The Great Geek Manual

1877
Thomas Alva Edison coins the word “Hello” as a greeting as an alternative to the one suggested by inventor Alexander Bell, “Ahoy, Ahoy.” He remarks in a letter to a friend in Pittsburgh, “I don’t think we shall need a call bell as Hello! can be heard 10 to 20 feet away. What do you think?”

Thomas Edison makes the first-ever audio recording, “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”
Hear the recording at NPR Radio

1918
The Sinking of the Lusitania, written and directed by Winsor McCay, is released in the US. It is the first full-length feature cartoon film, featuring over twenty five thousand individual drawings which took twenty-two months to produce. The twelve minute silent film is a an educational explanation of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania. It’s the first of many such films published with the express intent of generating anti-German sentiment during World War I.

1939
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) premieres the fantasy film The Wizard of Oz, directed by Victor Fleming, among several other uncredited directors, and starring Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Billie Burke, and Margaret Hamilton, at Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California. While it isn’t the first film presented in color, it’s the film that brings Technicolor into the mainstream. It will be released nationwide August 25, 1939. IMDB listing MPAA Rating: G

1945
The Westinghouse Electric Corporation first proposes a television broadcast system employing aircraft called Stratovision, which could relay signals across the United States. According to the proposal, the system, which was to be developed in cooperation with the Glenn L Martin aviation company, would reach seventy-eight percent of the country with fourteen airplanes equipped with transmitters holding at an altitude of thirty thousand feet at a cost of one thousand dollars an hour.

1947
Telephone service is introduced on an experimental basis on moving trains.

1977
The Big Ear radio telescope, operated by the Ohio State University by the SETI project, receives a strong seventy-two second narrowband radio signal from deep space. The event is named the “Wow! signal” for the notation made by a volunteer on the record of the signal. It will never be detected again.

1984
Commodore International Ltd. announces that they will acquire the Amiga Corporation of Santa Clara, California.

1986
Nintendo releases the ground-breaking platform game Metroid for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the US. It is the first of what will be a long and popular game franchise for Nintendo. Visit the Metroid franchise’s official website.

1991
Ninja Gaiden is released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the Europe. In the game, a ninja named Ryu Hayabusa finds a letter by his recently missing father, Ken, telling him to go to America and meet with an archaeologist named Dr. Smith. Smith tells Ryu that two statues hidden by Ryu’s father have the power to bring about the end the world if reunited. Ryu travels to South America where he must battle Jaquio, the evil mastermind responsible for the attack on Ken Hayabusa.

1994
Microsoft Windows 95 programmer Benjamin Slivka, who, along with three other programmers, was assigned to research features for the operating system’s successors, sends an email to co-workers suggesting a web browser as a feature. The suggestion will lead to the development of the Microsoft Internet Explorer and the long rivalry with Netscape, which will release its browser only days after Slivka’s message.

1996
Gunpei Yokoi resigns from Nintendo and founds his own company, Koto, on September 11.

Netscape Communications Corporation establishes Navio Communications, Inc. to focus on game console-based Internet software development.

Nokia releases the Nokia 9000 Communicator, which was introduced at the CeBIT fair earlier this year, to retailers. It integrates a GSM cellular phone with a personal organizer for the first time. The Communicator features an Intel 24MHz 386 CPU, the Geos 3.0 operating system, and 8MB of memory, which is divided between applications (4MB), program memory (2MB), and user data (2MB). In April 1997, the communicator will be featured in the movie The Saint.

1997
Warner Bros. releases the comicbook action film Steel, directed by Kenneth Johnson and starring Shaquille O’Neal, Annabeth Gish, Judd Nelson, and Richard Roundtree, to 1,260 US theaters. The film is based on the DC Comics character of the same name from DC Comics. In the film, John Henry Irons is a weapons designer for the United States military. When his project to create weapons that harmlessly neutralize soldiers is eradicated, he resigns in disgust. When he discovers that gangs are using the weapons that he designed, he uses his resources and his Uncle Joe’s junkyard to fight back. The film is a flop both critically and financially. Produced on a budget of US$16 million, the film will gross US$870,068 domestically in its opening weekend and a meager US$1,686,429 during the entire course of its box office run. IMDB listing MPAA Rating: PG-13

1998
Apple Computer begins shipping the iMac 233MHz, otherwise known as the iMac G3, to retail outlets in the US. The system features a 233MHz processor, an ATI Rage IIc graphics card with 2MB of SGRAM. The systems is only available with a Bondi Blue case, with the reset hole set in the side panel. It is also the only original iMac model to have an infrared port. The model will be almost entirely responsible for returning Apple to profitability. According to Apple, over 150,000 orders for the system have been received since they began accepting them on Monday, August 3. Price: US$1299

1999
Version 1.10 of HydraBBS is released.

2000
Bret McDanel, a dissatisfied former employee of Tornado Development, Inc., a provider of web-based email and voice mail services, sends a single email to approximately 5,600 of the company’s clients using the moniker “Secret Squirrel” warning them of a security vulnerability that would permit malicious users to piggyback a previous secure session, grab the unique session ID and thereby read a user’s email despite the fact that the company’s site promised that email was secure. The email explains why customer data is at risk and directs them to a website with more detailed information on how to fully exploit the flaw. McDanel had previously warned the company of the flaw, but he had grown dissatisfied with the pace at which Tornado was addressing the issue. The emails, which are released over three days to avoid flooding the Tornado’s servers, come six months after McDanel quit, after he discovered that the company had still not addressed the issue. Unfortunately, the whistle blower, age 29, will eventually be charged with violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) and sentenced to sixteen months in prison. After serving his sentence, McDanel continues his appeals until, in October of 2003, the Ninth District Court of Appeals concedes that the evidence did not establish an intent to “damage” as required by the statute. Read more at FindLaw’s Writ.

Compaq Computer introduces the Compaq iPAQ Home Internet Appliance IA-1, featuring an AMD K6-2 processor, 32MB SDRAM, 16MB flash memory, a 56kbps modem, a 10.1-inch 800×600 resolution color display, an infrared keyboard, the Windows CE operating system. Price: US$599 or U$199 with a three-year MSN access contract.

Following an unsuccessful attempt to acquire Borland, Michael Cowpland resigns as chairman and chief executive officer of the Corel software company.

The UK website of Honda is hacked by “pimpshizpimpshiz” in protest of the lawsuit brought against Napster, A&ampM Records, Inc. v. Napster, Inc. The website is replaced with a message address to the rock band Metallica. The message reads, “Filing a law suit against Napster has probably made you lose your image, fans, and sales. All because you either wanted more money(not like you had enough to begin with, right!?) or because you wanted publicity. Well you got your publicity. If you haven’t realized you have also caused a chain reaction of other problems. Software developers looking for the same fame Napster got(which probably wasn’t intended) — but now everyone is devising plans to make themselves popular like Napster did, if they shut down. In turn making your so called “problems” even worse. If you wanted it this way, you got it.” View an archived version of the defaced website.

2001
Egghead.com, a computer software retailer, announces that it has filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection, that it laid off about one hundred eighty employees, and that it will be selling its assets to the Fry’s Electronics retail chain. “We regret having to take this action, which was forced on us in recent weeks by a dramatic and unexpected decline in sales,” said Jeff Sheahan, president and chief executive officer of Egghead.com. “That made it impossible to reach profitability in the fourth quarter. We investigated a number of alternatives and were pleased with Fry’s offer to purchase the assets of the company and continue running the business, as the Egghead brand name is a strong and vibrant one. We believe this action will allow the company to realize the value for its assets, which will benefit our creditors.”

A team of scientists headed by Professor Edward Felton of Princeton University releases a paper that reveals serious security flaws in the anti-piracy technology supported by the music industry. Visit Felton’s official website.

The International Space Station (ISS) briefly “floats” adrift due to a computer glitch. On board, astronauts use jets on the Space Shuttle Discovery to restore flight stability.

Lawrence Livermore Laboratory, a United States Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory, in Livermore, California unveils the most powerful computer ever constructed in the world. Named the Advanced Interactive eXecutive (AIX), it was built by International Business Machines (IBM), and it is programmed to simulate the explosive effects of a nuclear bomb. It weighs about the same as seventeen adult elephants and requires the same energy to cool as 765 residential homes. It can accomplish the same number of calculations in a single second that a standard calculator would take ten million years to accomplish. Read more at IBM’s official website.

Titus Software releases the chess game Virtual Kasparov for the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation. The game includes interviews with Garry Kasparov and replays of his most famous games. ESRB: E (Everyone)

2003
The book Dungeons and Dreamers: The Rise of Computer Game Culture From Geek to Chic by Brad King and John Borland is published by McGraw-Hill Osborne Media. (ISBN: 0072228881) The book chronicles the rise of the computer gaming culture from the early seventies through the present, featuring the stories of such programming pioneers as Richard Garriott, creator of the Ultima Online series, Richard Bartle and Roy Trubshaw, creators of the first MUD (multiple-user dungeon), John Carmack and John Romero, creators of Doom, and more. Listen to an interview with the book’s author. Visit the book’s official website. Length: 273 pages Price: US$24.95

The Mission: SPACE, a motion simulator attraction at Epcot opens to the public. It simulates what an astronaut might experience aboard a spacecraft on a mission to Mars, from the higher g-force of blastoff to the fictitious hypersleep used by passengers to pass the time during the journey. The attraction is sponsored by Hewlett-Packard, was constructed at a cost of US $100 Million, and facilitates 1,600 guests an hour.

New Line Cinema releases the horror film Freddy vs. Jason, directed by Ronny Yu and starring Robert Englund, Monica Keena, and Kelly Rowland, to 3,014 US theaters. The film is a crossover featuring Jason Voorhees of the Friday the 13th franchise and Freddy Krueger of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. Produced on a budget of US$30 million, the film will gross US$36,428,066 domestically in its opening weekend. Visit the film’s official website. IMDB listing MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 1 hr 38 mins

2004
Electronic Arts (EA) discontinues online service for the game The Sims Bustin’ Out. Players can no longer congregate online to meet and join opponents, but the change does not effect peer-to-peer play.

Version 1.3 of Torrentflux, a multi-user GUI for BitTornado, is released for Windows. Visit the application’s official website.

2005
Andrew J. Steffl discovers the moons of Pluto, Hyda and Nix, in images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope on May 15, 2005 and May 18, 2005. The discovery is made independently but after Max J. Mutchler, who made the same discover on June 15. The discoveries were announced on October 31, 2005, after confirmation by precoveries from 2002. The moons were provisionally designated S/2005 P 1 (Hydra) and S/2005 P 2 (Nix). Read more

Falcom releases Xanadu Next for the N-Gage handheld video game system in the US. ESRB: T (Teen)

Nintendo releases the first person action adventure Geist for the GameCube in the US. ESRB: M (Mature)

Nokia releases Xanadu Next The Roots: Gates of Chaos for the N-Gage handheld video game system in the US.

THQ releases WWE Aftershock for the N-Gage handheld video game system in the US. ESRB: T (Teen)

2006
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) releases the Opteron 1210 processor operating at 1800MHz, the Opteron 1212 processor operating at 2000MHz, Opteron 1214 processor operating at 2200MHz, Opteron 1216 processor operating at 2600MHz, and the Opteron 1218 processor operating at 2800MHz, all of which feature two 1024 KiB level two caches.

Microsoft Game Studios releases the fantasy hack and slash Ninety-Nine Nights for the Xbox 360 in North America. The game receives a great deal of attention for its superb graphics. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: M (Mature)

Phantom Entertainment removes the Phantom Console from the Products page of the company’s website. However, the Phantom website does indicate that the software component of the Phantom, the Phantom Game Service, is now being developed to deliver online content for the Windows XP operating system in a system comparable to Valve’s Steam.

PlayLogic International releases the shooter Xyanide for the Xbox in the US. ESRB: T (Teen)

Square Enix releases the third-person shooter Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII for the PlayStation 2 in North America. It is a sequel to the popular 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII. ESRB: T (Teen)

Version 2.0 Aqua Beta 2 of NeoOffice, the open source OpenOffice.org office suite ported to Mac OS X, is released. Visit the application’s official website.

The Voyager 1 space probe, the most far distant man-made object in space, reaches a distance of one hundred astronomical units (15,000 million km or 9,300 million miles) from the Sun, meaning that it is one hundred times more distant from the sun than the Earth. At such great distance, the sun is a mere point of light, so solar energy is not an option, but having a nuclear power source, Voyager 1 continues to transmit data. The spacecraft, launched nearly thirty years earlier, on September 5, 1977, has flown beyond the outer planets and reached the heliosheath, the outer edge of the solar system, where the sun’s influence wanes. Voyager 1 continues traveling at a speed of about one million miles per day and will cross into interstellar space within a decade.

2007
The AppleWorks office suite is discontinued. The suite was originally released for the Apple II in 1984.

Microsoft Game Studios releases the puzzle game Hexic 2 for the Xbox 360 in Europe, Japan, and the US. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: E (Everyone)