Computer Chronicles Season 3, Episode 12: Optical Storage Devices

Slowdown in Silicon Valley: Part 1

A review of the reasons behind the current slump in the computer business. Demos: Adam Computer, Osborne Computer http://archive.org/details/Slowdown1985

30 min

Slowdown in Silicon Valley: Part 2

Part two of this special series looking at the causes of the downturn in the computer industry.

30 min

Women in Computing

Meet the top women in a field that has traditionally been dominated by men.

Printers & Business Graphics

A survey of the new hardware and software visualization tools for business. Demos: IBM QuietWriter, Okimate 20 Color Thermal Transfer, Hewlett Packard LaserJet Plus, Apple LaserWriter

Computers and the Law

Programming & Programmers

Computers and the Media

From newsrooms to sports arenas, computers have invaded the media. Demos: Aurora 75 Graphics System, Pacific Data Images

Modems & Bulletin Boards

From high-tech trysts to selling black-market software, computers users are talking. Guests: Ezra Shapiro, Byte Magazine; Rory O'Connor, InforWorld; Matthew McClure, The Well; Donald Ingrim, Alameda County DA; George Morrow, Morrow Computing Products/Demos: CompuServe, Byte BBS, The Well.

Computer Networks

A look at the new technology for computers communicating with other computers. Demos: EtherMacToken Ring, TOPS Network.

Computers and Politics

A look at how computers are changing the political process including campaign management, voter profiling, fundraising, and grass roots organizing. Demos: Washington Alert Service, Q Systems Solon

Computers and Medicine

Doctors are turning to computers for medical research, diagnosis and clinic management. Demos: Drexler LaserCard, MicroMedex, Computerized Clinical Information System, Poisindex, Drugdex, Emergindex, Pulmonary Function (PUFF), MedLine

Business Applications

A review of the current offerings in word processors, spreadsheets, and database managers. Demos: Wordstar 2000, WordPerfect 4.1, Lotus 123, Javelin, ParadoxPC File/R

Amiga and Atari

How much computer can you get at the bottom end of the market - comparison between the Commodore Amiga and the Atari 520ST. Demos: Atari 800, Commodore 64, Amiga IBM PC Emulator, Commodore Amiga, Atari 520, STNEO

Christmas Buyers Guide

A consumer's review of the hottest hardware and software goodies for the techie on your holiday shopping list.

Hard Disk Storage

As applications and files get larger, users need a hard disk drive, a Bernoulli box or a tape streamer. Demos: Iomega Bernoulli Box, Hard Card, Hyperdrive

Artificial Intelligence

Expert systems, decision support software, and natural language communication. Guests: Harry Tennant, Texas Instruments; Hubert Dreyfus, UC Berkeley; Gary Hendrix, Symantec; S. Jerrold Kaplan, Lotus Developmnt; Gary Kildall, Digital Research Products/Demos: Personal Consultant, Q&A.

Computers in Law Enforcement

A review of computer applications for police, the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Demos: Probe One, Criterion Mapping System, SHRLOC Computer Aided Dispatch

Investment Software

A look at how investors are using computers to analyze and invest in the stock market. Demos: Wizards of Wall Street, The Equalizer, Lotus Signal, TelescanAnalyzer

Psychological Software

The use of computers to analyze personality and diagnose problems of human relations. Demos: Intracourse, Mind Over Minors, Biofeedback, Psychotherapy on a Disk, Therapeutic Learning Program

Astronomy Software

Computer programs for the amateur astronomer plus tools for tracking Halley's Comet. Demos: Tellstar, StarSoft HalleyComet Halley

Color and Computing

Careers in Computing

A look at the job opportunities and requirements in the fast growing computer field.

Parallel Processing

Are there limits on the speed of computers and their CPUs? A review of new processor architectures to increase computing speed.

Computers and the Pentagon: Part 1

The world's biggest computer user is the U.S. government and the military in particular. This program reviews the military uses of computer technology. Shot on location at various research centers around the country. Featured are the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Advanced Decision Systems in Mountain View, California. Demonstrations include the Pilot's Assistant and the Battlefield Commander's Assistant. Also flight and battle simulators from Singer Link. Guests include Raj Reddy, Director of the Robotics Institute at CMU.

Computers and the Pentagon: Part 2

A look at the uses of computer hardware and software in the Defense Department. Shot on location at various military installations around the country. Featured are demonstrations of SDI, the Strategic Defense Initiative, the AEGIS combat control system on board the USS Valley Forge advanced navy cruiser, and the Air Force's Advanced Sensory Exploitation System using distributed networks and artificial intelligence to detect enemy threats