In April 1965, the U.S. government owned 1,767 computers. Total.
Most buildings in downtown DC today have more than 1,767 computers.
Going to the Moon launched the digital revolution.
Going to the Moon had more impact on Earth than on space travel.
fastcompany.com/90361101/how-t…
2/ The 60s were a wildly transformative time.
One thing that often gets overlooked is that the '60s were the dawn of the geek.
In 1960, 'technology'—the word itself— really meant military tools — really, the A-bomb and the H-bomb.
Technology meant 'Dr. Strangelove.'
3/ Then we spent a decade watching civilians, at consoles, using computers to do the hardest thing anyone could imagine: Fly to the Moon.
Plus, we had 'The Jetsons' (1962), 'Lost in Space' (1965), 'Star Trek' (1966), '2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968).
Computers were everywhere.
4/ The 1960s transformed the ordinary attitude about technology — from something with a slightly frightening tone to something that was accessible, useful, reliable. Even cool.
fastcompany.com/90361101/how-t…
5/ That's #10 in the series I did last summer about the race to the Moon in the 1960s—how Apollo happened, and also how it changed life on Earth.
Last summer was the 50th anniversary of the first Moon landing.
This summer, we need a story of making the impossible possible.
6/ The whole series is collected @FastCompany.
50 short pieces that give you a flavor for how ordinary people, asked to do something extraordinary, rose to the occasion.
A lot to learn for our world today.
The first 10 in the series are here.
#Apollo51
fastcompany.com/section/50-day…
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