Full Width [alt+shift+f] Shortcuts [alt+shift+k]
Sign Up [alt+shift+s] Log In [alt+shift+l]

computers are bad

Sort By

Recent [alt+2]
avalanche technology One of the downsides of having written here for six years now is that my messy, ever-growing text...
4 weeks ago
0

avalanche technology

from computers are bad [alt+shift+b] in technology

4 weeks ago
One of the downsides of having written here for six years now is that my messy, ever-growing text file of topics for future articles contains a bunch of ideas that have been there for about six years. Part of the problem is that I just have to scroll so far up to even see them...
telephones caught in between During the heyday of AT&T, it was often said that the telephone system was the largest machine ever...
2nd Aug 2026
1

telephones caught in between

from computers are bad [alt+shift+b] in technology

2nd Aug 2026
During the heyday of AT&T, it was often said that the telephone system was the largest machine ever built. The "hello machine" certainly was vast, but whether or not you consider it to be a single machine raises challenging questions of definition. The Internet, I think we can...
megawatts by microwave In 1914 the Department of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation, investigated the...
4th Jul 2026
1

megawatts by microwave

from computers are bad [alt+shift+b] in technology

4th Jul 2026
In 1914 the Department of the Interior, through the Bureau of Reclamation, investigated the possibilities of developing the Columbia River. Thousands of arid but potentially fertile acres needed only water to become the Imperial Valley of the Northwest. Locked in the mountain...
from hookswitch to grave Through decades of consolidation, reorganization, and divestiture, AT&T left a famously complicated...
14th Jun 2026
1

from hookswitch to grave

from computers are bad [alt+shift+b] in technology

14th Jun 2026
Through decades of consolidation, reorganization, and divestiture, AT&T left a famously complicated corporate history. One of the greatest enterprises in American history, arguably the greatest enterprise, AT&T has often rivaled the federal government in the size of its budget...
extremely low frequencies The submarine is a surprisingly ancient technology—at least in its early, primitive forms. The idea...
9th May 2026
1

extremely low frequencies

from computers are bad [alt+shift+b] in technology

9th May 2026
The submarine is a surprisingly ancient technology—at least in its early, primitive forms. The idea is quite simple, that a well-enough-sealed boat ought to be able to submerge and resurface. It's the practicalities that make the whole thing difficult. It is generally considered...
IrDA Light: it's the radiation we can see. The communications potential of light is obvious, and indeed,...
11th Apr 2026
1

IrDA

from computers are bad [alt+shift+b] in technology

11th Apr 2026
Light: it's the radiation we can see. The communications potential of light is obvious, and indeed, many of the earliest forms of long-distance communication relied on it: signal fires, semaphore, heliographs. You could say that we still make extensive use of light for...
LotusNotes I tend to focus on the origin of the computer within the military. Particularly in the early days of...
14th Mar 2026
1

LotusNotes

from computers are bad [alt+shift+b] in technology

14th Mar 2026
I tend to focus on the origin of the computer within the military. Particularly in the early days of digital computing, the military was a key customer, and fundamental concepts of modern computing arose in universities and laboratories serving military contracts. Of course, the...
forecourt networking The way I see it, few parts of American life are as quintessentially American as buying gas. We love...
8th Feb 2026
1

forecourt networking

from computers are bad [alt+shift+b] in technology

8th Feb 2026
The way I see it, few parts of American life are as quintessentially American as buying gas. We love our cars, we love our oil, and an industry about as old as automobiles themselves has developed a highly consistent, fully automated, and fairly user friendly system for filling...
air traffic control: the IBM 9020 Previously on Computers Are Bad, we discussed the early history of air traffic control in the United...
17th Jan 2026
1

air traffic control: the IBM 9020

from computers are bad [alt+shift+b] in technology

17th Jan 2026
Previously on Computers Are Bad, we discussed the early history of air traffic control in the United States. The technical demands of air traffic control are well known in computer history circles because of the prominence of SAGE, but what's less well known is that SAGE itself...
speed reading (the meaning of language) One of the difficult things about describing a grift, or at least what became a grift, is judging...
8th Dec 2025
1

speed reading (the meaning of language)

from computers are bad [alt+shift+b] in technology

8th Dec 2025
One of the difficult things about describing a grift, or at least what became a grift, is judging the sincerity with which the whole thing started. Scams often crystallize around a kernel of truth: genuinely good intentions that start rolling down the hill to profitability and...
📚 BoredReading

You seem to be enjoying this.

Join free to unlock everything.

Create free account

Already have an account? Sign in