I’m a bit of a tech junkie and joined the computer revolution with full time internet in 1995. I love gadgets and computers and have spent a great deal of money attempting to keep up with tech companies and their constant upgrades. I started out with Windows 2.01, and it was all downhill from there. Every time I thought I was up-to-date Microsoft would introduce a new operating system that wasn’t quite compatible with all of my expensive software products. It’s been a vicious cycle for more than 25 years. Thanks a lot Microsoft for giving me day-long headaches when dealing with your manuals and Customer Service experts. Every time an upgrade was announced I lost a little more respect for those companies who didn’t seem to give a good shit about their consumers. But as with every retail company the users are ignored, the money is collected, and the BS continues to this day. Let me be a little disrespectful to all of those billionaire nerds and their sucky attitudes. Let’s start at the beginning . . .
“I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” Thomas Watson, chairman of the board, IBM, 1943
“Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons.” Popular mechanics, 1949
“I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year.” An engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968
“There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” Ken Olson, founder of Digital Equipment Corporation, 1972
“640K ought to be enough computer memory for anybody”. Bill Gates, Microsoft founder, 1981
“$100 million is way too much to pay for Microsoft.” Unidentified IBM executive, 1982
And these are the people and companies that have been making billions of dollars at our expense. It just goes to show, you needn’t be too smart to befuddle the citizenry in this country or any other.
Anyone who’s read this blog over the years realizes how addicted to the Internet I am. I spend a great deal of my time roaming the Internet looking for odd facts on just about any subject. With that thought in mind, I thought I’d share some tidbits about the Internet that I happened upon recently. To me they’re interesting, but to you, maybe not so much. Needless to say I’m posting them anyway, so here’s goes.
High Tech
Russian Victor Yazykov, sailing alone in the South Atlantic, performed surgery on his own arm by following instructions from Dr. Daniel Carlin of Boston, relayed via e-mail from halfway across the world.
Cyberstalking: A man identified only as Roger was the prey in the world’s first live game of human hunting on the web. It took a week to find him in a Berlin library, counting books.
In 1999, a NASA expedition set up the first Internet link to the North Pole and made the very first North Pole to South Pole conversation ever.
When a computer glitch occurred in Sydney, Australia, hundreds of programmed soda pop machines began dialing ambulance and fire emergency lines.
A company in San Francisco, California, has developed Internet software that is scented with a plug-in device for Web surfers called Smell-O-Vision.
The Vatican has considered recognizing St. Isadora of Seville as the patron saint of the Internet. A clergyman during the sixth century, St. Isadora created a 20 volume encyclopedia, one of the earliest known databases.
A ferret named Misty was used by the US Space Command in Colorado to help rewire a new computerized command center.
In 1997, 67 million computer e-mail users in North America sent 2.7 billion messages. Can only imagine how many are being sent these days.
I’m sure you were thrilled reading all of those useless facts but as we all know the Internet is the gift that keeps on giving. Now let’s move on to telephones because many of you anti-technology folks who really hate the Internet love old style telephones.
Low Tech
A company in Japan developed false fingernails that glow when the wearer is talking on a cell phone.
Bob Prosser of Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, has a collection of 500,000 telephones, including an explosion proof military phone, a 14 karat gold Swedish phone, and a crank model used by the last Sultan of Turkey.
In Shoup, Idaho, there are no power lines, no televisions, and no stereos.
An answering machine in San Diego, California , created to take calls from Elvis Spotters has already received over 50,000 calls.
The Lazy E Ranch in Guthrie, Oklahoma, has telephones that are 6 1/2 feet above the ground, for use by cowboys on horseback.
The first telephone book was published in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1878, and contained only 50 names.
Albert Einstein never memorized his own telephone number.
The world’s smallest police station in Carabelle, Florida, is actually a phone booth.
I think that’s enough nonsense for today. More trivia to follow as it becomes available. Fortunately there’s an endless supply if you know where to look.
everyuselessthing.com 