Sunday at the Coumputer History Museum - February 21

The Cambridge Computer History Museum is hard to find, even by the taxi driver, but well worth a visit. There are plenty of desktop computers going back 40 years and few main frames on display but going through their online database they have many more in storage. Not only computers but examples of many  'playstation' through the ages. Starting with chunky graphics rectangular table table tennis.  The importance thing is this is a working museum where all the desktop machines and 'platstations' are operational and you are encourage to have a go.

One of early personal  computers was a Sinclair all set up to have a go programming in ZX81 Basic.

1981 Sinclair ZX81

The following photo are of  1988 Sinclair and Amdstand computers.

A 1988 Sinclair and Amstrand computer

I am sure Gary would feel at home with Xtree pro and Wordstar.

You might recognise some of these programs

In the centre of the largest room was a large magnified imprint of a CPU embossed on the floor.  When I took the photo there were four of visitors using one of the computers to program two computer control cars.

CPU embossed floor with HP computer complete wit dual tape drives and three 'washing machine' disk drives,

In another room was the history of the mobile phone, starting from those monsters that nearly took two people to carry.

An early mobile and video phone.

There was a third room set up as a teaching room. On one side there were at least sixteen old BBC computers set up and on the other several workstation and a net server.

I arrived just as the museum opened and by the time that I left there were about thirty people with at least ten children brought along by their parents. I was suprised to see the kids into the old chunky graphic games even though more modern machines and games were available.

In the end I got taxi up town did a bit more walking and had another pub lunch, chicken this time and in a different pub. I have mentioned before how frustrating it is when can only hear one side of a conversation.  It is worse when you can here both sides and you can't turn it off. Two couples came into the pub and sat opposite me and there volume was off the scale. I thought when the food came along it would quieten down, but no. One of the girls would have made a good digeridoo player as she had no problem in talking while breathing in and out--continuous talk without a hint of pause.