General Discussion

IDemo

(16,926 posts)

25. Good old Snopes

Mon Sep 9, 2013, 08:47 PM

Sep 2013

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/computer.asp

Although the photograph displayed could represent what some people in the early 1950s contemplated a "home computer" might look like (based on the technology of the day), it isn't, as the accompanying text claims, a RAND Corporation illustration from 1954 of a prototype "home computer." The picture is actually an entry submitted to a Fark.com image modification competition, taken from an original photo of a submarine maneuvering room console found on the U.S. Navy web site, converted to grayscale, and modified to replace a modern display panel and TV screen with pictures of a decades-old teletype/printer and television (as well as to add the gray-suited man to the left-hand side of the photo):

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spewed my mango smoothie when i found this in the tubes [View all] kpete Sep 2013 OP

I want one shenmue Sep 2013 #1

The next XBox? DJ13 Sep 2013 #2

I Miss The Wonderful World Of The Future, Ma'am.... The Magistrate Sep 2013 #3

Why for the huge steering wheel? Bolo Boffin Sep 2013 #4

How else are you gonna play Need for Speed? Liberal Veteran Sep 2013 #12

or you can put it in your car and have a mobile phone lol nt msongs Sep 2013 #13

LOL :) nt Mojorabbit Sep 2013 #38

For the disk drive. nt Laffy Kat Sep 2013 #44

It's to drive you crazy. Spitfire of ATJ Sep 2013 #61

Grand Theft Auto 1952 version WCGreen Sep 2013 #78

Astern Guardian Valve Turbineguy Sep 2013 #80

Yup. HappyMe Sep 2013 #85

It's a nice Jules Vern touch, I think tavalon Sep 2013 #92

I want a giant steering wheel .... relayerbob Sep 2013 #95

Not steering. That's how you wind it up. n/t jtuck004 Sep 2013 #99

LOL, warm up the hamster! :-) n/t Bolo Boffin Sep 2013 #115

For spinning discussions on forums of course! IronLionZion Sep 2013 #105

Those are the controls for the water pump jmowreader Sep 2013 #132

That's about the size of my home lab Paulie Sep 2013 #5

Wonder what it was about the model that made them choose "2004"? tridim Sep 2013 #6

Was it offered as a prediction in 1954? another_liberal Sep 2013 #51

I, too, was wondering if that was a 1954 pronouncement/prediction for 2004. loudsue Sep 2013 #76

Because the prognosticator figured he would be Dead by then formercia Sep 2013 #108

Nice! A Little Weird Sep 2013 #7

That's the mouse! Scuba Sep 2013 #31

LOL! think4yourself Sep 2013 #8

Now I'm a conservationist, NuclearDem Sep 2013 #9

They didn't go extinct. NutmegYankee Sep 2013 #15

Point taken. NuclearDem Sep 2013 #19

You know that's right. nt wandy Sep 2013 #79

And here was the reality in 2004 PowerToThePeople Sep 2013 #10

I have that little box. It is the Mac Mini. n/t RebelOne Sep 2013 #17

...with the Fortran language, the computer will be easy to use. Junkdrawer Sep 2013 #11

I did some Fortran in my day rurallib Sep 2013 #39

Lol Junkdrawer Sep 2013 #42

Yeah, I remember Fortran. Jackpine Radical Sep 2013 #52

paper tapes........ (mid 70s....) lastlib Sep 2013 #68

+1 for the compu-card wreaths! n/t Beartracks Sep 2013 #75

Hollerith cards with round holes? Paulie Sep 2013 #83

Not quite that far. Little rectangular holes Jackpine Radical Sep 2013 #117

Yup, I also learned Fortran, only back then it was FORTRAN. Jim Lane Sep 2013 #96

It was the programming language for engineering in 1987 at K-state. Blanks Sep 2013 #81

Did Fortran. Hated Fortran. I'm old! nt Ilsa Sep 2013 #124

Fortran made me change my major. Dollface Sep 2013 #110

Too funny. RGinNJ Sep 2013 #14

That seems like an awful lot of space, trouble and expense HolyMoley Sep 2013 #16

Just think! Scootaloo Sep 2013 #26

+1 000 000 000 kestrel91316 Sep 2013 #77

! FiveGoodMen Sep 2013 #93

We had a Snoopy print out in the mid-60s. Eleanors38 Sep 2013 #126

J Edgar Hoover sure had a complicated boat. /nt Marr Sep 2013 #18

It's the Free Republic server. rug Sep 2013 #20

The FReeper Server hasn't evolved past gerbils Hydra Sep 2013 #23

Oh My! Kennah Sep 2013 #37

RimJob thinks transistors are advocates of the homosexual agenda. NuclearDem Sep 2013 #28

DUzy!!! Scuba Sep 2013 #33

You won the Internet today. nt msanthrope Sep 2013 #114

^^^^THIS^^^^IS^^^^A^^^^DUZY^^^^ Lochloosa Sep 2013 #118

lol diane in sf Sep 2013 #50

. . . too complex. HughBeaumont Sep 2013 #87

This day in Naval History: The Straight Story Sep 2013 #21

It's a hoax HolyMoley Sep 2013 #22

Yup n/t bobja Sep 2013 #63

I don't know. The wheel kind of looks like a prototype Ipod button. nt jobycom Sep 2013 #113

You do know that's a fake photo, yes? jberryhill Sep 2013 #24

Good old Snopes IDemo Sep 2013 #25

Aw bummer... pangaia Sep 2013 #36

what is the purpose of that big steering wheel? Liberal_in_LA Sep 2013 #27

To steer the submarine... progressoid Sep 2013 #34

False, that's the throttle control for the steam turbines. Sirveri Sep 2013 #89

How do you like that mouse? Oh, and don't forget to sign up for tech support! Scuba Sep 2013 #29

Porn is so boring in Fortran. progressoid Sep 2013 #30

Check out the value of variable i69 Kennah Sep 2013 #40

WTF is the steering wheel for? LOL WTF Fucking Way Back machine. L0oniX Sep 2013 #32

Actually it was spelled WABAC hootinholler Sep 2013 #49

LOL Dash87 Sep 2013 #86

love the "wayback machine" kpete Sep 2013 #90

"reality of the past was not what the history books had made it out to be" L0oniX Sep 2013 #91

I always wondered what the wheel were for. liberal N proud Sep 2013 #35

MY computer has a Steering Wheel. bvar22 Sep 2013 #41

Defn: "home computer", a computer the size of a home. longship Sep 2013 #43

That is the GOP's vision for the future Snake Plissken Sep 2013 #45

I still wonder what the steering wheel was for. Early video games? opening and closing the valves? diane in sf Sep 2013 #46

It's actually a Smithsonian exhibit on submarines, sadly Recursion Sep 2013 #84

I can't buy one of those "Rand Corp Computers" right now... nikto Sep 2013 #47

Hold out for the 8-track. xfundy Sep 2013 #54

You know, looking at that picture, I can't help think that my keyboard should be much longer. FSogol Sep 2013 #48

Unlike that one, this one is real... in 1966 predicted email, online shopping, Nye Bevan Sep 2013 #53

That's amazingly close to how it currently is. SheilaT Sep 2013 #98

Then there's Dick Tracy's wrist T.V./phone. Eleanors38 Sep 2013 #128

This looks like a Photoshop job Texano78704 Sep 2013 #55

Actually, it looks like an old movie set for one of the Sci-fi movies of the day, Cleita Sep 2013 #58

One of my roommates back in my single days worked for RAND. Cleita Sep 2013 #56

The first use of brackets Unknown Beatle Sep 2013 #57

All made up. Hoax. Here is snoops link...... Logical Sep 2013 #59

It needs a steering wheel? tblue Sep 2013 #60

I think I had that exact printer in 1989! NYC_SKP Sep 2013 #62

So the massive steering wheel is like an ancient mouse or trackball? LOL> BootinUp Sep 2013 #64

Coincidence? Beartracks Sep 2013 #73

Years ago........ BobbyBoring Sep 2013 #65

Here's a do it yourself "PC" from 40 years ago: IDemo Sep 2013 #66

"For Men With Ideas In Electronics" Beartracks Sep 2013 #72

What did they expect a homeowner to compute with it? Beartracks Sep 2013 #67

STOP the PRESSES! This hoax has been slayed. Beartracks Sep 2013 #69

Killjoy! burrowowl Sep 2013 #74

LOL! shireen Sep 2013 #103

Snopes link IronLionZion Sep 2013 #104

And the TV was added in, too, pasted over a flatscreen. n/t Beartracks Sep 2013 #131

Is that a steering wheel from a ship? sarcasmo Sep 2013 #70

As a matter of fact... Beartracks Sep 2013 #71

Thanks. sarcasmo Sep 2013 #134

WHY does he need a Stearing Wheel? The Internet Highway? yuiyoshida Sep 2013 #82

Do you know the year of the photo? CrispyQ Sep 2013 #88

This message was self-deleted by its author guyton Sep 2013 #94

And we're supposed to have flying cars, too! Thav Sep 2013 #97

Can't read the text on my phone underpants Sep 2013 #100

I wish my computer had a steering wheel. Javaman Sep 2013 #101

LOVE the steering wheel! n/t DirkGently Sep 2013 #102

Rand Corp? 4Q2u2 Sep 2013 #106

A steering wheel? That is not a model of a home computer.. SomethingFishy Sep 2013 #107

Intead we got this nykym Sep 2013 #109

Love it, but it's a hoax. Pryderi Sep 2013 #111

Hey! 31J20b3 here!!! By God, I worked on teletype that were computer terminals! HereSince1628 Sep 2013 #112

I WILL KICK MANGO SMOOTHIE-SPEWING KPETE ASS Skittles Sep 2013 #116

having another one as we speak... kpete Sep 2013 #120

Eeeeeeyeah. HillWilliam Sep 2013 #119

What the hell is the steering wheel for? Rex Sep 2013 #121

Fortran and a steering wheel! So easy to use at home! Hekate Sep 2013 #122

The wheel is for texting while driving, if they ever invent it. TheCowsCameHome Sep 2013 #123

What is the wheel for is it a time machine Rosa Luxemburg Sep 2013 #125

Isn't that adorable? LittleGirl Sep 2013 #127

lokks like backwoodsbob Sep 2013 #129

Ah c'mon, why'd you post a picture of Free Republic's server? jmowreader Sep 2013 #130

It's been a sacrifice to give up the sunroom, but the technology has been well worth it. Baitball Blogger Sep 2013 #133

Funny thing... 7wo7rees Sep 2013 #135