Nothing fake about machines, the users... maybe

Early computing

A primitive processor run home computer and a three hundred baud modem were all that was needed to communicate over the internet in the beginning of what became social media. Ascii graphics, not fancy colored video were the pictures of the day. This was all line by line stuff using software which wasn’t always forgiving. In the 90’s and before, it was just nerd stuff for the few interested in computer technology, something that has become every day life for most of our needs.

I exchanged email with a family who lived on the Iditarod trail, an annual long distance sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome Alaska. Another person of interest was a Russian engineering student, and a biology teacher from Turkey. As graphics improved we exchanged pictures. My vision expanded to places I could never have traveled to. It was spectacular. While working as a computer tech for IBM I spoke to people from all over the world. I asked the address of one client who needed help with his printer, it was 1600 Pennsylvania Ave Washington, DC.. The other end of the spectrum of help extended to the mom who put children’s software on her work computer. Demanding graphics from these programs ate up memory and hard drive space and often crashed the life line to the job.

In the beginning professional people who where dependent on laptops knew very little about the machines they used to earn a living. Since then software has become friendlier and the hardware more complex but easier to manage, with cell phones being even easier and almost as versatile.

Now comes the age of competition for technology hardware and the dollars that come from their sales. Countries use the term national security when speaking about a topic that was just a hobby for most just 30 years ago. Industry has always led the way and are the early starters in digital communications that began in the early 1940’s.

Follow this link for a Timeline of Computer History