Monthly Archive: March 2019

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Day in Tech History / Google

April Fools Day History

Watch out today, as the internet becomes a bevy of fake information. The joke telling pre-dates the internet, but since the world started connecting online, the hoaxes have gotten not only more elaborate, but more fun. Did you know that John C. Dvorak wrote an article in 1994 about a bill that would make it illegal to use the Internet while intoxicated? Did you know in 2006, Apple pranked an add-on to your iPod that could allow it to make phone calls? ThinkGeek made a few pranks that ended up turning into actual products, such as Unicorn Meat and the...

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Day in Tech History / Geek

March 31, 2008: DNS Addressing Flaw

2008 – Dan Kaminsky announced he has been in contact with Microsoft over a flaw in the DNS naming system. At this time, there were no other details as to keep this issue as secret as possible while they try to fix the problem. On March 27, Kaminsky discovered that within the Conficker virus, the hosts had a detectable signature when scanned remotely. This was known as DNS Cache poisoning. Over 568,000 computers were infected because of this. The patch was released on July 8th, 2008. Construction of Harvard Mark I Atari gets a Cease and Desist letter in manufacturing Tetris....

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Day in Tech History / Geek

March 30, 1993: AT&T Graphics Software Labs Close

1993 – The graphics software labs at AT&T closed down and relocated to the AT&T Multimedia Software Solutions. The division focused on software products that included 3D vector based graphic programs like AutoCAD, RIO, TOPAZ for PC and Mac computers. Quantum sells to Maxtor Intel launches Nehalem Microsoft ends Encarta Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe! Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS | More

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Day in Tech History / Geek

March 29, 1989: Pixar’s Tin Toy Wins Academy Award

1982 – The first completely computer animated video wins an Academy Award for best animated short film. “Tin Toy” by Pixar (now a division of Disney) was an animated short film about a toy named Tinny – a one man band – who was being played by an infant named Billy. The short film lasted 5 minutes and cost $300,000 to make. The short film also won awards at the Seattle International Film Festival, World Animation Celebration, and National Film Registry. A sequel was in the works, but Tinny was not a popular toy for the kids. Therefore, the film was not...

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Day in Tech History / Geek

March 28, 1979: Meltdown of Three Mile Island

1979 – At 4 PM EST, the nuclear reactors in Middletown, PA (Dauphin County) experienced a partial meltdown. The incident was officially rated a 5-of-7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale: Accident with wider consequences. A stuck open pilot relief valve was to blame for the incident in the primary system. The valve allowed for nuclear reactor coolant to escape into the atmosphere. During the event, the EPA was dispached where they took daily samples of the air to make sure the levels were not harmful to the community. The evacuation of Middletown was ordered 28 hours later – mostly women...

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Day in Tech History / Geek

March 27, 1982: Pac-Man Fever Hits #9

1982 –  Recorded in 1981, the song Pac-Man fever was a song by (Jerry ) Buckner & (Gary) Garcia. Each song on the album was about a different video game and was released via album, cassette, 8-track and later via CD. The song is a parody of “Cat Scratch Fever” by Ted Nugent. The song itself hit the Bilboard Hot 100 list at #9. Pac-Man fever also earned a gold certification by the RIAA. The duo had a mini-hit with the song  “Do the Donkey Kong”. TorrentSpy Shuts down 120 MHz Pentium Processor is released Microsoft Excel 4.0 is released Podcast:...

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Computer / Day in Tech History

March 26, 1976: Altair Computer Convention

1976 – The First Annual World Altair Computer Convention is held at the Airport Marina Hotel near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Bill Gates opens the convention with his position on software piracy. Of course, it was all about the Altair 8800. MITS (Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems) was a computer that came in kit form where you could build and improve upon it. Tablet PC Initiative Kevin Mitnick pleads guilty Dr. Who comes back out of mothballs. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe! Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS | More

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Day in Tech History / Microsoft

March 25, 1994: Microsoft Excel 4.0

1994 – Microsoft released Excel 4.0. It included an Easter egg animation of the Excel logo crushing the numbers 1-2-3. Other Day in Tech History items: AOL and eBay cross marketing agreement Excel 4.0 is released The first Computers Freedom and Privacy Conference Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe! Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS | More

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