Tommi

From dial-up screeches and Y2K countdowns to flip phones taking over the world to today’s AI tsunami (disaster?) reshaping everything… I’ve been on every wave. But I keep coming back to retro tech. Even when I was a child, I was fascinated by tech history, and I still am.

This is really hard for me to type. But I feel like I need to because I want to bring awareness to this topic. I apologize now if my thoughts seem jumbled, as I am not all here right now. I've not been online since this weekend (my last post was something I had scheduled earlier in the weekend) and I plan to take some time off for awhile. I almost lost my spouse on Sunday evening. We've been going through some things and everything was finally too much. I got really lucky. I am really lucky that they're still with us, although they will be in the hospital for a little while. I am taking some time off of work and time off of the Internet to get my head on straight and to do what I need to do for my spouse and kids. Thank you for all of the kind words, the shares, the conversations, and friendships that I've made recently. I love spending time here with you and I have a lot of fun. I plan to be back soon, and I hope to have more great conversations with you. If you are feeling like you might need help, please take a look at the link below. 988lifeline.org

Look at this elegant desk-side wonder, also known as the IBM 610 Auto-Point Computer, introduced in 1957 as a single-user vacuum-tube computer for engineers and scientists. Designed by John Lentz at Watson Lab, it used vacuum tubes and magnetic drum memory, with a clever “Auto-Point” feature for automatic decimal handling. Only about 180 were ever made, and it weighed in at around 800 pounds. I adore the beautiful control console with all its buttons and levers… and that classic IBM typewriter for output! Such a graceful early step toward personal computing. #RetroTech #VintageComputing #IBM en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_610 columbia.edu/cu/computinghi…

@Metaforest @app_settings That was a brilliant visual by the way 🤣

@tommithetechie @app_settings He tried to. My mother cackled like the old fortune-teller she is, throwing in a few details of her own. It was her phone and she was sitting across the table from him when he nicked the Mylar envelope with a jeweler's screwdriver, trying to get under the tape…

let’s have a moment of silence for all the iPhone SE3 users running 5G and Liquid Glass on their 2000 mAh batteries with four years of degradation 🥹

@Metaforest @app_settings

Phew you were big timing! That would have been like 500-600 songs I think? My first hard drive was 2GB and I filled it up in about a week after we got DSL. It was a lot harder when we had 56k prior to that, but not for lack of trying, lol I still have a lot of those same MP3s! If I still had all of the burned CDs, I would be in heaven, because I had a lot of music from MP3.com from local bands that never made it "big".

@tommithetechie @ghoulbasement 😌 You're so young Napster helped you with your personal collection, CDs and hard drives were the main ways to grow your list exponentially. I remember my first Lenovo laptop with 5GB, and thinking "I would never fill all this space in my lifetime 😮" 😅

Finally upgraded my HDD, and 20GB? I'll never run out.

@bugler oh, I do not know this show. I just searched it up, looks interesting! I am adding this to my list to check out, now

@tommithetechie They built one of these in Dr. Stone, which was fascinating to see because I didn't know the tech existed when I saw the episode.

This massive wall of neatly arranged circuit drawers is the MUSASINO-1B, a 1960 parametron computer. It used parametrons for its logic circuits, giving it a distinctive place in early computer history. Parametrons were logic elements used in early Japanese computers, and in the MUSASINO line they formed the machine’s logic circuits instead of transistors. In simple terms, they let engineers build a digital computer around magnetic-resonance switching, which is part of what makes these machines feel so wonderfully different from the usual vacuum-tube or transistor story. It blows my mind to imagine the care that went into building something this intricate. The MUSASINO-1 architecture was modeled on the ILLIAC I so the team could use its software library, which is such a smart and practical detail. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MUSASINO-1 museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/da… en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parametron #RetroTech #VintageComputing #TechHistory

@barryzed I agree with that! AQFP is carrying the parametron idea forward

@tommithetechie Adiabatic Quantum Flux Parametrons carry on the legacy.

@Metaforest @app_settings I get this... that would eventually drive me to do something probably.

@tommithetechie @app_settings Yeah. I also can't leave it gathering dust on the corner of my desk glowering at me.

@Metaforest @app_settings oh goodness! I would have been dumbfounded (and probably hurt, knowing me). I've thankfully never had to deal with that... SOMEHOW. It sounds like dad probably had that under control, I am glad to know that no one was hurt!

@tommithetechie @app_settings My dad had a not so funny story a couple of years ago when he learned the hard way how dangerous a spicy pillow can be. Thankfully no one was hurt beyond pride... He's a retired, Navy trained, radio RF/Power systems engineer.

@macdonaldncode Sometimes it just takes a little perspective change 😆

@tommithetechie Oh, this is neat. Makes my 3D printer troubleshooting seem pretty straightforward by comparison!

@FWill164996 Yes! compared with vacuum type computers, this was generally more heat efficient. Parametrons were known for lower energy consumption. (Still used more juice than transistor-based machines though)

@tommithetechie Since it was a phase transition was the computer any more heat efficient?

@GobstopperUK Actually yes! There are some words and names out there that are just impressive and fun to say

@tommithetechie They ought to receive an award just for the name.

@radioactivered a pure work of art! ... the exact opposite of what my desk currently looks like. I'm impressed every time that I look at it.

@tommithetechie That’s beautiful

@End33Madness52 oh this is a good find, I'm saving this! Thank you!

@tommithetechie Elementary Principle of Parametron by Saburo Muroga

@killnotsees Agreed! They are really fun... but yes, some impressive manual engineering for sure. I cannot even imagine doing all of that by hand!

@tommithetechie amazing technology... Parametrons are probably one of the deepest studies ive spiralled into... ive been trying a variation of their designs in simulation and yes, incredibly hard to match impedance across cascading circuits... imagine doing this by hand, wow!

@RickHunter7 @ghoulbasement It would take you years to get all of those from Napster, you would be set for life after you did though

@tommithetechie @ghoulbasement Or like... 5000 mp3 songs!!

@Metaforest @app_settings Spicy pillows are not my idea of a good time! I do not blame you for not wanting to disturb that

@tommithetechie @app_settings My 5S battery died... I haven't bothered to replace it yet. I'm not ready to deal with disturbing a spicy pillow.

I remember the site pretty well, I was friends with one of Eric Bauman's friends from the area around the time it was founded, so I got to know him indirectly. I then spent a ridiculous amount of time on the site over the next few years before it was purchased and moved and then they got booted

Before Youtube, we used ebaumsworld. Do you remember?