Computer History Museum offers $1,000 travel grants for researchers. Their archives are incredibly extensive and they're great to researchers (ask me how I know!) Info here: https://computerhistory.org/access-and-research/research-travel-grants
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B Zotto 💪🤪🤳🏼
@bzotto@sfba.social
mastodon 4.7.3Forensicphile
63 Followers
120 Following
28 Posts
Joined November 12, 2022
wrote:
type foundry:
fixing and restoring:
RE: https://mastodon.social/@isonno/116880480427959486
I really appreciated this useful side-by-side book review of my Sphere book along with Pogue's on Apple. Thank you for writing it!
In honor of Apple's 50th, here's my favorite early coverage of the company, from the Palo Alto Times. 21-year-old Jobs on computers: "It's like a car. People don't use them just to go places. They're used for other reasons, like to impress other people."
New post, a behind-the-scenes from finishing my Sphere book: getting one final photo that required an unusual Southwest Technical product and logistics gymnastics. And graphical chess! https://sphere.computer/news/2026-06-24-a-checkmate-on-the-teevee.html
Perfect vibes
My new book about Sphere, the forgotten 1970s computing pioneer is published and available! Curious? Grab a copy here: https://gocomputernow.com
Releasing my remaining Sphere logo mugs for sale. They're excellent mugs, I basically spent a stupid amount of time and money on trying to answer the question of "if this 1970s computer company had a promotional mug, what could it have been like?"
Two variants: bright cream ink and some earlier samples with a metallic silver (the latter ink is fragile but beautiful.. like the Sphere). While supplies last at https://shop.gocomputernow.com
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Handwritten in 6800 assembly, for better and worse. This is possible at all only because Sphere video was memory-mapped even at that early date. (Is this the earliest platform a flappy bird clone is current running on?)
@Luke@typo.social OK, if you're sure. That looks like a mishandling in the mail-- I have only had one issue in mailing dozens of them in that packaging but don't like the idea of someone being stuck with a damaged one. LMK if you change your mind, and either way-- enjoy!
Final book jacket design for my upcoming history of Sphere computers. Looks fab. The book can as of now still be pre-ordered via the Kickstarter campaign's "late pledges." https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bzotto/go-computer-now-the-story-of-sphere
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@_the_cloud@mastodon.social No idea! Agree. Don't think I've heard that elsewhere but I'm not really a Jobs expert...
@msherr@fediscience.org And even if it is, it seems like a crummy kind of gift ("I'm bringing some gold, what did you get him? ... Oh, some gum-resin from the Commiphora tree. Inappropriate, bro.")
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@spacehobo@teh.entar.net @larsbrinkhoff@mastodon.sdf.org @mwichary@mastodon.online I’m still a little intrigued as to why it would have felt necessary at the time to have a unique symbol for origin (/address?) in a program. At least that solo bracket symbol seems to have had more regular use in the programs.
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My high score on the emulator is 26. Please let me know when you have bested me.
Most people call it EGA and VGA but real Californians say “the” EGA and the VGA
@mwichary@mastodon.online oh wow I am looking forward to whatever you share from your visit. Love that era/type of tech and I know they do good work there (like actually repairing irreplaceable CRT tubes, incl re-evacuating them )
@mwichary@mastodon.online FYI I haven't been here yet, but I've had it bookmarked for next time I'm in Ohio: https://www.earlytelevision.org/museum.html
@larsbrinkhoff@mastodon.sdf.org @mwichary@mastodon.online Lars since you know LINC well can you tell me the meaning of the shifted key character (and font character) that looks like this? Couldn’t quite suss it out from doc scans.
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@pixelambacht @SophieWietlisbach Brutalist!! Have never thought about it that way. The historical quirk is that it very definitely *looks* like a terminal of that era, but yet it is very definitely a self-contained computer!
@Luke@typo.social What a picture! You're a far better photographer than I. And I'm glad you like it! But.... this doesn't look good to me. Am I seeing that right? If it's cracked I'll send you a replacement
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@mwichary@mastodon.online This was probably a digital cassette. The form factor (compact cassette) was the same, but unlike the home computers with the audio signals and consumer grade tape decks, more serious systems stored data not as audio but more similar to how a floppy disk saved data. More expensive/complex mechanism and sometimes different tape media too. That stuff was super reliable and good but too $$ for home computers.
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@mwichary@mastodon.online This guy has been trying to find a way to ask her out for three months
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@mwichary@mastodon.online Yeah! The distinction often seems elided when you read about this. But basically, the first uses of compact cassettes for data storage were for minicomputers where it didn't make sense to buy the massive reel to reel systems that mainframes used. It was a mini version of that. Allow me to send you some brief historic material I snapshotted at CHM archives. Will email.
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