Can you hear me now?
Question: Bell Labs originally conceived of the idea of the cellular phone. In what year was this?
- 1947
- 1952
- 1958
Answer: 1947
Add comment August 31st, 2007
Archive for August, 2007
Lap not included
Question: Epson America introduced the first laptop computer in 1981. What was its model number?
- FX-1
- HX-20
- L-1000
- EA-2
Answer: HX-20
Add comment August 30th, 2007
There’s eight if you don’t count the thumbs
Question: 2 times 5 equals 10, as we all know — in decimal, anyway. But what is 2 times 5 in octal?
Answer: 12
Add comment August 29th, 2007
Lifestyles of the not-yet rich and famous
Question:
This communications device was built by a famous personal computer pioneer
during the 1970’s. It got him into big trouble. What is it?
Answer: blue box
Steve Wozniak’s telephone blue box — an illegal way to make free long distance calls.
Image courtesy of The Computer Museum
Add comment August 28th, 2007
Electronic padlock
Question: What’s the slang term for a security device that must be plugged into a computer’s serial or parallel port before certain software will operate?
Answer: dongle
Add comment August 27th, 2007
It was a very good year
Question: Which was not released in 1983?
- IBM PCjr
- Radio Shack model 100
- Apple Lisa II
- the movie War Games
Answer: Apple Lisa II
The Lisa II was released in 1984.
Add comment August 26th, 2007
Who’s jpeg?
Question: What does JPEG stand for?
Answer: Joint photographic experts group
Add comment August 25th, 2007
There’s no place like home
Question: In Internet URL addresses, what single prefix character is often used to indicate the home directory of the user?
- :
- ~
- @
Answer: ~ (the tilde symbol)
Add comment August 24th, 2007
If I only had a brain
Question: What processor chip did the original Radio Shack TRS-80 computer use?
- Zilog Z-80
- Intel 4004
- Motorola 6809
Answer: Zilog Z-80
Source: Stan Veit’s History of Personal Computer
Add comment August 23rd, 2007
That does not compute
Question: Surprisingly enough, the term ‘computer’ was first used to describe a calculating device more than 140 years ago. It was used to describe:
- Babbage’s analytical engine
- a circular slide rule
- Jacquard loom
Answer: a circular slide rule
Specifically, the Fuller model, from the 1850’s.
Add comment August 22nd, 2007