Tech History Today – May 30, 2013

In 1966- NASA launched Surveyor 1. It achieved the first soft landing on the Moon by the United States. and demonstrated the technology necessary to achieve landing and operations on the lunar surface for the manned missions to follow.

In 1979 – IRM was founded in Japan with the purpose of selling electric applied game machines. Two years later they started a software division called Japan Capsule Computer. They eventually spun that division off as Capcom.

In 1987 – North American Philips Company introduced the compact disc video (CD-V), a 12 cm (4-3/4 inch) CD-sized implementation of storage for full motion video and CD-audio.

In 1996 – Intel planned to announce a video phone. Frank Gill, executive vice president of Intel’s Internet Communications Group, said he expected hundreds of thousands of video-phone ready computers would be sold that year. POssibly. But video phones didn’t take off then.

Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.

Tech News Today 763: We Need Somebody to Trust

Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Jason Howell

Tim Cook says things, Marissa Mayer plans things, Blekko searches things differently, and more.

Guest: Jim Louderback

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Running time:: 0:44:18

Tech History Today – May 29, 2013

In 1935 – Workers poured the last concrete at the iconic Hoover Dam hydroelectric site. Four months later after the concrete was well and truly set, President Franklin Roosevelt dedicated the dam.

In 1992 – John Sculley introduced the Apple Newton at CES. The first one unveiled on stage had dead batteries and didn’t work.

In 1999 – Space Shuttle Discovery completed the first docking with the International Space Station.

Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.

S&L Podcast – #130 – So many servers

Today we try to figure out what all those servers in Wool were doing and why Jo Walton is so awesome. Also how to pronounce numbers. It’s all in there folks.  Enjoy.  

WHAT ARE WE DRINKING?

Tom: Jumping Cow Amber Ale
Veronica: 2008 Malbec something or other.

QUICK BURNS

WINNERS: 2012 Nebula Awards (Plus: Ray Bradbury Award and Andre Norton Award)
WINNERS: 2012 Aurealis Awards
WINNERS: Analog’s AnLab Awards and Asimov’s Readers’ Awards
WINNERS: 2013 Spectrum Fantastic Art Award
2013 Hugo Voter Packet Now Available!
Penguin Bets Big That The 5th Wave Will Be the Next Hunger Games
Cover blurb for THE REPUBLIC OF THIEVES (possibly spoilery!)
Brandon Sanderson update on WORDS OF RADIANCE
Iain M. Banks explains he wasn’t writing science fiction for the money
Book Trailer: “Love Minus Eighty” by Will McIntosh

CALENDAR

Read down to June 11

TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES

Game of Thrones will end with season 7, according to producer

BOOK CHECK-IN

Wrap-Up of WOOL by Hugh Howey
What are the servers doing?
Slightly spoilery thoughts on gender in the book
Lukas (Full Spoilers)
Kick-Off Among Others by Jo Walton
Wiki Article on Among Others
Wiki article on Jo Walton

BARE YOUR SWORD

S&L Anthology Writers Community Blog

EMAIL

There is an article in the Charlotte paper today about Howey. It has some interesting info on self publishing authors… just thought I would share. 

Loved the book by the way… I just started on Shift. 

brad

ADDENDUMS

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For a free audiobook of your choice go to audiblepodcast.com/sword.

Direct podcast download link

Tech News Today 762: It’s a Profit Trap!

Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Jason Howell

Opera now based on Chrome engine, FoxConn wants to make software, Microsoft and Google team up, and more.

Guest: Jonathan Strickland

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Submit and vote on story coverage at technewstoday.reddit.com.

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Thanks to Cachefly for the bandwidth for this show.

Running time:: 0:49:41

Tech History Today – May 28, 2013

In 1936 – Alan Turing submitted his paper “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem“ for publication in which he postulated hypothetical Turing Machines would be capable of performing any conceivable mathematical computation if it were representable as an algorithm.

In 1959 – A committee of government, military and business computer experts met at the Pentagon and laid the foundations for the COBOL computer language.

In 1971 – The USSR launched Mars 3. It would arrive at Mars in December and its lander would become the first spacecraft to land successfully on Mars.

Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.

Tech History Today – May 27, 2013

In 1931 – Auguste Piccard and Charles Knipfer took man’s first trip into the stratosphere when they rode in a pressurised cabin attached to a balloon to an altitude of 51,800 feet.

In 1959 – After almost a decade, MIT shut down its Whirlwind computer. It ran 35 hours a week at 90 percent utility using an electrostatic tube memory.

In 1986 – Dragon Quest was released in Japan. It combines the the full-screen map of Ultima with the battle and statistics-oriented screens of Wizardry and paved the way for RPG games.

Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.

Tech History Today – May 26, 2013

In 1969 – Apollo 10 returned to Earth after a successful eight-day test of all the components needed for the manned moon landing.

In 1981 – Satya Pal Asija received the first U.S. patent for a computer software program. It was called Swift-answer. The patent took seven years to issue, and the validity of software patents has been debated ever since.

In 1995 – Bill Gates authored an internal memo entitled “The Internet Tidal Wave” calling the Internet the most important development since the IBM personal computer. Microsoft soon got to work on its own Web browser.

Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.

Tech History Today – May 25, 2013

In 1945 – Arthur C. Clarke began privately circulating copies of his paper “The Space-Station: Its Radio Applications” which suggested geostationary space stations could be used for worldwide television broadcasts.

In 1949 – Josef Carl Engressia, Jr. was born in Richmond, Virginia. He would later go by the name Joybubbles and develop a talent to whistle at 2600 Hz, allowing him to control phone switching equipment.

In 1961 – US President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech to Congress declaring the United States would go to the Moon.

In 1994 – CERN hosted the first international World Wide Web conference, which continued through May 27.

Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.

Tech News Today 761: We Need More Horses

Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Jason Howell

Google buying Waze? iOS 7 going stark? HTC going Senseless? All that and more.

Guests: Darren Kitchen and Len Peralta

Download or subscribe to this show at twit.tv/tnt.

Submit and vote on story coverage at technewstoday.reddit.com.

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Thanks to Cachefly for the bandwidth for this show.

Running time:: 0:47:39