Guest Paracelsus Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 (With apologies to The Moody Blues)Fifty years ago, the Cold War was just getting started...I had just been born...And the Rand Corporation gave us a small vision of what a typical home Computer might look like in 2004 (courtesy of Popular Science) Quote
epp_b Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 Yikes! :oFunny thing is...we're probably way off as to what we will acheive 50 years from now! Quote
ebrke Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 Oh lord--can't you just see yourself writing a fortran program to balance your checkbook? Quote
epp_b Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 What is that wheel on the front panel?Power switch? Quote
-ct- Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 we all know it's a fake, right?it's even been posted in this forum before (i think) Quote
Guest Paracelsus Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 it's even been posted in this forum before (i think)If it was...I missed it.I'm generally not one to re-post old news.As to whether or not it actually was in Popular Science?Who Cares? It's still awfully funny... and probably not far from the truth.Prognosticating is a dangerous business.I agree with epp_bAny predictions we may make about the world of 2054 will no doubt be just as laughable to our grandchildren. Quote
longgone Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 What is that wheel on the front panel?It is an AC variable modulation/de-modulation control device with an inner fine tune controling hand adjustable control wheel .... Quote
Ozidave Posted November 24, 2004 Posted November 24, 2004 What is that wheel on the front panel?They used it to scroll the building, You know.... drag up another room or two to save you the walk. Very innovative I thought? :hmm:And I thought everyone knew That! Quote
Ozidave Posted November 24, 2004 Posted November 24, 2004 (edited) Any Sub-Mariners around the place.... ??I could nearly swear that it looks like a helm and Sultzer control panel in an 'Old' submarine. (Guzunderboat). :DAnd the 2 wheels... Trim & Rudder ???? Could be imagination too! Or too many movies Edited November 24, 2004 by Ozidave Quote
Freddy Posted November 24, 2004 Posted November 24, 2004 I can hear the designers of that room now "Lets put in lots of switches and gauges to make it look alot more complicated than it really is. Hey, lets throw in a wheel while we're at it." The only real thing is the teletype machine.Funny, I remember using a teletype in college. We had two working spares when all the other terminals were in use. Quote
littlebone Posted November 24, 2004 Posted November 24, 2004 I can hear the designers of that room now "Lets put in lots of switches and gauges to make it look alot more complicated than it really is. Hey, lets throw in a wheel while we're at it." The only real thing is the teletype machine.Funny, I remember using a teletype in college. We had two working spares when all the other terminals were in use.Regarding appearances:A co-worker of mine had once had a job as a programmer with the State of California. This was several governors ahead of Ah-nold. He said that whenever a politician or other such muckity-muck would visit the data center the system would be scheduled to do a tape sort. This used those old fashioned two meter high tape drives with reel-to-reel tapes. Since the tapes held the work datasets they would be spinning like crazy and the operators would be hopping around to mount and unmount tapes. It made the data center look like a hub of activity, which was not its normal mode.I happened to be in a data center once with an old IBM Series One (it was new at the time). There was a string of about 14 LEDs on the front panel. The lights started out blank. Then one light 'moved' along the row to the left. Two lights moved back to the right. Three to the left, four to the right. Then five left, six right. Then blank again. Then one light on each end went towards the middle, two flowed out. Three in, four out, five in, six out, then all heck broke loose. The fourteen lights all blinked randomly for a few seconds. Then the lights went blank and a single light moved along the row to the left and the sequence repeated. It was quite hypnotizing. I was discussing this with the same co-worker cited above. He told me he asked the IBM SE about this whimsical display. He said that the lights were originally meant to display the current state of the CPU. But some officer at IBM had seen the random display and felt that it didn't look very professional. So someone had to write a program that would present the computer in a better 'light'.Oh, and I think that wheel is the mouse. Quote
Freddy Posted November 24, 2004 Posted November 24, 2004 Its an old but still used trick, esp on non-it managers.Taking a second look, the paper feed and output on the teletype doesn't look right either. Quote
Ed_P Posted November 24, 2004 Posted November 24, 2004 Dang it!! I told my wife not to send that picture of me out. Quote
Ozidave Posted November 24, 2004 Posted November 24, 2004 I've come to the conclusion that it is NOT a computer at all. It's the Dashboard and Steering Wheel for DRIVING your house down to the Super-Market or for going on holidays, or to work etc and taking your house with you, so you don't have to go home for lunch. Quote
Ozidave Posted November 24, 2004 Posted November 24, 2004 Dang it!! I told my wife not to send that picture of me out. Dang Ed,I didn't think you were 'old' enough to have your photo taken when colored pictures were only available in black & white. Quote
georgeg4 Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 QUOTE (b2cm @ Nov 24 2004, 06:38 AM) What is that wheel on the front panel?They used it to scroll the building, You know.... drag up another room or two to save you the walk.Very innovative I thought?And I thought everyone knew That! I knew that Quote
Guest Paracelsus Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 You Guys Put Me On The FLOOR(I think I may have cracked a rib) :'( Quote
littlebone Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 I've come to the conclusion that it is NOT a computer at all. It's the Dashboard and Steering Wheel for DRIVING your house down to the Super-Market or for going on holidays, or to work etc and taking your house with you, so you don't have to go home for lunch. :'(With all due respect, no one in the 1950's thought you would be DRIVING to the supermarket in the future. They all knew you would have your flying car.BTW. All you folks are scoffing, but there is still one month left in 2004. Someone may yet announce that this is their computer. After all, they will want to get it to the stores for the holiday buying rush. Quote
Ozidave Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 My First Laptop Ha! Ha! Ha!Looking at that George, The mechanics and the thought that went into making it; it would be a darn sight MORE efficient than the conglomerated mess in the other picture. :'( Quote
littlebone Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 Oh, darn. And this was so much fun. But:Hoax Quote
epp_b Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 Oh, darn. And this was so much fun. But:Hoax Oh, sure, ruin all our fun Quote
littlebone Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 Perhaps this will add the fun back:The original PhotoShop Contest from which the 'computer' picture was entered.That was the link at Snopes for the origin of the picture. Here is a sample from the contest: Quote
teacher Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 I mcan name that picture in one glance - Wizard of Oz!!!!!! Quote
littlebone Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 I mcan name that picture in one glance - Wizard of Oz!!!!!!Oops. It isn't a contest here. That was a contest entry. Note the 'computer' is a morphed version of the computer in the top post in this thread.I'll edit the original link title. Quote
Guest Paracelsus Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 "Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain!!!!" epp_b is correct, LittleBone :angry2:I've been chastised severely on several occasions for presenting Facts in the Water Cooler. NO Facts Allowed!!Ding!! Ding!! Ding!!! I could nearly swear that it looks like a helm and Sultzer control panel in an 'Old' submarine. (Guzunderboat).Folks...We have a WINNER!!! Quote
ross549 Posted November 25, 2004 Posted November 25, 2004 I've been chastised severely on several occasions for presenting Facts in the Water Cooler. NO Facts Allowed!! That's right...... and we have our one good eyeball watching you verrrrry closely....... Quote
georgeg4 Posted November 26, 2004 Posted November 26, 2004 Looking at that George, The mechanics and the thought that went into making it; it would be a darn sight MORE efficient than the conglomerated mess in the other picture. w00t-x100.gif happy71.gifat the risk of being kicked in the @#$% and thrown into the &^%$ pool i feel comp-elled to present you with a FACT the above laptop is still being used today and if you know how to use it can be just a little bit more accurate than most computers in use today OH NO HERE COMES ross549 Quote
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