Posts tagged History
IT Quote of the Week – Thomas J. Watson
0International Business Machines (IBM) was one of the first information technology companies in the world and definitely the first one to become a Fortune 100 company. Its founder, Thomas J. Watson, therefore is a worthy addition to our IT Thought of the Day Quote of the Week Series. He was a famously brilliant technologist, speaker, salesman, and visionary.
I like Information Age quotations. I find some of them very inspirational and like to carry a new one around about every week. I thought that i could share mine with you from time to time.
Here is my quote of the day:
“All the problems of the world could be settled easily if men were only willing to think. The trouble is that men very often resort to all sorts of devices in order not to think, because thinking is such hard work.”
– Thomas J. Watson
You can learn more about our quote source at Wikipedia.
So how do you think that this relates to Information Technology? How do you think that it could be important to Information Technology Professionals?
Do you like quotations? Do you collect them, too? What did you think of when you read this one? Do you agree or disagree with it? Please comment below.
That is my Information Technology Thought of the Day (ITTOD) for May 25, 2010 by Scott Coughlin.
Image credit: Time Magazine
Quote Source: Brainy Quote
Silly and Historic Computer Business Videos
0I like Saturdays. My editorial decision to feature a humorous blog item every week fits well with this. In the past, I have featured jokes, comics, cartoons, and news. Sometimes I include comics, stories, games, and photos. By far, though, the most popular humor posts are the videos.
For a chuckle, I have picked this video to share with you. It is called Computer History/Humor with John Cleese and it is very very funny. It is by 1Cheryl and it is a reminder of a computer age now long gone. Once upon a time, there was a war among various manufacturers to produce IBM PC Clones and increase sales through differentiation. Compaq Computing was one company that came out with a line of “portable” computers that got the funny nickname of “luggables” because they were about 45 pounds and bigger than a suitcase. Their first model was not so successful, so they needed something extra to try to sell the next generation. They decided to hire the famous Monty Python actor, John Cleese, to do a series of humorous commercials to sell the product. As far as I know, it was the first time that humor was employed to sell “serious business IT stuff”. Enjoy.
Funny right? Now watch it again and notice the details about the machine and how the hardware itself is not even discussed. In addition to the first time that humor gets used for this, I think that it might be the first time that a computer system is sold by branding rather than performance. Think about today’s computer ads… notice the trend that is still alive today. Are computers commodity items or does the company behind them really matter today?
What did you think of the video? Does it apply to your organization? Do you remember these running on live TV? What other old computer commercials are worth featuring? I hope that you laughed.
Do you know of any other funny IT themed videos or video sites? If so, please do share with us all.
That is my Information Technology Thought of the Day (ITTOD) for February 27, 2010.
media credits: 1Cheryl
Information Technology History Lesson: The Computer Keyboard
0I firmly believe that Information Technology Professionals should have a strong grasp of the history of their industry. I think that, unlike most professions, too little has been invested in maintaining that record of events. Today, I would like to pause to remember the most critical component of today’s effective Information Age: The Computer Keyboard!
As a primer, I highly recommend the Wikipedia site on this topic. It has wonderful photos, timelines, and descriptions of the incremental stages.
In computing, a keyboard is an input device, partially modeled after the typewriter keyboard, which uses an arrangement of buttons or keys, to act as mechanical levers or electronic switches. A keyboard typically has characters engraved or printed on the keys and each press of a key typically corresponds to a single written symbol. However, to produce some symbols requires pressing and holding several keys simultaneously or in sequence. While most keyboard keys produce letters, numbers or signs (characters), other keys or simultaneous key presses can produce actions or computer commands.
The most amazing factors influence the evolution of this key input device. Who cannot laugh at the story behind the creation of the first keyboard in 1873. I love the part about how the QWERTY Keyboard was actually laid out to SLOW typing speed. Everyone roots for the DVORAK Layout that continues to try to steal mindshare even today. The associated origins of touch typing are fun to read as well. If you are mechanically inclined the migration of various different key sensing technologies into and out of computer keyboards is also fascinating. Nearly every single electronic relay device has been resident in a computer keyboard at one point or another.
Other fantastic resources for this topic are:
- assortment.com: History of the Keyboard
- ideafinder.com: The QWERTY Keyboard
- life123.com:History of the Keyboard
Another fun thread to follow through the keyboard’s tale is the origin of each one of the special keys on the keyboard. Do you know where the ALT, CNTRL, APPLE, FUNCTION, WINDOWS, and SCROLL LOCK keys came from?
What is the future of keyboards? Will they go virtual? Will they be flexible? Will they be laser based? Wireless? If you even think of the past 20 years, you can see the high slope of progress on this critical computer peripheral. They have evolved a lot more than you might have realized.
We all live by typing today. Even though we mouse, can use voice, and have mutli-touch pads, the keyboard remains the number one input method for most people. Many people believe that keyboarding skills are actually the top skill that young people should learn in school today. The next time that you sit at your computer, take a second to appreciate the wonderful keyboard that you have and take the time to learn its history. Let’s all pause to thank its creator, Christopher Sholes.
That is my Information Technology Thought of the Day (ITTOD) for October 29, 2009 by Scott Coughlin.
Image Credit: freedigitalphotos.net