A 1954 prediction on computers

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 8:15 pm

This 1954 photo shows what the Rand Corp. thought a home computer would look like in 2004. Sperry-Rand was one of the earliest , if not the first, in the computer field.

I don't think it will fit on my desk.

I wonder what the steering wheel like device was supposed to be for.

Nancie · Post by **Nancie** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 9:28 pm

that is cool Harry! my Dad worked for RCA/NBC
all his life and we had this huge contraption in the
basement, very tall and very complicated, called
the "record player". (ugh am I that old?) thanks
for the pix, loved that!

FairhavenGuy · Post by **FairhavenGuy** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 10:51 pm

Actually, folks, that's not what it is. The picture is a fake. It's a doctored photo of a submarine control room. (Hence the steering wheel, Harry.) The TV screen at the right is stripped in and so is the man at the left. Here http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/computer.asp they show this with the original version.

There's a lot of this bogus stuff floating around on the internet.

doug65oh · Post by **doug65oh** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 11:50 pm

Hats off to the gentleman from Fairhaven.

(I've gotta say, it sure looks like a tin can's navigations/control room to me!) The first thing I thought of was "Okay, where are the magnetic tapes?" but those didn't come on the scene til later.

It did remind me though of something a gal I used to work with told - apparently one of her husband's uncles (I think it was uncle) was in on the proverbial "ground floor" of the ENIAC project...ca. 1943-46.

Technically, you might say that ENIAC was the world's first small home computer - because from the looks of these phtographs, the fully-assembled beast would have roughly filled a small home!

http://ftp.arl.mil/ftp/historic-computers/

There's also an ENIAC Museum Online at http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~museum/

The true miracle of technology is that in 58 years we've gone from the monstrous ENIAC to the modern machines of today. (Oddly enough, roughly the same span fell between the development of the telegraph and the first flight at Kitty Hawk.)

Whodathunkit??

Harry · Post by **Harry** » Wed Dec 01, 2004 11:56 pm

Thanks Chris. That's a good fake. I sent the page to the person who sent me the photo. He'll love that site.

Actually the idea in the picture is not so far off. My company's first computer was a Honeywell 1200 and required its own air conditioned room.

Kat · Post by **Kat** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 12:04 am

Wow!
Thanks to both of you!
A Fabulous Fake!
I'm sure Harry can appreciate that!
Well done!

doug65oh · Post by **doug65oh** » Thu Dec 02, 2004 12:06 am

http://www.library.upenn.edu/exhibits/r ... wm0-1.html
This site has a bit more on the ENIAC. Apparently the dimensions were just about 1,500 square feet. (My present domicile is a few square feet less than 2,000, to give a little perspective.)