmark Pippin

2010-10-11T08:18:00.000-07:00

eBay Auction, selling "a used ATMARK APPLE PIPPIN [the Japanese version] with the box and with the following : 2 games = GUNDAM TACTICS FLEET 0079 and PEASE both games in cases w/ instructions. 1 PIPPIN CD-ROM = DISC 4 VOL. 1. All the cords and cables are included. The 33600 bps modem is included. 1 controller is included."

Final price: $200.25. More information on this device