53 years ago today!
Category: Tech
The Great DECline
One of the few remaining vestiges of the once-mighty Digital Equipment Corporation is about to fall.
https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/30/intel_dec_massachusetts_demolished/
In 1986, Fortune magazine named DEC founder and CEO Ken Olsen as America’s most successful entrepreneur.
https://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1986/10/27/68216/
It would have been laughable in 1986 to suggest that within five years Olsen would be forced out of the company he began in 1957, but that was exactly what happened. By 1996 the end of DEC, the former Massachusetts economic powerhouse, was in sight, after 40 years in business.
https://digital.com/digital-equipment-corporation/
In 1991 there was a recession that hit Massachusetts particularly hard. Every Massachusetts minicomputer company quickly declined, as the PC revolution took over. DEC, along with Data General, Prime, Wang, and Apollo all disappeared, but the Internet revolution came in just as quickly in 1995, and the economy turned around.
https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=6777978
P.S. Allison Acoustics was another Massachusetts business that went under during the recession that began in ’91, when Roy Allison’s bank pulled his line of credit.
Science and the Bible
Conservative Christians think scientists aren’t religious, but look at the work they’re putting into studying just part of Genesis 1:1!
Send for Clarence
Take Five: Captured in exquisite detail, @NASAWebb peered through the thick dust of Stephan’s Quintet, a galaxy cluster showing huge shockwaves and tidal tails. This is a front-row seat to galactic evolution: https://t.co/63zxpNDi4I #UnfoldTheUniverse pic.twitter.com/em9wSJPkEU
— NASA (@NASA) July 12, 2022
Hmm… where have I seen that celestial grouping before?
https://www.wral.com/Classic-film-Its-a-Wonderful-Life-features-angelic-galaxies/18849527/
No Old House
The house across the street is getting a major addition, along with renovations to the existing structure. I told the 30-ish homeowner that when he gets to the front steps, walkway, and driveway, he would do well to hire the same contractors that I did.
As we were discussing the extensive work he is having done, I mentioned This Old House. “What’s that?” he asked. “Uh, the PBS TV series… ?” No reaction. “… on GBH?” Still nothing.
Who doesn’t know about This Old House? A lot of people, it seems, especially Millennials.
It’s Full of Stars!
Johnny Storm’s reaction to Reed Richards showing him the first Webb Space Telescope images.
