[GreenKeys] [External] Re: Was: TWX/TELEX now: Analog Computers

[Paul Wills (CKT&T)]

Interesting.  I was thinking pre Star-Trek but that's still impressive.  
I wonder if the Tri-Corder could be considered a PC.  (Even with the 
tiny CRT.)

Does anyone recall seeing any printers on the Enterprise?

PDW

On 4/16/2021 9:50 AM, Paul Birkel wrote:
> Q: Did anyone ever imagine a future where everyone would have their own computer.
>
> A: Yes, Alan Kay.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynabook  (1968)
>
> Contemporaneous to Star Trek (1965–1969).
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:greenkeys-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Paul Wills (CKT&T)
> Sent: Friday, April 16, 2021 9:07 AM
> To: greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] [External] Re: Was: TWX/TELEX now: Analog Computers
>
> Very interesting discussion.  I still use all three of the items listed
> below.  In fact I am probably one of a very few people who completed a
> VoIP call from a >110 year old rotary dial phone.  Your acquaintance is
> so right.  I can't imagine *not* knowing how to use a rotary dial.
>
> The other thing about Star Trek that I always found interesting is how
> they predicted future technology from a past point of view.  For
> example, the video monitors in the original series always had the deep
> cabinet to enclose the CRT. Who could have imagined flat screens (or
> even touch screens) back then.
>
> It's always fun to watch old movies and TV shows and see what the past's
> impression of "the future" was. Usually, the real technological
> innovations weren't even dreamed about.  Did anyone ever imagine a
> future where everyone would have their own computer.
>
> PDW
>
> On 4/15/2021 11:42 PM, Jones, Douglas W wrote:
>> From: steve bennett via GreenKeys [greenkeys at mailman.qth.net] -- Thursday, April 15, 2021 8:09 PM
>>
>>> Analog computers boggle the mind.
>>> ... I think digital computers and software engineering has made us all dumber.
>> I have an acquaintance on the faculty here at the U of Iowa who teaches in the school of Religion.  One of the courses she teaches is on technology, and one of the important points of that course is that technology is not purely additive.  One of the ways she demonstrates this is to confront her students with things like:
>> -- a rotary dial telephone, with instructions to call her on her cellphone.
>> -- a mechanical typewriter and a piece of paper, with instructions to write her a one paragraph letter.
>> -- an 8-inch floppy disk and a CPM computer.
>>
>> Many students are baffled by the art of dialing a rotary dial phone on a landline.  Not only the sublime art of dialing, but little details like having to dial one before the area code.
>>
>> The manual typewriter is even more subtle.  Many students are amazed that the keyboard looks so familiar.  You mean the QWERTY keyboard predates the computer?  But where's the carriage return key?  What's that big chrome plated lever on the upper left, and why is it that this black thing comes up and blocks my view of the paper every time I try to type something?  Where's the erase key?
>>
>> Things are even worse when she confronts them with commonplace 19th century technologies.  The point being that, as we learn the skills associated with new technologies, we abandon skills that were equally intricate that were needed for the technologies we no-longer use.  Those Romans and ancient Egyptians lived in what they thought of as the pinnacle of civilization, and their world was, to them, every bit as technological and complicated as ours is today.  Different technology, different skills.
>>
>> One of her gripes about portrayals of the future stems from a scene in one of the Star Trek movies.  The Enterprise ends up shot back in time to the 20th century, and Scottie, on earth, is confronted with an Apple Macintosh (nothing later than the SE, still the cute little luggable box).  At first he picks up the mouse and tries giving it voice commands.  That doesn't work, and she considered that part of the scene quite realistic of how one of us would misinterpret the technology of our parent's generation.  The, she gets mad at the scene, because Scottie suddenly goes into full-scale use of the machine, applying everything he knows about computers from the future to that poor little machine with a Motorola 68020 CPU inside,  She is certain that people from that distant future would be as unable to make effective use of today's computers as most of today's younger generation are to use dial phones and typewriters, probably worse.
>>
>> I agree with her!
>>
>>               Doug Jones
>>               jones at cs.uiowa.edu
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