computers
Processing Cycles
You may not have to imagine a world where air conditioning uses more energy than computing for much longer. Also: As the Commodore turns.
I really dislike computers sometimes
I’ve got to figure something out with the arrangement of my bedroom/office. Right now, I have two desks in the shape of an L in the corner. This corner is necessary because that’s where the outlets are. One of the desks holds my gaming PC, and the other desk holds my main Linux workstation along with my NAS and homelab machines. I’d rather have: (1) one desk for my gaming PC and Linux workstation, and (2) the other desk for my homelab equipment.
The Liaison
How firmware became the layer between our hardware and software experiences. It was only sorta like Halt and Catch Fire.
The Sneaky Standard
How Intel screwed over a standards body in the midst of giving computer users one of the most resilient technologies around.
Counterfeit Computing
Discussing the piratical efforts to rip people off by counterfeiting computer hardware. It’s been happening for more than 40 years.
Sorry State
SSD prices are insanely low right now—but manufacturers focused on bottom line have built computers designed to prevent consumers from leveraging this trend.
The Squeal of Data
The through line between the telegraph and the computer is more direct than you might realize. Its influence can be seen in common technologies, like the modem.
A Splash of Impatience
Discussing the legacy of splash screens, those annoying windows that appear when you’re trying to load up a giant program on your desktop machine.
Friction, Baby
In a world where technology is trying to make things increasingly easier, make things a little harder on yourself. You’ll get better results.
The Artist and the Amiga
Andy Warhol was enamored with the first computer he ever owned—and he didn’t seem all that worried about the risks of disruption.
CISC-y RISC-ness
An unusual type of processor from the early 2000s seemed to offer the best of all worlds—and may be the most inventive approach to the CPU ever developed.
Socket To Me
Why the processor socket, an important part of most desktop computers, lost its upgrade path as computers became smaller and more integrated.
Slot Wars
The battle to replace the standard expansion slot in the IBM PC reflected an effort by two sides of the PC world to gain control. Spoiler: The clone-makers won.
The Execution of All Things
A list of executable file formats that didn’t make it. That said, if you want to load up an Adobe AIR application, we can’t stop you.
Camper Van Mainframe
Why the first “portable” computers, produced before integrated circuits, would really stretch the term today. Some portables needed a truck to move.
Plot Point Does Not Compute
On laughably bad uses of computers in mainstream movies and shows, starting with the virus upload in Independence Day.
You Spin Me Right Round, Baby
Before hard drives became the main way for us to back up our stuff, they were a key evolution for the business world. They were also huge and costly.
Booting Up The Cash Register
Computers didn’t immediately lend themselves to retail, but ambitious early computer retailers sold ‘em anyway. Eventually, they got trampled.
The Scrolling Orb
The evolution of the trackball, which is more than an upside-down mouse. It's the Royal Canadian Navy’s greatest gift to modern-day computing. Really.
Bog-Standard Multimedia
Why the PC industry standardized on multimedia in the early ’90s, and why that standardization effort didn’t really last.
I’m Controlling Your Cursor
The evolution of remote desktop access, and why it’s a bad idea for water supplies to be managed through remote desktop access without decent security measures.
Hack Back to the Mac
Why the Hackintosh era, even if it looks like it might just dead-end thanks to Apple Silicon, was still a useful phenomenon for the Mac.
It’s All In The Cards
With PCMCIA (also known as PC Card), it was easy to upgrade our old laptops. But for years, the tech was relegated to a depressing bureaucratic fate.
Touch And Go
Pondering the disastrous fate of the HP TouchPad, an early tablet based on WebOS that’s best known for being the subject of a well-remembered fire sale.
The Internet Of Trash
We may have made a horrible mistake by unnecessarily making our consumer electronics devices smart—and removing generations of future use in the process.
My Modular Mind
What makes modular designs great for consumers often makes them troublesome for businesses, or why you can’t upgrade an iPhone these days.
Text By Procedure
A short history of procedurally generated text, which both humans and computers have had a hand in making throughout history.
All Penn, No Teller
Pondering the success that Penn Jillette, the loud half of Penn & Teller, found as a sometimes-rebellious big-name computer magazine columnist in the ’90s.
Innovation Versus Preservation
How we keep screwing over yesterday’s technology due to an intent focus on what we’re doing today. The problem of planned obsolescence is getting worse.
Simulated Fireworks
How computers have helped to reinvent fireworks displays through timing and elaborate simulation techniques. It’s kinda like a mix of old and new technology.
The Other Windows
Before Windows became a fact of life for most computer users, a scrappy upstart named GeoWorks tried taking Microsoft on. It failed, but it gave us AOL.
Not iPod, iPAQ
There was a time when the iPAQ was ubiquitous part of the handheld market. But before that, the forgotten Compaq-borne brand surfaced in many bizarre contexts.
Upgrade Arbitrage
The charm of buying old workstation hardware on the cheap to support your modern computing needs. If it doesn’t work for them, it might just work for you.
Old Computers, New Inspiration
Some of the best highlights from the 2019 edition of VCF East, the long-running retro computing event that puts vintage machines in a modern context.
A Kernel Of Failure
How IBM bet big on the microkernel being the next big thing in operating systems back in the ’90s—and spent billions with little to show for it.
Sent From My $10 Mac
Pondering the lessons on user experience to be gained from using a 14-year-old Mac Mini as a daily driver. Can it be done, honestly?
The Platform Microsoft Forgot
The MSX computer standard was big in both Japan and Brazil. But despite a sizable cult, it may be the most obscure part of Microsoft’s history. Here’s why.
Silicon Persistence
Decades after Silicon Graphics' heyday, its supercomputers have found themselves a new home with a small community full of enthusiasts—some just teenagers.
Command Line
Nearly 40 years ago, DOS reshaped computing on the IBM PC. These days, nostalgia for that era—and a dose of fresh creativity—is keeping its legacy alive.
The Toy That Talked Back
Four decades ago, the Speak & Spell came about, and the result was Texas Instruments’ greatest gadget and a pop-culture icon.
With ARM Wide Open
The story of ARM Holdings, one of our most important tech companies, is full of sheer luck, happy accidents, and a faded British computing icon.
Make Some Noise
Sound cards like the Creative Sound Blaster were the missing element that computers needed to take on multimedia. Then, they faded from view. Here's why.
The Oracle That Spoke Too Soon
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison sold the tech world on the Network Computer, a machine designed to kill the PC’s dominance. The problem? It was 15 years too early.
How's Your Soldering Technique?
The story of solder, the unsung hero of the digital revolution that benefits from a low melting point. It’s what keeps the circuits attached to the silicon.
Dots Vs. Pixels
Two tales of resolution, only one of which involves screens. Do you know your dots per inch from your pixels per inch? Let's break down the difference.
Flash Forward
CompactFlash, the first dedicated flash memory card format in wide use, was a turning point for computing—as well as a format with surprising resilience.
An Early Touchpoint
How the graphics tablet, most notably produced by Japanese firm Wacom, helped shape our multitouch-friendly world—even if that shaping took a little while.
When Tech Hit Retail
Point-of-sale systems dramatically modernized supply chains and allowed consumers to go cashless, but they were not without their learning curves.
86’ed
Intel's processor business was massive, but a lengthy legal battle with a former business partner exposed a major flaw in its CPU designs—a trademark flaw.