The Great Geek Manual

1662
John Flamsteed records his first astronomical observations during a solar eclipse from his home in Derby at the age of sixteen. He corresponds with other astronomers regarding the observations, beginning a long career that will eventually lead him to become the Astronomer Royal of England.

1835
Charles Darwin arrives at the Galapagos Islands aboard the HMS Beagle. Over the coming five weeks, he will study the wildlife, which will inspire his theory of natural selection.

1908
Automotive manufacturer General Motors is founded. Visit the official GM website.

1983
Imagic eliminates forty of its one hundred seventy employees, due to the slowdown in the video game industry.

Infocom releases the interactive fiction game Infidel for personal computers. It is Infocom’s tenth game.

Orion Pictures releases the sci-fi comedy film Strange Invaders, directed by Michael Laughlin and starring Paul Le Mat, Nancy Allen, Diana Scarwid, Michael Lerner, Louise Fletcher, and Wallace Shawn, to 274 US theaters. The film is a spoof on the science fiction genre of the fifties, particularly The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The film will gross US$655,461 domestically in its opening weekend. IMDB listing MPAA Rating: PG Running Time: 1 hrs 33 min

1985
Apple Computer co-founder Steve Jobs resigns as chairman of Apple Computer after losing a boardroom struggle for control to CEO John Sculley, who Jobs had recruited from Pepsi for his excellent marketing experience. The same day, Jobs submits the company name Next, Incorporated to the California Secretary of State as the first step in founding a company he hoped would eventually drive Apple out of business.

Release 63 of the Infocom interactive fiction game Spellbreaker is published for personal computers. It is the third and final game in the “Enchanter Trilogy.”

1994
Universal Pictures releases the sci-fi thriller Timecop, directed by Peter Hyams and starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, Mia Sara, Ron Silver, Bruce McGill, and Gloria Reuben, to 2,228 US theaters. The film is based on the Dark Horse comic of the same title. In it, an officer for a security agency that regulates time travel, must fend for his life against a shady politician who has a tie to his past. Produced on a budget of US$30 million, the film will gross US$12,064,625 domestically in its opening weekend. IMDB listing MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 1 hrs 39 min

1995
Berkeley students crack into Tower Records/Video computers and charge US$20,000 in purchases.

1996
3DO, a leading video game console developer, announces that it plans to sell off its hardware business by the end of the year, shifting its focus to making entertainment software.

Microsoft unveils the Windows CE operating system for handheld computers. “CE” stands for Consumer Electronics. Code-name: Pegasus

1997
Apple Computer announces that it has named Steve Jobs the interim CEO of the company. Jobs had come back on board as an adviser to CEO Gil Amelio when Apple acquired his company, NeXT, for US$400 million. His appointment as CEO comes after Amelio was fired for leading Apple into one of the worst quarterly losses in Silicon Valley history.

The first version of the Scholarly Electronic Publishing Resources (SEPR), a directory of electronic resources for academic research, is published.

Microsoft releases MSN TV, an improved version of WebTV, following the acquistion of its Silicon Valley manufacturer earlier in the year for US$425 million. The product is Microsoft’s latest effort to expand MSN integration into a series of household appliances to expand its market.

1998
The 56 kbps V.90 modem standard is officially ratified.

Intel releases a low-power 266 MHz Pentium MMX processor designed for portable computers.

Motorola files a suit against AltoCom Inc. and PCTel, alleging infringements on high-speed modem technology patents.

NovaLogic launches Battle Space, an online system that allows gamers with different titles to compete against each other.

Paraguay authorities destroy five thousand pirated Nintendo systems that were seized in a forty-foot shipping container. The products were packaged like N64 systems, but they are actually illegally produced Nintendo Entertainment Systems (NES) that are preloaded with eight levels of an undisclosed game.

1999
Intel introduces the 433 and 466 MHz mobile Celeron processors. Price: US$159 and US$209 respectively, in 1000-unit quantities

Microsoft reveals that a potentially destructive email is being circulated worded as if it was sent by Microsoft’s own support operations. It offers an attachment described as a Y2K countdown program. Y2Kcount.exe is actually a “Trojan Horse” designed to damage data on users’ hard drives.

Patrick Naughton, age 34, an executive in charge of Walt Disney Company’s Go Network of Internet sites is arrested and charged with interstate travel with the intention of having sex with a minor. He is arraigned and released after posting a hundred thousand dollar bond. Naughton was caught by a young looking police officer posing as a thirteen-year-old girl after initiating lewd chats using the handle of “HotSeattle”. He is arrested on Santa Monica Pier, a public entertainment venue near Los Angeles.

Sony Corporation and Cablevision Systems Corporation announces a collaboration to develop a digital system that will allow consumers to watch movies, play video games, and exchange e-mail on one set-top box. The new system will be launched in the New York, New York area within the year.

2002
Infogrames releases The Terminator: Dawn of Fate for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. It is based on the Terminator film series. This game is based before and during the events that lead up to Kyle Reese being sent through the time displacement equipment, to protect Sarah Connor. ESRB: T (Teen)

Intel introduces the 1GHz Mobile Pentium III-M LV processor, featuring a 16KB Level 1 data cache, a 16KB Level 1 instruction cache, a 512KB Level-2 cache, a 133MHz system bus, MMX and SSE instructions, and a 64GB address space. It incorporates 44 million transistors in a 0.13-micron process. Code-name: Tualatin Price: US$316 in 1000-unit quantities

Intel introduces the 1.26 and 1.33GHz Mobile Pentium III-M processor, featuring a 16KB Level 1 data cache, a 16KB Level 1 instruction cache, a 512KB Level-2 cache, a 133 MHz system bus, MMX and SSE instructions, and a 64GB address space. It incorporates 44 million transistors in a 0.13-micron process. Code-name: Tualatin Price: US$401 (1.26 GHz) and US$508 (1.33 GHz) in 1000-unit quantities

Intel unveils the 1.6, 1.7, and 1.8 GHz Mobile Celeron processors, featuring a 256KB Level-2 Cache and a 400MHz Front Side Bus. Price: US$112 (1.6 GHz), US$134 (1.7 GHz), and US$149 (1.8 GHz) in 1000-unit quantities

Intel unveils the 2.2 GHz Pentium 4-M processor, featuring a 512KB Level-2 Cache and a 400MHz Front Side Bus. Price: US$562 in 1000-unit quantities

Intel introduces the 700 and 733MHz Mobile Celeron ULV processor, featuring a 16KB Level-1 data cache, 16KB Level 1 instruction cache, 256KB Level-2 cache, a 100MHz system bus, MMX and SSE instructions, and 64GB address space. It incorporates 44 million transistors in a 0.13-micron process. Code-name: Tualatin Price: US$144 in 1000-unit quantities

Intel introduces the 850 and 866MHz Mobile Pentium III-M ULV processor, featuring a 16KB Level 1 data cache, a 16KB Level 1 instruction cache, a 512KB Level-2 cache, a 133MHz system bus, MMX and SSE instructions, 64GB address space. It incorporates 44 million transistors in a 0.13-micron process. Code-name: Tualatin Price: US$209 in 1000-unit quantities

Konami releases Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance for the Game Boy Advance in the US. ESRB: T (Teen)

Nintendo releases Animal Crossing for the GameCube in North America. ESRB: E (Everyone)

Nintendo releases the e-Reader card scanner for the Game Boy Advance in the US. It scans dot codes on e-Reader cards, which can contain games and program enhancements. The reader contains 64 Megabits of memory, and one Megabit of Flash memory. Cards are available for numerous titles, including: Balloon Fight-e, Donkey Kong Jr.-e, Excitebike-e, Pinball-e, Tennis-e. Price: US$39.99 US$5 (Cards)

THQ releases the sports game Monsters Inc. Scream Arena for the Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, GameCube, and PlayStation 2 in the US. ESRB: E (Everyone)

2003
Acclaim Entertainment releases the racing game XGRA: Extreme-G Racing Association for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. ESRB: T (Teen)

Atlus releases the roleplaying game (rpg) Shining Soul for the Game Boy Advance in North America. ESRB: T (Teen)

Capcom releases the survival horror game Dino Crisis 3 for the Xbox in North America. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: M (Mature)

Intel releases the 3200MHz Pentium 4 Extreme Edition (EE) processor, featuring a 512KB Level-2 Cache, a 2048KB Level-2 Cache, and an 800MHz Front Side Bus.

In Paris, France, Apple Computer holds the Apple Expo 2003 trade show over five days. At the event, it unveils a new line of PowerBooks featuring processors with speed ranging from 1 GHz – 1.33 GHz and screens in 12, 15, and 17 inch widths.

Sierra Entertainment releases the real-time strategy game Homeworld 2 for personal computers. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: T (Teen)

Seagate Technology introduces the 200GB Barracuda 7200.7 hard drive. The model is the first consumer hard drive to pack a 100GB capacity into a 3.5-inch platter, of which it has two. The Barracuda 7200.7 line is the first to support SATA Native Command Queuing, which allows a drive to reorder outstanding commands before reading or writing data to improve the performance of a queued workload.

THQ releases The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron Boy Genius: Jet Fusion for the Game Boy Advance, GameCube, and PlayStation 2. It is based on the animated TV series The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. ESRB: E (Everyone)

Three Rivers Press publishes horror parody The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks as a paperback. (ISBN-10: 1400049628) The book details plans for how the average citizen might survive zombie uprisings of varying intensity. Visit the book’s official website. Length: 272 pages

Tor Books publishes the fantasy novel Goddess of the Ice Realm by David Drake as a hardcover. (ISBN-10: 0312873883) It is the fifth book in the Lord of the Isles series. Prince Garris and his group traveling to the historic island city of Carcosa, which used to be the capital of the Old Kingdom millennium ago, to restore order. While Garris and his wife-to-be, Liane, try to stabilize the government and various religious factions, Cashel and Sharina are mysteriously transported to strange realms where they must survive long enough to figure out a way back to Carcosa. Ilna and her beloved Chalcus, meanwhile, must try to defeat a strange winged plague threatening trading ships in the north. Visit the author’s website. Length: 496 pages

Vivendi Universal Games releases The Simpsons Hit & Run for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows, and the Xbox in the US. It is based on the animated series The Simpsons. Visit the game’s official website. ESRB: T (Teen)

2004
Nevrax releases the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) The Saga of Ryzom for Windows in Europe. The game’s name will be simplified to “Ryzom” in August 2006 for marketing purposes. ESRB: T (Teen)

Nintendo releases the roleplaying game (rpg) Pokémon Emerald for the Game Boy Advance in Japan. Visit the game’s official website. PEGI: 3+ USK: Free for all

Square Enix releases Chains of Promathia, the second expansion to the massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) Final Fantasy XI, in Japan. Visit the game’s official website. CERO: B (Ages 12 and up)

Symantec announced its acquisition of @stake completed the transaction on October 9, 2004 Read the Symantec press release. Visit Symantec’s official website.

2005
Dimension Films releases the horror film Venom, directed by Jim Gillespie and starring Agnes Bruckner, Jonathan Jackson, Laura Ramsey, D.J. Cotrona, Rick Cramer, Meagan Good, and Bijou Phillips, to 489 US theaters. In it, a group of teenagers run for their lives through the swamps of Louisiana, as they are chased by Mr. Jangles, a man possessed by 13 evil souls who is relentless in his pursuit of new victims. The film will gross US$519,489 domestically in its opening weekend. IMDB listing MPAA Rating: R Running Time: 1 hrs 25 min

Konami releases the first-person shooter Coded Arms for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) in Australia. The game takes place inside a virtual reality military training simulator, which has been abandoned. However, the program continues to run, generating enemies for the no longer present soldiers-in-training. The player takes the role of one of the many hackers attempting to break the codes of the simulator and derive the most valuable data possible. To do this the player must explore several “sectors” that are infested with various kinds of enemies, including alien soldiers, bugs and security bots. The only way to survive and get the greatest rewards is by destroying the enemies and the bosses at the end of the most difficult sectors. Visit the game’s official website. OFLC: M (Mature)

The popular anime series Naruto premieres in Canada on YTV cable channel, as part of its Bionix programming block. Visit YTV’s official Naruto website.

Tokyo Game Show takes place at Makuhari Messe. One hundred-thirty companies attend the event, with 1,429 booths on display. The keynote speech is made by Robert J. Bach, chief Xbox officer and senior vice president, Home and Entertainment Division at Microsoft.