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A blast from the past, legacy tech

16 Jul 2011

Looking down at my phone and checking for JetSki rentals on this beautiful Saturday morning, followed by browsing video shares of friends on various social networks numbs my sensitivity to just how dramatically technology is evolving. Just a few generations ago computers weren't even part of the human experience. Today digital systems permeate every aspect of our daily lives.

The first video I came across is a demonstration of a modem that's 10 years older than me, and astonishingly it still works. Thanks to Tyler Gillie's coming across and sharing the video.

Modem from 1964 still works

[iframe http://www.youtube.com/embed/X9dpXHnJXaE 425 350]

The following series of videos are examples of graphics from old computer systems

Arabesque 1975 computer graphics sample

[iframe http://www.youtube.com//embed/w7h0ppnUQhE 425 350]

A graphics demo from 1981

[iframe http://www.youtube.com/embed/CK7b7oc7hWI 425 350]

1980s arcade games

[iframe http://www.youtube.com/embed/C5er7gJ4uto 425 350]

SGI graphics circa 1989-1990

[iframe http://www.youtube.com/embed/ULwXcnmIUOo 425 350]

Nintendo 64 SGI tech demo from 1994

Trilinear bitmap interpolation was their secret scaling sauce. Countless hours of multiplayer Bond 007 brings back fond memories.

[iframe http://www.youtube.com/embed/eKlbx5niBu8 425 350]

So much has changed in the world of tech both on the hardware side and the software that it makes possible. It's refreshing to take stock and look at the marvels we take for granted in our hyper connected information age, and compare them to their humble beginnings.