mobile version
methodshop LLC

facebooktwitterrss

news,
reviews &
how to's
 
  home | gadgets | games | music | video | picts | reviews | tutorials | about Connect with Facebook
itunes flickr amazon apple methodshop
corner





1/15/2006

Spacewar - The 1st Computer Game





wow. games have come a very long way since then. i just got a psp for xmas. so small - so powerful. back then a computer as powerful as a psp would probably be as big as an entite building.
 


I became acquainted with this game at Bell Telephone Labs at Whippany, NJ on the mid shift in 1969. It was loaded on a PDP-11 system through use of a punched paper tape program in those days. My favorite part was setting the sun's gravity on and using its properties to pull my shots around into the opposing ship's path. Great fun and a good way to pass the time on a boring mid-shift. At the time, I was a tech on the GE 635/645 Main Frames for Bell Labs and Hoffmann-La Roche.
 


how big was the PDP computer? the size or a car or bigger?
 


The PDP-1 I used in 1973 was the size of 4 refrigerators. It was serial number 13 and had been retired from controlling a wind tunnel at JPL.
 


It is NOT impossible to find a PDP-1 to play this game. See The Computer Museum in Mountain View. http://www.computerhistory.org/pdp-1/
Steve Russell is quite alive and well and just visited me here in my office. The PDP-1 is working with SpaceWar on it and often you can find Steve there demonstrating it !
Bob
 









Links to this post:

Create a Link




Home






rssRSS Subscribe rssEmail Subscribe

methodshop on Facebook
Features
arrowHow to Copy Music Off Your iPod or iPhone
mac miniHas a virus or hard drive crash wiped out your entire music collection on your computer? No problem. Here's how to copy music off your iPod or iPhone and back onto your computer.

arrowThe Biggest Bugs on Earth
bugsBugs tend to freak us out. Mosquitoes, spiders, wasps, centipedes... you name it. If it crawls, bites or buzzes anywhere near our faces, then we squirm, swat and run. But what's worse than a little bug crawling on or biting you? How about a really, really big one? Here are some of the biggest bugs on Earth. Enjoy!.

boxeearrowHack Your Apple TV with Boxee
Boxee is a free open source cross-platform media center and entertainment hub that can play movies, TV shows, music and photos, as well as streaming content from websites like Hulu, Netflix, CBS, Comedy Central, Last.fm, and flickr. All you need to hack your Apple TV so it can use Boxee is a USB stick. If you own an Apple TV, then you need Boxee. Install Boxee and set your Apple TV free.

imagearrowHow to Auto Follow People on Twitter
There's a way to auto follow your followers on Twitter. This auto follow Twitter trick can be pretty useful if you find yourself managing a Twitter account for a public figure, company or celebrity.

arrowRip DVD's for Your iPod or iPhone
handbrakeNeed something to watch on your iPod or iPhone? Here's a tutorial that explains how to use a program called Handbrake to rip DVD's into iPod compatible MPEG-4 video files.

yetiarrowYeti Sports
Like to smack penguins with baseball bats? Should your Yeti catch the penguin at the right moment and angle, you might just hit one out of the park, or arctic continent.

ipodarrowRejected iPod Engravings
When purchasing a new iPod from the Apple store, you can choose to have a custom message laser engraved on the back. These were the rejects.
 

Archives








[ home ]
[ games ]
[ music ]
[ video ] RSSXML
digg blogpulse google mobile spain china france japan
cc This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Contact Us | About MethodShop.com | Search
MethodShop.com LLC ®1996-2010. All rights reserved.

methodshop.com
prev top