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I am seriously fascinated by the weird anthropomorphized illustrations of mainframe computers from the 1960s and 1970s. I find them all the time now in my research.
(Sometimes I imagine all of them as a cast of some sort of a sitcom.)
I have to imagine all these illustrations must feel pretty abstract now, but they built on the classic IBM 729 tape drive shape that was all over the place 50–60 years ago.
I found more!
More!
More!
Well, shit.
Things are getting preeeeetty weird in here.
Friends forever!
I found even more today, including pretty meta stuff.
Including some actual (attempts at) humour.
Oh my GOD.
The last one here is meta in a different way.
I have no words.
This one is something else altogether!
Oooof.
Now this one is just confusing.
These are incredible! Both the art direction, and the fact that they’re typing on themselves. https://twitter.com/amyhoy/status/1210798247729455107
https://twitter.com/astahfrom/status/1210910637074894848?s=21 https://twitter.com/astahfrom/status/1210910637074894848
Went to @prelinger Library today, and while searching for other things, I found a few more for this collection.
Let’s start with this stamp from Tunisia (1968), celebrating the computerization of postal office.
Let’s start with this stamp from Tunisia (1968), celebrating the computerization of postal office.
Here is another RCA ad.
This is how Varian – one of the classic early Silicon Valley companies – anthropomorphized computers.
I don’t get this joke.
Some tired computers.
But then, there’s this, from Micro Switch!!!!!
CAKE = Computer-Assisted Keyboard Evaluator (perfect for testing QWEFTY keyboards)
CAKE = Computer-Assisted Keyboard Evaluator (perfect for testing QWEFTY keyboards)
Two more, found by @TubeTimeUS!
Found some good ones today.
This romantic one comes via @karenmcgrane:
RCA made an appearance before in this thread, with the Dunce cap computer, and an ad for Octoputer. Here are a few more appearances of the latter.
Ooof, the Octoputer is really, really creepy the more you look at it or think about it.
A few more “computer myths explained” by @montewolverton, a cartoonist that is still active today.
“I am a sad computer”
Two more RCA images. All of these have been created by Ed Renfro (1924–2012).
Last batch for today!
