Hello there, StampoRama members. I'm a newish collector from Massachusetts. In addition to stamps, my interests include science fiction and fanatsy, art history, photography, board games, and computer history. In terms of stamps, I have a particular interest in birds, flora, landscapes, and architecture. I hope to learn a lot in my time here and I look forward to having a good time.
A warm welcome to you from the great state of Michigan, home of the greatest trout streams in the midwest, and some nice whitetail hunting also.
If you are interested in computer history, here is a must have documentary:
Wikipedia said:
The Machine That Changed the World (1992) (broadcast under the alternative title "The Dream Machine" in the UK, with different narration) is a 5-episode television series on the history of electronic digital computers. It was written and directed by Nancy Linde, and produced by WGBH Television of Boston, Massachusetts, and the British Broadcasting Corporation. Backers included the Association for Computing Machinery, the National Science Foundation, and the UNISYS Corporation.
The first three episodes deal with the history of fully electronic general-purpose digital computers from the ENIAC through desktop microcomputers. The pre-history of such machines is examined in the first episode ("Giant Brains"), and includes a discussion of the contributions of Charles Babbage, Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing, and others. The fourth episode ("The Thinking Machine") explores the topic of artificial intelligence. The fifth episode ("The World at Your Fingertips") explores the then-newly-emerging worldwide networking of computers. All episodes begin and end with a song by Peter Howell, "Stellae matutinae radius exoritur" ("The morning star's ray arises") and are narrated by long-time Frontline narrator Will Lyman.
topdocumentaryfilms.com, said:
"The Machine That Changed the World is the longest, most comprehensive documentary about the history of computing ever produced, but since its release in 1992, it's become virtually extinct. Out of print and never released online, the only remaining copies are VHS tapes floating around school libraries or in the homes of fans who dubbed the original shows when they aired."
I have a copy, that I made myself, but will keep for now. I'm sure that a search on eBay or elsewhere will produce a copy. Any copy of course would be considered a pirated tape, as it was never released to my knowledge. However that would not stop a dedicated history buff like myself.
