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Health & Fitness

Computer History Museum's Full of Nostalgia for Locals

The Computer History Museum in Mountain View takes a comprehensive look at the technological revolution here and worldwide. It's a fun way to spend a few hours.

We live in a place where slide rule tie clasps are considered worthy museum pieces, and I’m proud of it. Silicon Valley has always rocked in its own geeky way and still does.

When several out-of-state friends asked a few months ago if Silicon Valley had gone bust, I was taken aback. Based on media coverage of our economy, they thought big tech companies had all just disappeared.

I laughed. The critical mass in technology here is substantial.

With apologies to Mark Twain, "Rumors of Silicon Valley's death have been greatly exaggerated."

Even a high unemployment rate and consolidation don’t mean that companies like Google, Ebay, HP, Apple, Oracle, Adobe, Intel, Yahoo!, Cisco, Silicon Graphics and so many others have completely disappeared.

But you have to live here -- or do business here -- to really understand
the significance of what goes on in this valley. And how darn much goes on.

 For a look at just how happening a place this is and has been, drop by the big and comprehensive Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA.   

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Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing is an apt title and its 19 galleries show visitors in great detail the revolution that technology was and continues to be, worldwide.

Take for example, replicas of "Napier's Bones", tiles that comprised an early
calculator. "Early," as in the 1500s. Yep. A calculator in the 16th century. Who knew?

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 The very coolest thing I saw there was the Babbage Engine. Charles Babbage was an English mathematician who conceptually invented the computer 153 years ago. But he never built it. However, The London Science Museum DID build it, in 1991, faithfully keeping to Babbage's original plan. And it worked.

Then, Nathan Myhrvold, the eccentric former chief technical officer at Microsoft, decided he wanted one for his living room. (His living room also contains a T-rex skeleton.)

 He funded it, and then loaned it to our museum in all its gigantic glory.  It works; we saw it in action on our visit. It was a fascinatingly far cry from today's tiny netbooks and Ipads.

A slide rule tie clasp was actually on display, along with just about every computer technology existent: 2,000 years worth.

It’s worth spending a few hours at the Computer History Museum. Silicon Valley companies are well-represented. Although there’s a large gaming technology display, the majority of the museum probably won’t be of interest to most kids under age 12.

There’s an indoor café with hot sandwiches, soups and other offerings. Parking is ample.

Oh, and tell your out-of-town friends not to believe everything they read. Technology is alive and still a vibrant part of Silicon Valley.

Computer History Museum is located at 1401 North Shoreline Boulevard, Mountain View, CA 94043. For more information, call 650-810-1010 or visit their website here.

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