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Amazing 1977 MIT tablet

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Your 70’s iPad grandfather

This is a video of an amazing 1977 MIT tablet that has much of the same functionality of an iPad today. I love the Captain Kirk chair but the interface needs some work. I wonder if the Apple Newton and Message Pad designers were aware of this?

What would be even more cool is if they had commercialized this. I wonder why more research isn’t made available for sale to the general public? There have to be tons of great technology that never get a chance because of the limited numbers of people who are aware of them. I always am surprised at the limits of access to technology.

Isn’t it surprising how often places like Xerox Parc and other institutions sat on technology that could have made them millions? Of course hindsight it 20/20 but if it is useful to them perhaps it would be useful to others. Wouldn’t it be a different history if instead of Microsoft/Apple, it would have been Xerox which is the only computer company? It would have been worse for consumers without the competition, so things worked out for the best.

Tech Time Warp of the Week: The 1977 Tablet Computer That Took Up an Entire Room – StumbleUpon.

Health problems cause home loss

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Can Health problems cause home loss?

Many people who have health problems find that they also experience job loss, and even loss of their home. Hopefully affordable health care will help people keep their jobs, homes and being a productive member of society.

Health problems can lead to loss of home - StumbleUpon

It is sad that for many people they live with a lack of emergency savings. Any minor emergency like a car problem, or job loss can easily spiral into home loss. Many people who can afford a home often end up losing their good paying job and have to take a less well paying job which can really make things tight. In the last decade there has been a lack of rising wages, with unemployment only recently being reduced. Some economists think that the lower unemployment is due to people giving up looking for a job, and not real job growth.

What is interesting is that on job boards like LinkedIn and others, recruiters have bemoaned the lack of available candidates. It is interesting that these same companies who have money to invest in labor choose to restructure people at the slightest hint of problems. One of the downfalls of capitalism is that the short term fear of lack of demand, itself causes a lack of demand. For example, in the 80/90’s in Japan the general public saved their money and didn’t spend it. This caused a lack of demand, which caused a lack of growth, which caused people to save their money. Certainly there has to be a good balance between spending and saving but that is so difficult to find.

Health problems can lead to loss of home – StumbleUpon.