Obscure Technology

The IBM 5150, the pinnacle of Moore’s law. The IBM 5150 is one of the first computers that really brought the keyboard and processor to the home. It revolutionized the market and help set the standards that other computer of the past and even now follow. It is hard to believe that a decade before computers were the size of a bedroom room, needing to be cooled with an air conditioner and run by a group of 20 men to being able to sit on top of a desk with double the processing power. The IBM 5150 was released on August 12, 1981 with relatively positive views. It was the first for the major computer company because they mostly dominated the office space, but began to be interested in the home market as IBM saw the growth of consumer pc. There was 40,000 IBM 5150 pc order on the day of the announcement and the numbers grew. This was a major blow towards IBM new competitors Apple and Atari and other smaller companies as IBM would also take over the new personal market as well as the o...

Betamax, the official device of  “is that a VHS?” question. The Betamax format is one of the earliest form of box office movies in the home. It was introduced in the United States by Sony in 1975, two years before JVC’s iconic VHS format. The “superior” Betamax always lagged behind VHS in terms of sales until Sony threw the towel in 1988. Yet there is not much of a difference between these two formats that would put one with a larger advantage than the other. The Betamax format is almost impossible to tell without mentioning the so called “Format Wars” that was between VHS and Betamax. It consisted, as you may have guessed, of the two format duking it out for dominance in the living room. What further helped encourage this was the backing of retail stores, manufacturers, etc picking sides to see who would win and become the default format people would use, I am sure you already know who won. What ultimately came down to that lead VHS to win was cost. JVC would allow other comp...

Eight-track, the official device of avoiding potholes and bumps while driving to prevent your jam from becoming interrupted by distortion and static. Eight-tracks once dominated in the car and home market, up to them even being used in radios stations for jiggles and such, now remain a distant memory which only a few would recollect. What did happen to the mighty eight-track and why did it vanish for popularity as fast as it came in? Before we can answer that here is some quick history. Although tape media existed as early as the 1940s, in the way of reel-to-reel, it failed to capture the casual market as the machines were expensive and a lot more complicated than vinyl records. It was not until 1964 Bill Lear of Lear Jet Corporation and other corporations like Ford Motor Company, GM, and Motorola helped to develop the 8-track. The reason for the backing of motor companies for 8-tracks is because the desire to get high quality audio removable media in cars, as FM radio...

Furby, the official toy of uneasy feelings since 1998. These toys were once the rage during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Every kid wanted one and every parent had to get it. Although they are unsettling to some, they are quite an interesting toy and very advance for their time, which most likely contributed to such high demand for them. The brilliant minds behind the Furby were Dave Hampton and Caleb Chung. They developed the Furby in 9 months and they spent an additional 9 months coming up with a design.They attempted twice to license the Furby concept until Richard C. Levy pitch the product to Tiger Electronics who would later show off at the American International Toy Fair. The initial sales price for Furby was $35 and became the must have toy of the 1998 holiday season. The resale price of Furbies was skyrocket to several hundred dollars as supply could not meet the demand. In a twelve month period, Furby would go off to sell over 27 million units. This would not be the last...

AM broadcasting, the official device of listening to the Boston Red Sox game in the car during a family trip to grandma’s house. AM broadcasting, believe it or not, did have its peak from the 1920s to the 1950s. It was known as the Golden Age of Radio and it was the way to get any form of entertainment at home. This was perfect for people living in rural area to get their entertainment and for politicians to reach the ears of millions with one microphone. It has established a new way for people to listen to the latest news and music, until FM and eventually televisions would take it’s spot. Many early radio attempts could only transmit radio signals a short distance and most just transmitted Morse through them. The first radio broadcast was done by the US Navy and its many stations on January 1 1905. Later France and the United States would establish a small market of receiver lines for jewelers to obtain the accurate time, which sparked the interest of many due to not only be ...

LaserDisc, The official device of every videophiles in the early 1990s and late 1980s. This video format is the definition of being ahead of its time. It was grand device in almost every way, for the time, but there was one factor that brought it down like for most revolutionary devices... the price. The players and the discs themselves were quite expensive compared to other formats at the time like VHS. Another contributing factor was the inability of the LaserDisc to record shows and other such things and the people unwillingness to change. Which really is such a sad thing because this is not exactly a bad format, the video and audio from these dinner plates of a disc are truly amazing compared to the stone age VHS. LaserDisc came out to market 2 years after the VHS in December 15, 1978 and 4 years before the CD (which was based on LaserDisc technology). It was released as DsicoVision by MCA and was commonly referenced as “video long play” due to the size of the disc. Pioneer El...

Most people know instant cameras as Polaroids which was a well know brand of instant cameras here in the United States. The instant camera was first invented by an American scientist named Edwin Land, who invented instant cameras to answer his daughter’s question on “Why can’t I see them now”, which I find very sweet. He created the Polaroid Model 95 in 1948, creating a huge success, and selling out in the first day. Polaroid would soon enter into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2008 and would cease to produce film and cameras (it is not until recently Polaroid started up production again). As you maybe have guess the increasing use of digital cameras brought the temporary end to the beloved instant cameras. Instant cameras, the official device of making every moment count, because it could be costly. This reminds me of a quote by one of the most famous Great Depression photographers, Dorothea Lange, in which she states, “One should really use the camera as though tomorrow you’...