DMC-FX7
ƒ/2.8
5.8 mm
1/13
200
Designed by Seymour Cray, the CDC 6600 was the fastest machine in the world from 1964-1969. $10 million for 10 MLOPS.
The dual screen reminds me of the 2-eyed robots in Star Wars.
10 responses to “Personable Computer”
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I think it finally clicked for me why the console reminds me of the 2-eyed robot and Sandcrawler scrap in Star Wars. There is something deeply baked into my facial recognition subroutines, such that I see a anthropomorphized robot here, even though is an inanimate supercomputer.
The analog dials also remind me of this 2004 “Home Computer of the Year” as envisioned in 1954…. It was an inspired hoax:
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Actually, they did re-use it in the Sandcrawler scene. It’s toward the left end of the droid lineup.
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Funny how that little guy seared in my memory…
I also just found out that one of my neighbors worked with one of these machines in Sunnyvale: "When Apollo 13 ran into a spot of bother, some hasty orbital calculations for various "what if" scenarios had to be done by Houston. These were done on a machine just like the one in your pic – and for safety they had a second machine on hot stand-by at CDC in Sunnyvale."
Here is a wonderful photo of an installed system, with a bit more of an aesthetic layout. That website also has more info on the machine from local fans.
Never trust a computer you can’t walk through….
…and there is the strangest ghost in the machine… Here is a core memory board from the CDC:
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