Category Archives: History
IBM’s Asshole Test by johnpublic
This is an interesting anecdote that demonstrates pretty clearly that soft skills matter.
Patriarch of Pandemics
I just read this article on Demystifying Science about the 1918 influenza pandemic. It’s an interesting perspective given the current situation with COVID-19.
Redemption Song
I’d heard that Redemption Song had a relationship to an idea expressed by Marcus Garvey. But I didn’t know that the speech in question was apparently given in Nova Scotia.
Another interesting link between Jamaica and Canada.
Tienanmen Square on r/AskHistorians
There’s an interesting thread explaining some of the internal politics that were underneath the deadly Tienanmen Square protests 30 years ago in Beijing.
It’s worth a read, if only to better place what happened in the Chinese context.
Linux
NPR Throughline – The Forgotten War
I just listened to the recent NPR Throughline podcast called The Forgotten War (S1:E03).
It’s an excellent summary of North Korea’s geopolitical history and how it relates to today’s news. I don’t think there’s anything that I would call new (if you’re interested in the topic), but it’s an excellent introduction that presents a reasonably serious overview of the topic without being heavy handed or simply propaganda.
I’m going to listen to the other podcasts this week, but so far I’m impressed at their choices of topics and this first episode (for me, third episode overall).
The Second Computer I Ever Used
In a continuation of the theme, The 8-Bit Guy’s “Commodore History Part 3 – The Commodore 64” is great technical breakdown of the second computer I ever used. It’s really interesting to understand the technical reasons for the various features and limitations of a computer that you used as a child. The 8-Bit Guy’s channel in general is quite good, it’s particularly interesting if you have a technical background but aren’t really familiar with the specs and conventions of late 1970s to mid-1980s home computing.
Continue readingThe First Computer I Ever Used
My elementary school had a number of Apple II, Apple II+, and Apple IIe computers in the early 1980s. This was my first exposure to computers in general and I’ve only started to appreciate how fortunate I was to have a few teachers who were quite interested in computers even though there wasn’t really any computer class offered until I was in high school.
In my search for interesting info on the Apple II, I came across this really interesting video from the 8-Bit Guy walking through a restoration of an Apple II+.