I saw a program from [sup]1[/sup]1975 in which a [sup]2[/sup]computer programmer was threatening a bank teller with exposing her skimming to finance her gambling problem (and lack of a decent retirement income)–unless she promised to cut him in on some of the skim.
In one scene he pulls out a weapon–not a gun, but a punch card. When she still refuses to give him a cut, he glowers at her as he puts the card into the computer, a card which will activate the programming which will uncover her “accounting irregularities” which she has been covering up in her manual ledger.
[sup]1[/sup]The Invisible Man starring David McCallum
[sup]2[/sup]Excellently protrayed by John Zee, a Theo Marcuse type actor, best known for his role as Von Turgo, Underworld Kingpin on the Bring 'Em Back Alive TV series from the early 80s.
One of the earliest movies I remember where a computer figured in the plot was “Desk Set” with Spencer and Tracey.
IIRC She worked as a reference librarian and the computer which was as big as a small house and slower than you can imagine was going to put her out of a job. I forget the ending but I think it was that you can’t replace human instinct. I think He was the computer salesman or something.
Back when I was at Virginia Tech, one of the local thrift stores had a “portable computer” from the 1970s for sale (I think it was a Compaq–really!), no doubt donated by the University. It was about six feet tall and four feet wide, with a built-in keyboard, a 12" black-and-white screen, and two eight-inch floppy drives. The portable part of it was the fact that it rested on wheels. The price, in 1990: $800!
Crikey, you mean to say that none of you have ever been around a computer that had keyswitches on the front of it so that you could manually toggle in single step state changes? I guess this means you haven’t ever entered your data from a teletype that reads punched paper tape either.
It was not a Compaq. They didn’t start making PC’s until the 1980’s and per the name they were quasi-portable and “compact” for the time (ie small suitcase sized).
OhOh!! I have, back in highschool we had an old frontpanel system, was fun to play with. Also, remember ‘helping’ my mother with some of her class work using an old punch card reader.
Oh, and being a living fossil isn’t all that bad, when you go on a ramapge and tear someone in half, you can claim it you are just being another TRex.
How many of those old Compaqs have I had? Five? Six? Bought 'em for five bucks and sold ‘em for fifty. In the good ol’ days, before people started asking “Is it internet ready?”
My latest OLD antique is a Compaq Portable III. It’s only about eighteen pounds–ten pounds lighter than the originals. But I’m old enough to remember how hard it is to vacuum “chads” out of a carpet.
ALTAIR? Yes. One of my coworkers built one and spent two or three days toggling in a 4k or 8k BASIC. Twenty minutes later, the computer crashed. The next time he toggled in the BASIC, it only took him a day.
I also remember using an IBM keypunch. Used paper tape on an HP3000 (the hard drives were the size of washing machines). On the HP3000 we used 300-baud video terminals and far slower teletypes. I also remember DRUM STORAGE and CORE MEMORY.
And in my basement I’ve got an Apple II and an original Compaq portable. They’ll both be displayed as conversation pieces in my next house.
Every year, the local college throws out literally a ton of computer junk they don’t need. Of course, being the bored rural youth we are, my friends and I always go dumpster diving. One year, we found the TRS-80 that my family got rid of when I was still in diapers. My neighbor still has it in his basement. Those things are like a bad penny!
Let’s see… Anyone here remember the IBM “luggable”? It’s credited with being the first portable, before the Compaq. This baby must have weighed at least thirty pounds. I think I still have the suitcase for it somewhere…
[sarcasm]I remember seeing an episode of “I Love Lucy” in which they bring a punchcard reader to help Lucy with her work at the bank. The climax was when it fell on Mr. Mooney’s foot and she had to pick it up. Oh, humor in those days. I’ll tell you, the modern sitcom will never be so funny…[/sarcasm]