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April Fools Day Computer Technology and Gadgets
April Fools Day Computer Technology and Gadgets
Finally, Byte magazine featured a new portable computer, available from the Honda Corporation, called the "Transporter":
Byte later received a call from a USA Today reporter inquiring about the Transporter.
The first truly transportable computer. With a few simple twists, you can transform the Transporter from a portable computer (with full keyboard, 24-line by 80-column display, and two microfloppy-disk drives) into a single-passenger automobile... The Transporter is 100 percent compatible with the popular Toyota Corolla and runs on most operating roads.
Byte later received a call from a USA Today reporter inquiring about the Transporter.
| Categories: Technology, Cars, Computers, Magazines and Journals, United States, 1985, Fictitious Products. |
The 5-megabyte Hard Drive (1982)
In its "What's New" section Byte Magazine announced the introduction of a 5-megabyte hard disk for the Sinclair ZX81:Responding to an obvious need of ZX81 owners for more data storage space, Hindsight Engineering has developed a 5-megabyte hard-disk system for the Sinclair ZX81. The system is available in either assembled or kit forms. The kit includes instructions for building your own clean room for kit assembly. A DOS will soon be available.
At the time, 5 megabytes seemed like an impossibly large size. Nevertheless, hundreds of readers wrote to the magazine requesting more information.
| Categories: Technology, Computers, Magazines and Journals, United States, 1982, Fictitious Products. |
Erase-Only Memory (1982)
Byte Magazine also described an "erase-only memory" circuit in it's "What's New" section:The Stanislowski Electronics 3131.3 is a 4 Kbyte, vigorous, random-access erase-only memory (RAEOM) Imaginary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (IMOS) integrated circuit (IC)... Possible applications include disposing of obsolete data and programs, destroying incriminating evidence, and amusing computer hobbyists. Due to the patented IMOS process, the 3131.3 remains fully functional even when power is removed, making it ideal for use during power blackouts.
| Categories: Technology, Computers, Magazines and Journals, United States, 1982, Fictitious Products. |
Debugging Tool (1982)
A third April Fool's day product featured by Byte magazine was a Debugging Tool that "Irons Out Circuit Problems":The General Electric Model F340 Electric Iron serves as a handy debugging tool for crucial logic circuits that must exhibit planar topology or use especially thin-film substrates. Using the latest deionized-vapor-injection technology, the Model F340 can be used with circuits arrayed on fiber substrates up to 0.1 cm (approximately 1/8 inch) thick, assuming proper adjustments for duration of treatment.
| Categories: Technology, Computers, Magazines and Journals, United States, 1982, Fictitious Products. |
The Black-Hole Diode (1981)
Another new addition in the small-components market is the 7N-∞ BHD (black-hole diode). This device has two inputs and no output. Care must be taken to shield this component appropriately or it may absorb the unit it is placed in. The 7N-∞ will accept any voltage or current value. It is useful for GI (garbage-in) applications. Due to the light-absorption qualities of the device, we could not provide a photograph. Contact Spatial Regression Ltd, POB 463, Paulborough NH 03458.
| Categories: Technology, Computers, Magazines and Journals, United States, 1981, Fictitious Products. |
Byte Magazine published a technology update describing, in highly technical language, an invention that it called the “first practical Touring Machine” (which bore a strong resemblance to a bicycle):This month in the hills of New Hampshire, we discovered an example of computer technology in the form of the first practical Touring Machine, shown here complete with a unary relocatable based operator (in IBM OS PL/1 parlance). For those individuals having less than a passing acquaintance with computer science, the Turing machine is a famous mathematical construction first formulated some decades ago by Alan Mathison Turing, and which can be shown to be logically equivalent to any digital computer implementation. A Turing Machine is to computing what a Carnot cycle is to thermodynamics. (The fact that this particular Touring Machine implementation looks like a CarNot Cycle is purely incidental.) But Turing machines have been notoriously impractical in terms of everyday computer usage until this new product rolled into town. This newly released virtual Touring Machine, version 27 chain level 1, incorporates numerous state of the art features which make it one of the better examples of the form.
| Categories: Technology, Computers, Magazines and Journals, United States, 1976. |