1947: Computer pioneers establish the Association for Computing Machinery at a meeting in New York City. It will develop into the world’s largest organization of computer professionals.
Interest in the infant field was growing in 1947. Building on advances in World War II computer cryptography and other fields, engineers and inventors were seeking each other out [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Computers and IT’
Sept. 15, 1947: Association for Computing Machinery Gets Whirring
September 15th, 2009 |
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Sept. 11, 1998: Starr Report Showcases Net’s Speed
September 11th, 2009 |
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1998: Sept. 11 is a black day in American history, on at least two counts … this is the other one. Exactly three years before the attacks in New York and Washington, Congress releases the contents of the infamous Starr report on the internet, which leads to the impeachment of a U.S. president.
It’s a [...]
Aug. 13, 2004: ‘Podfather’ Adam Curry Launches Daily Source Code
August 13th, 2009 |
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2004: Podcasting is born.
Podcast (noun): a series of audio (or video) programs delivered through a static URL containing an RSS feed that automatically updates a list of programs on the listener’s computer so that people may download new programs using a desktop application. Programs can be delivered to the listener automatically or when they choose [...]
Aug. 6, 1997: Apple Rescued — by Microsoft
August 6th, 2009 |
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1997: Microsoft rescues one-time and future nemesis Apple with a $150 million investment that breathes new life into a struggling Silicon Alley icon.
In a remarkable feat of negotiating legerdemain, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs got needed cash — in return for non-voting shares — and an assurance that Microsoft would support Office for the Mac for [...]
July 22, 1962: Mariner 1 Done In by a Typo
July 22nd, 2009 |
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1962: When The New York Times copy desk lets a typo slip through, it’s embarrassing but no one gets hurt. When NASA programmers screw up, the consequences are a tad more dramatic, not to mention expensive. In this case, a “missing hyphen” in code forces mission control to abort the launch of the unmanned Mariner [...]
July 7, 1752: Jacquard’s Loom Will Weave a Durable Web
July 7th, 2009 |
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1752: Joseph Marie Jacquard is born in Lyon, France. The weaver and inventor would create the first programmable power loom, revolutionize the weaving industry and lay the foundation for modern data computation.
Jacquard came from a family of silk weavers and went through a bankruptcy and the French Revolution before starting work on an [...]
June 24, 1993: Concert Goes Live on NetJune 24, 2000: President Goes Live on Net
June 24th, 2009 |
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June 24: It’s the anniversary of two internet milestones: The geek band Severe Tire Damage performs the first live net concert on this date in 1993, and exactly seven years later Bill Clinton delivers the president’s weekend “radio address” by web for the first time.
1993: The internet was moving from military to mainstream, and [...]