Tech News Today 785: Busted Bitcoin

Shows/ Tech News Today / June 28th, 2013

Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Jason Howell

Google working on a game console and a watch, TW Cable comes to Xbox, Facebook may get chat rooms, and more.

Guests: Darren Kitchen and Len Peralta

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Running time:: 0:50:42

Tech History Today – June 28, 2013

Today in Tech History / June 28th, 2013

In 1928 – Austrian Friedrich Schmiedl launched his first experimental rocket from a balloon 50,000 feet over Graz, Austria,. The rocket was not recovered, but later tests were successful leading to rocket delivered mail.

In 1965 – Officials in the US and Europe conducted the first commercial telephone conversation over satellite Early Bird I. The satellite also began operation for television transmission “live via satellite” as well.

In 1982 – Microsoft unveiled a new corporate logo with the famous “blibbet” of horizontal lines in the first O. New packaging, and a comprehensive set of retail dealer support materials came along with the blibbet.

Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.

Tech News Today 784: Payments in Spaaaace

Shows/ Tech News Today / June 27th, 2013

Hosts: Tom Merritt, Sarah Lane, Iyaz Akhtar and Jason Howell

FTC wants you to reclaim your name, does Apple pay better than Pandora? Sony killed the camera to beat Xbox price, and more.

Guest: Steve Kovach

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Submit and vote on story coverage at technewstoday.reddit.com.

Check out the full show notes for today’s episode.

We invite you to read, add to, and amend the wiki entry for this episode at wiki.twit.tv.

Thanks to Cachefly for the bandwidth for this show.

Running time:: 0:44:46

Tech History Today – June 27, 2013

Today in Tech History / June 27th, 2013

In 1967 – The world’s first ATM was installed at a Barclays Bank branch in Enfield Town, England, United Kingdom.

In 1972 – Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney filed incorporation papers for Atari, Inc. and got ready to release it’s first product, a game called Pong.

In 1995 – Spyglass Inc. went public, the year after it began distributing its Spyglass Mosaic Web browser. The Spyglass browser powered the first version of Internet Explorer and had code in IE all the way up to IE 7.

In 2008 – Bill Gates spent his last day as an employee of the company he founded, Microsoft, to focus on the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. He remained Chairman of the Board.

In 2012 – Sergey Brin interrupted a Google announcement of the new Google + app to show off the Project Glass smart glasses by having sky divers wearing the prototypes, jump out of a zeppelin and land on the Moscone Convention Center in downtown San Francisco, while streaming video in a Google hangout.

Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.

Tech News Today 783: More Tiles Than My Bathroom

Shows/ Tech News Today / June 26th, 2013

Hosts: Tom Merritt, Iyaz Akhtar and Jason Howell

What Microsoft announced at BUILD, FTC chides search engines for ads, Discovery’s plan to charge you more, and more.

Guest: Stuart Miles

Download or subscribe to this show at twit.tv/tnt.

Submit and vote on story coverage at technewstoday.reddit.com.

Check out the full show notes for today’s episode.

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Thanks to Cachefly for the bandwidth for this show.

Running time:: 0:44:19

July Book Pick: Because you are so awesome

Shows/ Sword and Laser / June 26th, 2013

Wow. That was a more exciting election since Iran’s last week. We even got insinuations of voter fraud! We’ve made it!

So right down to the wire Larry Niven’s Ringworld just barely edged out John Scalzi’s Redshirts.

Neither is a perfect choice for everyone. We’ve done Mr. Scalzi’s books as a main pick recently and as an alternate book previously so he’s had lots of coverage. on the other hand there does not seem to be a legit ebook of Ringwolrd (there are print copies and audio copies) which is a deal killer for some.

So here’s what the electoral commission has decided. Ringworld got the most votes. It’s our pick for July. But for the first time since before we went to a strict monthly schedule, we will have an OFFICIAL alternate pick. The votes were just too damn close.

So get out there and read whichever one you like. I’ll be diving into both and I know Veronica already has read Redshirts.

And remember no book pick is ever going to please everyone in this club. It’s not meant to. It’s meant to expose you to books you might not pick up otherwise. And if you’re grumbling about not having an ebook, remember the people who often grumble that the book is not in the library and they don’t have ereaders. We’re all in this together.

Now go enjoy some reading!

*In absence of Veronica who is on vacation electroal commission consisted of Tom and his two dogs. 

  

Tech History Today – June 26, 2013

Today in Tech History / June 26th, 2013

In 1954 – At 5:30 PM the world’s first nuclear power station was connected to the power grid Obninsk, U.S.S.R., a small town 60 miles south of Moscow.

In 1974 – At 8:01 AM, a supermarket cashier scanned a 10-pack of Wrigley’s chewing gum across a bar-code scanner at Marsh Supermarket in Troy, Ohio. It was the first product ever checked out by Universal Product Code.

In 1997 – The US Supreme Court struck down a portion of the Communications Decency Act as violating the first amendment protecting free speech.

Like Tech History? Purchase Tom Merritt’s Chronology of Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.