Category: History

Culture Design History

One of the first true computers is finally on public display

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As reported on Engadget. by Jon Fingas Seeing ENIAC, one of the first true programmable computers, has been tricky; the giant mainframe was partly restored in 2007, but it was only visible in an office building. At last, though, you now have a (relatively) easy way to witness this piece of computing history first-hand. The US Army’s Field Artillery Museum in Fort Sill, Oklahoma recently put several of ENIAC’s revived panels on public display, giving…

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History Space

Curiosity celebrates its first action-packed Martian year

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As reported on Engadget. BY STEVE DENT  Curiosity feted its first Martian year on the red planet (687 earth days) with a stiched-up selfie while NASA reflected on the Mars rover’s triumphs and setbacks. So far, it has achieved most of its mission goals, particularly its quest for evidence that Mars could have supported life. Drilling samples revealed traces of all the elements needed for life, and itspotted a streambed that once had “vigorous” water flow. The rover also found that…

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History

Cuba’s first independent digital news will be sent via cellphones and flash drives

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As reported on Engadget. BY JON FINGAS Cubans haven’t had an above-ground, independent digital news outlet in their country so far — not surprising when their government only allowed personal cellphone andcomputer sales six years ago. However, all that’s set to change when blogger Yoani Sanchez launches her digital newspaper 14ymedio on May 21st. Rather than simply publish news on the web, the team will get the word out through whatever technology Cubans can use: cellphones, email, CDs and even USB…

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Business History Tech

AI algorithm takes seat on investment company’s board

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As reported on Engadget. BY STEVE DENT The coming robot apocalypse will need robot executives to rule over it, but it looks like they’re going to have to start with more mundane business first. A Hong Kong venture capital firm has just “appointed” an artificial intelligence tool called VITAL to its board of directors to help find promising investments. It’ll scan things like financing, IP and clinical trials from prospective companies, share that info with the board and even cast…

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History Tech

One man is chronicling the history of a digital universe

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As reported on The Verge. By Andrew Webster After a decade of epic battles, ‘Eve Online’ gets its historian After spending months climbing the ranks of the Ubiqua Seraph corporation, on April 18th, 2005, Istvaan Shogaatsu’s moment had finally arrived. He had gained the trust of the corporation’s CEO, Mirial, and while the two were alone on her ship he issued a command that led to the ransacking of nearly every Ubiqua Seraph office and hangar…

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History

‘Gospel of Jesus’s Wife’ likely isn’t a modern forgery, scientists claim

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As reported on The Verge. By Amar Toor  Analysis suggests that the controversial fragment is indeed ancient, but not everyone is convinced A controversial document that suggests that Jesus of Nazareth had a wife is most likely ancient and not a modern forgery, according to a paper published today in theHarvard Theological Review. The papyrus fragment, known as the “Gospel of Jesus’s Wife,” has been the subject of widespread debate since it was discovered in 2012 because it…

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History Tech

30 years of mobile phones, all jamming together (video)

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As reported on Engadget. BY MAT SMITH In the technological equivalent of Band Aid, minus the charitable fundraising, Korea’s SK Telecom has celebrated 30 years in the carrier business, by composing its current jingle from yesteryear’s cellular hits. Stars include several car-phones from the eighties, the MotorolaStarTAC and more recent smartphones like the, er, LG Optimus Z. Well, we were long overdue another K-Pop ear-worm.  

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Culture History

Digging up the brutal truth about Rio de Janeiro’s 19th century slave trade

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As reported on The Verge. By Rich McCormick Brazil, soon to host the soccer World Cup and the 2016 Olympics, is in the midst of a frenzy of construction. Crews in Rio de Janeiro are preparing the city for the future, but as The New York Times says, they’re also discovering the truth about its brutal past. Rio de Janeiro was once a hub for the Atlantic slave trade, and teams of excavators dig into its South American soil,…

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History

Tunnel vision: how an obsessed explorer found and lost the world’s oldest subway

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As reported on The Verge. By Adrianne Jeffries New York City has sealed up a 169-year-old landmark, but the man who discovered it wants back inside The old tunnel, that used to lie there under ground, a passage of Acheron-like solemnity and darkness, now all closed and filled up, and soon to be utterly forgotten, with all its reminiscences. — Walt Whitman, writing about the Atlantic Avenue Tunnel in 1861     Bob Diamond had been…

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History

New York’s ‘Roaring Twenties’ come alive with interactive audio map

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As reported on The Verge. By Andrew Webster The term “Roaring Twenties” is used to describe a specific period of economic growth, but it’s an apt description for another reason — the decade was very noisy. Created by a group at the University of Southern California, “The Roaring Twenties” is an interactive site that aims to show this by letting you actually experience those sounds. Focusing specifically on New York City, the site lets you explore…

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