Would you believe this?

[deadly7]

You're all wrong!

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

That machine is a display for submarines, not the home computer.  I thought it was pretty believable, but the absence of a comma in the "However<,> ..." portion of the sniplet made me skeptical.

@ MyndFyre: Transistor... vacuum tubes don't work very well.

Hehehehe.  I'm pretty sure I've seen this before too, and it was debunked then, but still -- this can't be far from what the 1950's neanderthals believed.

And you're right!  That is a transistor! 

It is perfectly understandable that they imagined computers to look like that.  We are constantly doing what they said was impossible 20 years ago (my prof who did his Comp Sci degree 20 years ago especially believes that). 

Also, it's an NPN transistor -- when making circuits, you have to be careful not to get it backwards, otherwise nothing will work.  Trust me

Yeah, I put a PNP transistor where a NPN was supposed to go because I didn't read carefully enough on the transistor  where it says what it is (I don't see a physical difference between the two..) and the circuit sort of uh.. fried the breadboard. :p

[iago]

Yeah, I put a PNP transistor where a NPN was supposed to go because I didn't read carefully enough on the transistor  where it says what it is (I don't see a physical difference between the two..) and the circuit sort of uh.. fried the breadboard. :p

Haha, the trick is: just don't BUY PNP transistors. So far, I've never needed one

[Chavo]

Why the fuck is there a stearing wheel in that pic?

That's a mouse retard. <3.

* unTactical saves for the next time he needs to make a CompE professor laugh

on-topic (kindof): my boss has this picture on one of her office walls, you wouldn't believe how many people ask her if its real

[Sidoh]

* unTactical saves for the next time he needs to make a CompE professor laugh

on-topic (kindof): my boss has this picture on one of her office walls, you wouldn't believe how many people ask her if its real

Hahaha, that's good.  My boss actually sent this e-mail to about 15 people knowing full well that it's fake... hahaha.  He said out of those people, only me and a friend of his sent replies saying something like "You know this is fake, right? ..."

He said that the thing that convinced him 100% that it was fake was the wheel.  Here's what he said:

But in my devious way, I wasn't going to tell (and haven't told the rest).
You either figure it out or enjoy a little fantasy. One high ranking school district
staff person wrote me back a whole e-mail about how far we've progressed.
They were all happy - who am I to burst their bubble! Nahahahahaaaaa :[

P.S. So far out of about 15 people, only you two have "informed" me that you
caught the spoof.

Then he sent another reply, since he forgot to explain what the wheel is really for:

P.S.: The wheel was to wind up the large CPU spring.

He cracks me up...

[Nate]

I do believe that wheel ws actually used to manually crank the punch card feeder.

[Sidoh]

I do believe that wheel ws actually used to manually crank the punch card feeder.

Hahaha...

Assuming you're kidding, anyway.