Edit: I still have a landline and a Model M.
Originally posted February 24, 2015 on AIXchange
I like watching many of the old movies aired on TCM (aka, The Movie Channel). In addition to enjoying the stories being told, I just love seeing the clothing and the buildings and the landscapes of bygone eras. While I understand that much of what I’m viewing is actually black and white footage of Hollywood sets and interiors — as opposed to the “real world” that existed back then — I still find it fascinating to hear how people talked and see how they went about their daily lives.
I know I’m far from alone in this belief, but as a fan of old films, I’m convinced that they aren’t many new ideas coming out of modern Hollywood. A lot of premises and situations that hit the big screen 75 or more years ago are still being recycled today.
With this in mind, I want to tell you about some old films that offer a glimpse into world of technology. A number of great videos are available on YouTube, and as much as our machines have changed over generations, a lot of the information being presented remains relevant.
For instance, check out this 1937 video (produced by Chevrolet) that explains the technology behind an automobile’s differential. Tempting as it may be to dismiss this film based on that dorky intro music alone, there’s valuable information here. The filmmakers do a great job of explaining how engineers were able to solve the problems associated with sending power to two rear wheels. Honestly, I never realized that automobile engines could only deliver power to one wheel prior to this innovation.
In 1965, IBM UK came out with this production that I believe still holds up nicely. Entitled “Man and Computer,” this video reduces a computer to five basic functions: input, memory, calculation, output and a control unit. It’s also fun to see the symbols they used to represent each of these terms — among them, adding machines and typewriters. Everything covered here — how computers use instructions, how those instructions become a program, basic on/off electrical states — is explained simply enough for the non-technical user to understand. (And keep in mind that a half century ago, almost no one used computers.)
This video was so good it had me thinking fondly about the days of punch cards. Luckily for me, I quickly discovered this video about punch cards.
As I said, technology has obviously and immeasurably changed since these old films were produced. Nonetheless, I think even in the computer world, some of our early innovations still have value. Consider computing’s timeline: Once, timeshare machines predominated. Eventually, we got personal computers. When we wanted our disparate computers to be able to communicate with one another, client/server emerged. Then came the public Internet, virtual desktops and the cloud. Oh and the mainframe: Wasn’t that supposed to die 20 years ago? Wasn’t proprietary UNIX supposed to go with it? Yet here we are in 2015 with powerful new mainframes and POWER8 processors.
Of course I love new technologies. New servers running POWER8 are so much more powerful than their predecessors. Naturally, I want to see progress. At the same time, I still use a landline phone. Landlines remain the best option for long-running conference calls. I never worry about poor cellular connections or drained batteries. In addition, I prefer the old-school ThinkPad keyboards to any current keyboard design. And obviously, I still cling to my model M keyboard.
Embracing what’s new is fine, but just because something is brand new, that doesn’t mean we should throw out everything that came before it.