[geeks] Seriously cool retro computing

[Greg A. Woods]

[ On Thursday, May 23, 2002 at 14:27:43 (-0400), Joshua D Boyd wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: [geeks] Seriously cool retro computing
>
> On Thu, May 23, 2002 at 10:55:58AM -0700, Peter L. Wargo wrote:
> > On Thursday, May 23, 2002, at 09:45 , Joshua D Boyd wrote:
> > 
> > >http://scanimate.zfx.com/
> > >
> > >Analog computer doing graphics.  Way cool.  Didn't know such a thing 
> > >existed.
> > 
> > O.K., son, anything built and used during my lifetime is *not* retro.  
> > Period.
> 
> Cloths from the '70s is widely considered retro.  Likewise, Atari2600 and
> older video game systems have long been called retro.  And both are from my
> life time, so just get used to it.

Retro or not that web page (and all the dozens linked to from it)
brought back zillions of "old" memories (and wasted the last hour or
more of my time! :-).  Being a computer person, a Torontonian since the
latter part of those "retro" times, and an SF movie fan, I sure as heck
remember Omnibus.  Back then I _really_ wanted to work there!  I
remember going by their offices when I'd heard they went bust, looking
in the windows and seeing everything just as though everyone had gone
home for the day (though in reality that was a very eerie sight since
those office were hardly ever empty).  Not long afterwards it was all
sold for scrap.  Very sad days for local computing and computer graphics
folks.  All the new local companies that fell out of Omnibus (sidefx,
their competitor Alias, etc.) were really far less friendly and exciting
in comparison and I never really wanted to work for any of them (though
I wouldn't mind doing some contract work for either/both now! ;-).

Somehow I'd forgotten all about Foonly too!  ;-)

What's amazing is the incredible leaps and bounds of change since then.
It's almost impossible to believe what had to be done back then to do
even the simplest of video animations!  I remember watching the original
scanimate images on network television with great amazement, knowing
enough about the process even then to realize how ingenious it is/was.

Those were really the golden years of CG animation!

-- 
								Greg A. Woods

+1 416 218-0098;  <gwoods at acm.org>;  <g.a.woods at ieee.org>;  <woods at robohack.ca>
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