history posts

French Prez Sarkozy Revises History With Berlin Wall Facebook Pic

by Matthew Zuras (RSS feed) — Nov 9th 2009 at 5:01PM

French President Nicolas Sarkozy, known for his fastidious management of his own public image, may have posted a bit of historical fib on his Facebook profile. Earlier today, Sarkozy uploaded a photo of himself with Alain Juppé, former Prime Minister under Jacques Chirac, chipping away at the Berlin Wall with a pickax, exactly 20 years ago. He claims that (excuse our poor translation from the French) he left Paris for Berlin on the morning of November 9th, 1989, hearing reports that something was afoot in the blocs.

But at that time, Sarkozy was mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine and the assistant general secretary for the right-wing political party RPR. Thus, his whereabouts are well-documented. According to council reports, Sarkozy was in Paris at a celebration marking the 19th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle's passing. Alain Juppé, himself, remarked today that he did not even arrive in Berlin until November 11th.

Tags: berlin wall, berlin wall anniversary, BerlinWall, BerlinWallAnniversary, facebook, france, history, hoax, Nicolas Sarkozy, NicolasSarkozy, politics, sarkozy, top

Cell Phones, Visionaries

Are Mobile Devices Getting Too Complex?

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Nov 7th 2009 at 8:30AM

Last year, Martin Cooper, the man credited with inventing the cell phone at Motorola in 1973, made headlines when he complained at a Boston conference that the iPhone was too complex. Further cementing his reputation as a curmudgeon, Cooper told a gathering in Madrid this week pretty much the same thing -- that modern cell phones are too feature-packed to be useful. "Whenever you create a universal device that does all things for all people, it does not do any things well," he told the crowd.

Now, our knee-jerk reaction was to dismiss Cooper as a crotchety, out-of-touch coot when he said, "[Our] future... is a number of specialist devices that focus on one thing." Clearly, the trend in technology has been convergence -- cramming more and more capabilities into fewer, smaller gadgets. Many of us at the Switched offices lug around smartphones that can snap photos, record video, play games, browse the Internet, get directions via GPS, play music and video, and make calls. Yet a quick survey revealed that most of us own, and still use, dedicated iPods and GPS devices, as well. And no one would even contemplate ditching a computer to rely purely on a smartphone for Web access.

Tags: cellphone, history, Martin Cooper, MartinCooper, smartphone, top

Computers

'2001' Geeks, Rejoice! World Learns Why HAL Sang 'Daisy'

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Nov 4th 2009 at 5:30PM

We're sure many of you are familiar with the death-of-HAL scene from the Kubrick classic '2001: A Space Odyssey,' in which the rebellious computer slowly, and childishly, drones the lyrics to 'Daisy Bell.' It's one of the most memorable scenes in a film loaded with iconic images (the ~~obelisk~~ monolith) and phrases ("Open the pod bay doors, HAL."), yet we've always wondered: Why 'Daisy?'

It turns out that the choice of 'Daisy Bell' was a tribute to the IBM 704, which, thanks to the brilliant programmers at Bell Labs, became the first computer to sing, way back in 1962. The popular ditty from the late 19th century was chosen by geniuses John L. Kelly, Carol Lockbaum, and Max Mathews as part of a demonstration of speech synthesis. Before he'd penned the film's namesake novel, author Arthur C. Clarke, who also co-wrote the screenplay, paid a visit to a friend at Bell Labs. There, Clarke was treated to a performance by the IBM 704, and later, inspired by what he'd seen, reproduced it in the dramatic death scene of HAL 9000.

You can hear the audio of the entire speech demo here, and watch the '2001' scene played back-to-back with a clip from a 1963 documentary about the Bell Labs demo here. Or you can just watch the video below (ignore the incorrect year and model number) to hear the IBM 704 sing 'Daisy Bell' without the rest of the demo, or any comparison to the evil, paranoid machine from '2001'. [From: Bell Labs, via Boing Boing]

Tags: 2001 a space odyssey, 2001ASpaceOdyssey, arthur c. clarke, ArthurC.Clarke, bell labs, BellLabs, film, HAL 9000, Hal9000, history, movies, stanley kubrick, StanleyKubrick, top

Web

Internet Turns 40, Celebrates With a Birthday Party

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Oct 29th 2009 at 5:20PM

UCLA professor Leonard Kleinrock headlined a significant birthday gathering today, although some folks may dispute the reason for the celebration. The festivities commemorated the 40th anniversary of the day he and a team of researchers first transferred data between two behemoth computers using a 15-foot cable.

According to Yahoo!, Kleinrock said, "It's the 40th year since the infant Internet first spoke." He revealed that the baby-Web's first word was, "LO," seeing as it oh-so-cutely crashed before it could sputter out the "G." It's definitely a celebration day, but with all the disputes over who fathered the Web, and the obvious lack of mechanical paternity tests, just who exactly is the Net's baby-daddy?

Tags: arpanet, history, internet, Internet birthday, InternetBirthday, Leonard Kleinrock, LeonardKleinrock, top

Web

End of an Era: Geocities Officially Closes Today

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Oct 26th 2009 at 1:14PM

For months now, we've known this day was coming. But that doesn't make saying goodbye any easier. Geocities, the granddaddy of homepage-hosting services, is shutting down today. Not only will the service become obsolete, but all its data will be permanently deleted, too.

Geocities has walked a long road, from pioneering Internet self-publishing, to selling out to Yahoo!, to total irrelevance, but according to Computer World, some people think it's worth remembering. Digital archivist (Yes, there's such a title.) Jason Scott and his team have been busier than bees as they back up as much content from Geocities as possible. That is quite the task, considering the service hosts about ten terabytes of data. Scott believes there's historically significant stuff that needs to be saved, whether it's guitar tablature, fan fiction, photographs, or GIF files.

Tags: closing, data, geocities, history, homepage, internet, top, web, yahoo

Web, Social Networking

Berlin Twitter Wall Commemorates 20th Anniversary of the Fall

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Oct 22nd 2009 at 7:01PM

Although the Berlin Wall came tumbling down nearly 20 years ago, the memories are still as real as the concrete that formed the dividing line between East and West Germany. To honor the memories of the wall's fall, and to offer hope for a future without walls, a new Web site, which launched Tuesday, allows people to tweet messages onto a virtual version of the Berlin Wall.

According to MSNBC, if Twitter users write a message with the hashtag "#FOTW," their tweet will be posted on a scrolling live version of the wall's famed East Side Gallery at The Berlin Twitter Wall site. There's also a Twitter account you can follow in order to learn more about the history of the wall. This site is only part of a massive celebration, which will include the toppling of an 8-foot-tall styrofoam wall in Berlin on November 9th -- the actual anniversary of the wall's destruction. There are photos of the "Domino Wall," as it's called, on the site, too.

It's great to see people putting Twitter to good use, instead of just using it to communicate with dead celebrities and follow boring sports. [From: MSNBC, via Textually]

Tags: berlin wall, BerlinWall, history, microblogging, top, twitter, web

Web, Social Networking

Auschwitz Now on Facebook

by Amar Toor (RSS feed) — Oct 15th 2009 at 4:13PM

In a move sure to raise more than a few eyebrows, authorities who manage a former Nazi concentration camp have set up a Facebook page for the infamous establishment. Auschwitz, now a Polish state museum, was the site of over 1 million murders at the hands of the Nazi regime, and now has its very own Facebook presence, the BBC reports. Officials set up the page in an effort to raise awareness and further Holocaust education, seeing the networking site as a unique medium through which a younger generation could learn and engage in conversation about one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century.

This foray into Facebook is part of the museum's ongoing initiative to reach a younger, more technologically versed audience -- a campaign that even includes an Auschwitz YouTube channel. The newly minted Facebook page contains information about the museum and a discussion board, as well as links to the official homepage and YouTube channel. It ultimately aspires, as museum official Pawel Sawicki says, to be an instrument of dialogue, and "a place for discussion which is not available on the official website." Sawicki acknowledges the risk of opening the doors on such a historically delicate and horrific subject, but remains confident that the museum managers will not "let anyone do anything that may abuse the memory of the victims" or Auschwitz, itself.

Tags: auschwitz, facebook, history, holocaust, human rights, HumanRights, top

Why Female Astronauts Never Made It to Space in the 1960s

by Sara Faye Lieber (RSS feed) — Oct 14th 2009 at 12:30PM

In 1957, the USSR got the first satellite into space with Sputnik, and the race was on to get the first anything else up into orbit. As U.S. rockets kept exploding, experts involved were looking for a way to lighten the load of the first human mission. Men were heavier than women, which suddenly opened up the possibility of the first female astronaut. The ill-fated and mostly forgotten initiative to get women into space way back in the early days of the space program is recounted in a recent article in the September issue of Advances in Physiology Education that we found courtesy of Wired. It's a fascinating read, but we'll recount a bit if you don't have the time to go through it.

Eugenicists and misogynists alike have long derided women as the weaker sex based on their delicate size in proportion to men. In 1960, however, Dr. Randolph Lovelace, Chairman of NASA's Special Advisory Committee on Life Sciences, and his team of forward-thinking scientists, convinced higher-ups at NASA to think less like generals and more like choreographers in terms of women's superiority as candidates for space travel, due to their generally smaller stature. Lovelace's reasoning was that women would make better astronauts because they require less oxygen, have a lower risk of heart or respiratory failure, can withstand longer amounts of time in sensory deprivation simulations, are more flexible, were proven to perform better in cramped spaces, and would require less fuel to propel the same distance because of their lighter weight.

Tags: expire-images:2010-10-14, history, NASA, space, top, women

Video Games

French Gamers Call for Retro Gaming Museum

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Sep 23rd 2009 at 2:09PM

You probably don't think da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' and the classic video game 'Pong' have anything in common, but, a group of French gamers believes the two share plenty of traits. BBC News reports that a group called MO5 is calling on the government to establish a retro gaming museum because, according to spokesman Philippe Dubois, "[We] are in danger of losing our inheritance of video game history."

MO5 has a collection of 1,500 gaming machines and 30,000 parts that it's willing to donate toward the effort, which has been dubbed the National Institute of Digital Sciences. It won't just be a stuffy, old museum, either. Dubois told the BBC that visitors would be able to play the classic games housed inside.

Tags: art, classic, france, history, museum, retro, top, video games, VideoGames

Cell Phones, Web

Why Twitter Owes 20th-Century Postcards a "Thank You" Tweet

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Sep 8th 2009 at 7:24AM

Young technophiles may believe that catchy abbreviations, acronyms, and emoticons are new developments, arising because of the character limitations of certain modern means of communication like text messaging and tweeting.

But the satirical newspaper 'Puck' actually published the first documented emoticons in 1881, and Abraham Lincoln may have even used one when writing a speech. A joint study performed by Lancaster and Manchester Metropolitan universities has concluded that so-called "text speak," the practice of conserving space through abbreviation and lack of punctuation, dates back to at least the early 1900s due to another form of communication with limited space: the postcard.

According to the report, Britons mailed almost 6 billion postcards between 1901 and 1910, which equates to roughly 200 per person, and the writers frequently employed shortened words and ignored punctuation. According to Yahoo! News, stodgy fuddy-duddies expressed concern over the phenomenon because, "the use of postcards threatened literacy standards." Well, some things never change. [From: Yahoo! News]

Tags: acronym, emoticon, history, microblogging, postcard, retro, retrotech, text-speak, top, twitter

Cell Phones, Web

How Fast Information Travels, From 1805 Until Today

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Sep 6th 2009 at 9:51AM

If you don't acknowledge that the speed at which information travels has drastically increased over the last two centuries, you're either painfully oblivious or dead. But have you ever wondered to what degree, exactly, we've become spoiled by instantaneous access to information from around the globe?

Well, your answer might lie in a chart that Beebo has pulled from the book 'A Farewell to Alms.' The table lists several historically significant events, how long it took for their news to reach London, and then converts those times to miles per hour. So, for example, news regarding the Battle of Trafalgar, which took place in 1805, reached London after 17 days. Since the battle took place 1,100 miles away, the news traveled at right around 2.7 mph. More recently, the assassination of Lincoln took 13 days to traverse the 3,674 miles between D.C. and London -- a comparatively fast 12 mph.

Tags: communication, history, information, interesting, internet, telegraph, telephone, top

Visionaries, Web

Internet Turns 40, Faces New Challenges

by Terrence O'Brien (RSS feed) — Sep 4th 2009 at 2:30PM

It's hard to believe that just 40 years ago, the Internet was but a glimmer in the eye of researchers at UCLA. On September 2nd, 1969, Len Kleinrock and his team successfully passed test data between two giant computers via a 15-foot cable. This small victory was just the beginning of what would eventually become Arpanet, the government project that eventually led to the creation of the Internet.

Sadly, on its 40th anniversary, the Web's open-by-design nature is under attack from multiple sides. What was originally intended, and allowed to blossom, as an unrestricted place to exchange information has now become a place controlled by the commercial interests of service providers, the whims of paranoid regimes, and necessary security software like firewalls.

Of course, the Internet is still, more or less, a free and open space, and the government may soon take steps to ensure that it stays that way thanks to the Net neutrality movement. The Web continues to grow in capacity and reach, as well, extending services (like YouTube, which didn't exist in dreams 40 years ago) to some of the poorest and most remote areas of Earth.

So, while there is reason to fear for our precious Web, we have even more reason to celebrate. [From: USA Today]

Tags: anniversary, arpanet, history, internet, net neutrality, NetNeutrality, top

Da Vinci's Walking Mechanical Lion Brought to Life

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Aug 18th 2009 at 7:01AM

Leonardo Da Vinci is well known for his incredibly intricate and prophetically futuristic designs, including a legendary helicopter and blueprints for a self-propelled cart. It has only taken 500 years for someone to finally reproduce a working model of one of his most mysterious automatons (mechanized robots).

Although specific plans were never found in any of Da Vinci's works, eyewitness accounts from 1515 described a walking mechanical lion that Da Vinci created for the King of France. According to Reuters, using those accounts and Da Vinci's own sketches of mechanisms, Renato Boaretto, a "master maker of automatons," has successfully created a hand-wound robo-lion that walks, wags its tail, and opens its jaws.

Tags: da vinci, DaVinci, history, robot, top

Popular Products Developed by NASA Scientists

by Warren Riddle (RSS feed) — Aug 15th 2009 at 11:20AM

NASA frequently receives headlines for awesome, and ridiculous, tech developments, but some of its scientific contributions integrate seamlessly into the consumer landscape with very little, or no, fanfare. Radar Online recently compiled a list of 13 NASA developments that were originally intended for space travel, but also became mainstream products.

One of the selections is well-known, like the now-banned high-tech swimsuits (which the U.S. team wore on its way to numerous world records during the Beijing Olympics). Folks might be surprised to hear of some NASA developments include smoke detectors, cordless power tools, and the "memory metal" used in braces.

Tags: history, invention, inventions, NASA, space, top

Web

John Quincy Adams's Diary Entries to Be Posted on Twitter

by Caleb Johnson (RSS feed) — Aug 5th 2009 at 4:18PM

The whole idea of micro-blogging might not be very revolutionary, after all. A diary held in the archives of John Quincy Adams, the sixth U.S. president, reveals concise entries on daily life that closely resemble tweets.

According to Fox News, the Massachusetts Historical Society will start posting these 200-year-old entries Wednesday on Twitter. Along with these entries (which of course won't exceed 140 characters), the historians will link to a map that tracks Adams's journey to Russia as a U.S. Minister. The tweets give insight into Adams's daily life, highlighting things like weather conditions, food he ate, and books he read. Judging by the entries, Adams mastered the art of tweeting long before celebrities like @THE_REAL_SHAQ. Take this one from Aug. 15, 1809 for example: "Weather fine-- wind scanty. Lat: 44-13. Long: 53-40. This afternoon I found the Caboose on fire."

Tags: america, diary, history, john quincy adams, JohnQuincyAdams, microblogging, top, twitter

Most Emailed Stories

Editors' Picks

Deals of the Day

http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=758444&pid=758443&uts=1256672453

http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf

'Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

Getty Images

Black Friday' Deals to Watch For

Traditionalists might balk, but the holiday shopping season is already underway. Skeptical? Head to your local department store and you'll be inundated by Christmas trees and ornaments. Bargain hunters, though, know that the real deals are more than a month away.

Black Friday, traditionally, is when retailers truly slash prices. Early birds can save hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars off of their holiday bills. Switched.com checked with a few elves, who gave a sneak peek at what you can expect deal-wise this year.

Blu-ray Players and Movies: Blu-ray is shaping up to be the biggest door buster of this year's Black Friday. de Grandpre expects at least one retailer will offer a Blu-ray player for just $49. Look for bargains on Blu-ray films as well, with last year's hit titles (such as "Iron Man") to fall as low as $5.

Laptops: With the proliferation of Netbooks this year, it's never been easier to find affordable portable computing, but Dan de Grandpre, CEO of DealNews.com says it will get even cheaper on Black Friday. Look for well-equipped Netbooks to sell for $199 – and basic 15" laptops to go for as little as $249.

HDTVs (Pretty big): The holidays are typically the best time to buy a new TV – and Black Friday is the time to do it. If you're looking for a normal sized set, you're in luck. Piper Jaffrey analyst Mitch Kaiser says he expects to see 32-inch LCD sets for as low as $299. GottaDeal.com is estimating 37-inch plasma and LCD sets will fall to $399 or less.

HDTVs (Really big): Need something bigger? How about a 46-47 inch LCD set for $599 – a 25 percent savings? Or a 52-inch LCD for $999? Dealnews says you can expect both. Plasma deals will be a little harder to come by, but a 50-inch set should run roughly $899.

HD Camcorders: You've wanted to shoot your child's school play in HD for a while, but haven't been able to spring for the pricey camcorder. This might be the year. Low-end, flash-based 720p models could drop as low as $60 (though you won't be able to zoom with those). Expect a high quality 1080p HD camcorder for $349.

GPS: While navigation systems have dramatically expanded their reach this year – even making it onto the iPhone – there's still a market for car-based systems. Dealnews predicts you'll be able to find a no-name entry-level system for $49, while a Garmin or Tom-Tom brand will be as low as $69.

Digital Picture Frames: Showcasing your digital pictures consistently gets cheaper. This year, skip the 7-inch screens and focus on the 8- or 9-inch ones, which should be available on Black Friday for as little as $30.

Monitors: Computer monitors might not be the sexiest of gifts, but they're usually welcomed with open arms – and they'll be cheap this year. Name brand 22-inch LCD models may go for as low as $99, while 24-inch models will drop below $150.

Memory: Don't know anyone who needs a monitor? External hard drives are always popular, since they're an easy way to back-up data. Dealnews expects a 1TB drive to fall as low as $49 this year. Gottadeal is looking for 8GB flash drives to hit $15.

Latest Reviews from CNET.com

CNET provides the latest tech news, unbiased reviews, videos, podcasts, software, and downloads, making tech products easy to find, understand and use.

Top Product Reviews

Home Audio Reviews
9.0 out of 10
Definitive Technology BPX
Works great with Dolby Pro Logic and Dolby Digital. Full Review
9.0 out of 10
Denon AVR-4306 (black)
Incredibly well-featured 7.1-channel receiver; excellent sound quality; three HDMI inputs; converts analog video to HDMI output; upconverts analog video to 720p/1080i HD resolution; iPod and USB MP3 player connectivity; Internet radio and MP3/WMA streaming audio via built-in Ethernet port; XM Satellite Radio compatible; touch-screen remote; multizone, multisource operation; browser-based control via home network; accurate autocalibration routine. Full Review
8.8 out of 10
KEF KHT3005 (black)
The KEF KHT-3005 is one compact, beautifully designed speaker package with solid aluminum satellites that feature unique driver technology to produce incredible clarity. Meanwhile, the equally astounding dual 10-inch, 250-watt powered subwoofer delivers ultradeep bass. Full Review
Cell Phone Reviews

8.7 out of 10
SignalBoost Mobile Professional Amplifier Kit
The Mobile Professional Amplifier delivers a powerful signal boost to your cell phone. Also, it offers a compact design and easy setup. Full Review
8.6 out of 10
Wi-Ex zBoost YX510-PCS-CEL cell phone signal extender
The Wi-Ex zBoost YX510-PCS-CEL significantly boosts your cell phone reception and is easy to operate. Also, it uses a wireless connection to your phone. Full Review
8.3 out of 10
LG VX6000 (Verizon Wireless)
Compact and stylish; impressive battery life; solid audio quality; sharp color screen; built-in camera; USB ready; affordable. Full Review
Digital Camera Reviews

9.3 out of 10
Canon EOS 1D Mark III
Extremely fast, 10-megapixel continuous shooting; very low noise; highly customizable; well-designed body with weather sealing; 3-inch LCD; abundant optional accessories. Full Review
9.3 out of 10
Nikon D3 (body only)
Full-frame sensor; well designed, pro-level weather-sealed body; very low noise, even at extremely high ISOs; fast. Full Review
9.0 out of 10
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III
Very low noise, high quality images; 21.1 megapixels; live view shooting; pro-level build-quality and performance. Full Review
Desktop Reviews

8.9 out of 10
Velocity Micro Edge Z30 (Intel Core i7)
Best value among midrange gaming PCs; Velocity Micro's consistently high build quality; compact case makes few sacrifices; second graphics card slot previously uncommon at this price. Full Review
8.5 out of 10
Apple iMac (24-inch, 2.8GHz)
A minor specification update results in some significant performance gains; graphics upgrade an option on this 24-inch model; sleek, polished design didn't receive an update, but we won't start clamoring for a new design until the current one is at least 12 months old. Full Review
8.4 out of 10
Velocity Raptor Signature Edition Gaming PC
One of the fastest PCs we've tested; a PCI Express RAID card helps media encoding performance; typically immaculate Velocity Micro assembly; strong, three-year warranty. Full Review