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The Joker Behind the Signetics 25120 Write-Only Memory Chip Hoax
New submitter st1lett0 writes: Now and in years past, electronic engineers and hobbyists alike have enjoyed the classic 1972 April Fool's joke by Signetics of the Signetics 25120 Write-Only Memory chip. Now it seems that the previously anonymous practical joker has identified himself and stepped forward with new information to correct and complete the story.
There was a time when some of Intel's EEPROMs (1702As, IIRC, but, maybe, 2048s) were write/read-maybe. Seems some materials guy got a really good deal on some clay to make the ceramic carrier. Only problem was that the clay was radioactive enough for the emissions to change the stored data. Back in those days (1702s were only 256 BYTES), the storage cells weren't all that robust, so enough decay particles hitting the cells could flip them.
Think THAT didn't take a while to track down?
Bumming...I invented the Write Only Drive while at college. Now, it looks like I infringed on the Patent. Mine, however, used the Pauli-Exclusion and Heisenberg Uncertainty Principles to store information on each atom. Problem was, we hadn't figured out how to get the data back out (it was just a s SCSI cable going into a black box. I think we just needed Heisenberg Compensators.
Even though we published our "Announcement" it during our April's Fools edition of our Newsletter, we received one call from a company wanting to commercially build it. We had to explain it was a joke.
There is a second story on that site. He wrote the spec and they ignored him on wikipedia. He can even produce the original draft copies. They told him to pound sand and 'just go make a blog about it'.
That is sad.