The Home Computer of 2004
Caption below the image reads:
Scientists from the RAND Corporation have created this model to illustrate how a “home computer” could look like in year 2004. However the needed technology will not be economically feasible for the average home. Also the scientists readily admit that the computer will require not yet invented technology to actually work, but 50 years from now scientific progress is expected to solve these problems. With teletype interface and the Fortran language, the computer will be easy to use and only [truncated]
Could you imagine what they would have predicted a “portable” computer would look like?
Update: Turns out this is a hoax. I got this from del.icio.us/popular — the original image came from here… from some guy named Scott
September 20th, 2004 at 5:25 AM PDT
Home Computer 2004 - Not!
From Manalang via Scobleizer have a look at what they thought a Home PC would look like in 1954. If my blog about the pace of change is right, our predictions for the next 10 years are going to be…
September 20th, 2004 at 5:42 AM PDT
Home Computer 2004 - Not!
From Manalang via the fabulous We Make Money Not Art, here’s what they thought a Home PC would look like in 1954. Scientists from the RAND Corporation have created this model to illustrate how a ?home computer? could look…
September 20th, 2004 at 6:07 AM PDT
Il y a 50 ans, les scientifiques pr?sentaient l’ordinateur de 2004
Les chercheurs de la compagnie RAND ont pr?sent? ce mod?le pour illustrer de quoi aurait l’air un ordinateur personnel en 2004.
Photo: manalang.com via Scobleizer
September 20th, 2004 at 7:21 AM PDT
Home Computer of the Future
September 20th, 2004 at 7:51 AM PDT
The
September 20th, 2004 at 8:00 AM PDT
This hoax picture is a great example of the power of Photoshop.
Spider
September 20th, 2004 at 8:40 AM PDT
Classic: Home Computers of 2004
Aparently, this is what computers of 2004 were supposed to look like. Wonder what happened?…
September 20th, 2004 at 9:10 AM PDT
What Spider said. Looks like something the Onion put together. Even in 1954 they probably wouldn’t think of a computer with analog readouts, a steering wheel, and a 60/70’s era DECWriter!
September 20th, 2004 at 9:15 AM PDT
hey i want a steering wheel on my pc :’( that guy must have designed the l33t gaming rig of 2004. with all those readouts he must have been a flight sim legend
September 20th, 2004 at 10:55 AM PDT
Actually, it’s not a steering wheel, it’s a pair of throttle control wheels from a marine steam turbine engine!
September 20th, 2004 at 11:21 AM PDT
A comment at Scobleizer recognized the control panel of a 688 submarine, I found the photo here. Roy Green is right about the DECWriter. I found the photo of that here.
September 20th, 2004 at 12:11 PM PDT
At least they got Fortran right
for David anyway. The 2004 home computer as predicted 50 years ago. http://manalang.com/archives/2004/09/19/the-home-computer-of-2004/ “With teletype interface and the Fortran language, the computer will be easy to use” via Scoble…
September 20th, 2004 at 1:34 PM PDT
Home Computer 2004
September 20th, 2004 at 2:03 PM PDT
September 20th, 2004 at 2:06 PM PDT
Looking back at computer history
September 20th, 2004 at 3:14 PM PDT
Hoax or not, that is truly hilarious. Thanks for posting it. Much enjoyed. I hope to upgrade to something like this in the near future. Maybe 2054.
September 20th, 2004 at 4:52 PM PDT
The
September 20th, 2004 at 5:29 PM PDT
It’s 2004–does your home PC look like this? I kinda wish mine did. JWalk has a funny story about this
September 20th, 2004 at 6:07 PM PDT
[...] 2004
Yesterday, I posted this entry on “The Home Computer of 2004” and somehow caught the e [...]
September 20th, 2004 at 7:44 PM PDT
[...] 212; Michael Geary @ 12:44 pm Rich Manalang posted a hilarious picture yesterday of the home computer of 2004, as envisioned by RAND Corporation scientists 50 yea [...]
September 20th, 2004 at 9:37 PM PDT
I wish my Mac had a big wheel like that.
If it did, I wouldn’t look quite so weird when I’m sitting at my desk and shout “Hard astern! Hard astern full!”
September 21st, 2004 at 2:29 AM PDT
50 years ago THIS is what they predicted for a home PC
September 21st, 2004 at 11:42 AM PDT
Love the steering wheel. Wonder what kind of mileage that thing gets…
September 21st, 2004 at 12:35 PM PDT
Came on a link from Scoble…
I was on the Enterprise (the real one) and the reactor plant control panel looked basically the same. Weird how seing that photo made me almost spit out my coffee–it’s been 13 years since I’ve seen it up close and I can still recognize it.
September 22nd, 2004 at 2:14 AM PDT
[...] : GlowNavy — skillzy @ 9:13 pm
Diversionz linked to a picture of “The Home Computer of 2004“(be sure and click the picture for a bigger vi [...]
September 22nd, 2004 at 3:36 PM PDT
Came on a link from a friend, got a discussion of what the hell the wheel could be for going at the North American Subaru Impreza Owner’s Club (NASIOC)
linky
September 22nd, 2004 at 5:58 PM PDT
> what the hell the wheel could be for
Scrolling…
September 24th, 2004 at 5:45 PM PDT
> Scrolling
Isn’t it too heavy for the foreginger ?
September 28th, 2004 at 9:29 AM PDT
It was for a Fark Photoshop contest, done by a user named lukket and debunked by Snopes here:
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/computer.asp
October 1st, 2004 at 11:33 AM PDT
But WHO is the guy on the picture?
September 13th, 2007 at 8:51 AM PDT
I will attack your countries military defence by hiring elite hackers to completly steal your information while trashin your hard drives… I love Iraq!