It is Y2K’s 10th Anniversary!

Do you remember Y2K? If you were in a programming or operational support role ten years ago in 1999, I’ll bet you do! While the general population was living it up on December 31, 1999, the technologists of the world were working, monitoring their systems and watching the event unfold on the web.

My Y2K started at 6:00 PM central time. We watched the clocks on the network equipment we supported roll over to 00:00:00 Greenwich Mean Time. I didn’t live far from the office, so I drove home and celebrated the new year, decade, century and millenium by watching the the ball drop in New York City at 11:00 PM central time. After a quick New Millennium kiss from my wife, I went back to the office for the central time rollover.

All of our preparations paid off and we didn’t have a single Y2K-related incident on the network! As we predicted, Y2K was just another working holiday.

For the kids out there who don’t remember Y2K, watch the video for a taste of the pre-Y2K hysteria. For those of you who were there, what do you remember most?

The Father of Video Games

If you are a fan of vintage video games, then stop by your nearest bookstore and pick up a copy of the Fall 2009 issue of American Heritage’s Invention and Technology magazine. Mark Wolverton has a great interview of Ralph Baer, the inventor of the Magnavox Odyssey video game, which was a forerunner of Atari Pong.

Baer first had his idea for the video game while working on early television test equipment, but it took 15 years before he started to develop the game and another five years before the game was released as a product.

Although you can read the article on the web, the magazine has many more photos and other interesting articles about the history of technology and is definitely worth the cover price.

National Railroad Museum Photo Journal

Unseasonably warm November weather made my recent visit to the National Railroad Museum in Green Bay, Wisconsin that much better. From simple handcars to the Union Pacific Big Boy steam locomotive, there is plenty for railfans to see and enjoy. Photos only give a taste of how magnificent the old locomotives and rolling stock are. Enjoy the photos below and the next time you are in Wisconsin, plan a visit!

San Diego Railroad Photo Journal

A recent trip to San Diego turned out to be a great opportunity to do see large and scale size railroads. I stayed downtown, only blocks from the old Santa Fe Depot and with easy access to the city’s light rail system. I finished off the trip with a visit to the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, where a HO scale model of the Santa Fe Depot is featured on a layout under construction. If you are a railfan and are planning a trip to see San Diego, be sure to add these sites to your itinerary!