Daily Archives: April 20, 2014

April 20, 2014 Computer Museum, Mountain View, California

Sunday we drove from Pacifica over to the Mountain View to tour the Computer Museum.  Bill’s college friend Tom and his daughter toured the museum will Bill.  The museum opened in 1996 with the goal of preserving and presenting artifacts and information about the information age, the computing revolution, and its impact on society through the years.  It has the largest and most significant collection of computing artifacts in the world, including many rare and one of a kind objects.

One of the first methods of memory for computers - little magnets

One of the first methods of memory for computers – little magnets

This is a mechanical hand cranked calculator, about the size of a soup can

This is a mechanical hand cranked calculator, about the size of a soup can

In 1977 Radio Shack came out with the TRS 80 computer

In 1977 Radio Shack came out with the TRS 80 computer

The 1977 Apple II computer

The 1977 Apple II computer

This is the IBM Personal Computer, which came available in 1981.

This is the IBM Personal Computer, which came available in 1981.

There is a 25,000 foot square exhibition called “Revolution:  The First 2,000 Years of Computing” which opened in 2011 and covers the history of computing through twenty galleries of displays with everything from the abacus to the internet.  The galleries included “Calculators”, “The Birth of the Computer”, “Early Computer Companies”, “Analog Computers”, “Networking and the Web”, “Personal Computers”, “Computer Games”, “Mobile Computing”, “Computer Graphics, Music and Art”, and “Artificial Intelligence and Robotics”.  One highlight is a working Difference Engine designed by Charles Babbage in the 1840’s.P1050102

This engine was designed by Babbage in 1849 but not built and verified until 2008.

This engine was designed by Babbage in 1849 but not built and verified until 2008.