Old Computers Exhibit

prostoalex writes "Arthur Lavine was working for Chase Manhattan bank as a principal photographer. Computer Museum runs an exhibit of Arthur Lavine's photographs of old computer and data processing equipment. Fifteen black-and-white photos from the era where computers were still heading for 1.5 ton benchmark."

Comments

Really cool photos but no context

[shoppa]

The pictures shown are very cool... but other than knowing they were from a major east coast bank there unfortunately isn't much context.

I'm guessing from the printouts that the photos were shot in the late 60's and early 70's, but there isn't much indication about what the people were doing (other than being near the computer) or how they were using the computer to do it. Are there any other links that would give some context to these photos?

Re:Cool!

[Ponty]

They're gorgeous photographs. Very artistic: he really captures the magic of the old machines and the culture of the employees. Man. I'd love those on my wall.

Are we supposed to feel nostalgic?

[abhikhurana]

I don't know if we should feel nostalgic about it or what. Yesterday, there was this story about altavista and people were having trouble remembering when it was the best search engine. You expect them to remember that? And can you feel nostalgic about something which you have never seen and never used? I can't. That said I do appreciate the photographs, but for the quality of the photographs and the technique rather than the content. WHat is more amazing to me that these computers is the fact that this guy managed to take such pics using obsolete camera equipmenmt.

Maybe someday some future Steven Spielberg will make a movie out of it, the attack of the giant computers or something.

And I guess 20 years from now the next generation will be looking at our PCs and would be wondering too. I think the change from that era to today was caused by two iventions, the silicon transisitor and microchips. The next change will be probably quantum computing. And that would leave all our PCs as obsolete(maybe more) as these PCs are for us guys today.