A year of column memories

“Mark, as you get older, time goes by faster,” are the words my mother once told me.

As this is my final column for 2024, I decided to write a recap of the topics we explored.

“A Silent Cinema Journey” – Jan. 4.

Exploring the silent film era in the 1920s.

“Louise Brooks: A Silent Starlit Journey” – Jan. 12.

A biography of silent film star Louise Brooks – my favorite flapper!

“GUI: The Computer Game Changer” – Jan. 19.

A look at the evolution and impact of the graphical user interface (GUI).

“Xerox versus Apple: ‘Star’ Wars” – Jan. 26.

Discusses the 1989 lawsuit where Xerox sued Apple for allegedly copying elements of its GUI.

“Untethered: Embracing the Wireless Life” – Feb. 9.

Tracing the shift from wired to wireless technology.

“‘Zero-G and I Feel Fine’” – Feb. 16.

Recounted John Glenn’s historic orbit of the Earth in 1962.

“From Bell Labs: A ‘Telephone with Eyes’” – Feb. 23.

Bell Labs’ role in early television technology in the 1920s.

“Spider: A Lunar Rehearsal in Earth Orbit” – March 1.

The Apollo 9 mission in 1969, and the rendezvous and docking of the lunar module in Earth’s orbit.

“An AI-Quantum Paradigm Shift is Underway” – March 8.

Examining the convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing.

“Telediagraph: Sending, Receiving Images via Telegraph” – March 15.

The story of Ernest A. Hummel and his invention of the telediagraph.

“Sketchpad’s ‘Whirlwind’ Graphical Interaction” – March 22.

Reviewed the Whirlwind I computer and its impact on computer graphics.

“Protecting the US During the Cold War” – March 28.

Reviewed the US Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense system and the Duluth SAGE Direction Center.

“Text-to-Video: OpenAI’s Sora” – April 5.

A look at Sora, a text-to-video AI model developed by OpenAI.

“The Personal Computer Stepping Stone” – April 12.

Shared the story of the Sol-20 computer, a pioneering personal computer developed in 1976.

“The Space Shuttle Enterprise” – April 19.

Recounted the development and testing of the space shuttle Enterprise.

“Sipping Coffee and Reminiscing” – April 26.

Review of the Apollo Guidance Computer and my purchase of a Hewlett-Packard OmniBook 4000CT notebook computer in 1995.

“Blast into the Past: Dr. Sbaitso” – May 3.

I revisited Dr. Sbaitso, a virtual therapist program from 1991 that I used on a personal computer.

“The IBM 1410 Computer” – May 10.

Provided an overview of the IBM 1410 computer, a second-generation computer introduced in 1960.

“Minnesota’s Role as the Computing Heartland” –May 17.

Looked back at the history of computing in Minnesota.

“The Saturday Morning Emergency Broadcast” –May 24.

Recounted the nationwide accidental triggering of the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS) in 1971.

“NORAD: Guardians of North America” – May 31.

Detailed the history of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

“Alexander Bain, the Clockmaker Who Electrified Time” – June 7.

The story of Alexander Bain, a Scottish inventor who developed the electric clock in 1840.

“A Collaborative Telegraph Network” – June 13.

My column on the development of the telegraph in the 19th century.

“Will the US Electric Grid Handle AI’s Growth?” – June 21.

I raised concerns about the increasing energy demand for AI.

“Internet Archive: A Treasure Trove of Digital Nostalgia” – June 28.

My experiences with the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine.

“Wish I Could Get a Brick or Two” – July 5.

A reflection on the demolition of my childhood elementary school.

“From Sand to Silicon Wafers” – July 12.

Explored the process of creating microchips.

“Mission Control: ‘Stay or No-Stay’” – July 19.

Recounted the tense moments during the Apollo 11 moon landing.

“GPS: Part One” – July 26.

Investigated the development of the Global Positioning System (GPS).

“GPS: Part Two” – Aug. 2.

The conclusion from July 26.

“AI: Trust, But Verify” – Aug. 9.

Explored the benefits and challenges of generative AI.

“The Newsroom’s Unsung Hero” – Aug. 16.

I paid tribute to the teletype machine.

“From Bits to Petabits per Second” – Aug. 23.

The progression of data transmission speeds.

“The Visionaries Shaping Our Digital World” – Aug. 30.

A column about Roger Fidler and Alan Kay, who decades ago envisioned tablet computers.

“Smartphones (and Radios) in the Classroom” – Sept. 6.

Examined the evolving role of technology in the classroom.

“Reaching the Moon: 65 Years Ago” – Sept. 13.

Commemorated the 65th anniversary of the first spacecraft to reach the moon.

“Find it with a Smart Tag” – Sept. 20.

Exploring the world of smart tags.

“QR Codes: Mysterious Square 2D Patterns” – Sept. 27.

Looked at the history and applications of Quick Response (QR) codes.

“The Early Days of Minnesota Television” – Oct. 4.

Reviewed the history of television in Minnesota.

“RCA’s ‘All Shook Up’ Journey” – Oct. 11.

Traced the history of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA).

“‘Air Mail’ within a Tube Network” – Oct. 18.

A look at pneumatic mail delivery systems.

“My ‘Additive Manufacturing’ Journey” – Oct. 25.

A column about my personal experience with 3D printing.

“Remember to Cast Your ‘Ballotta’” – Nov. 1.

Explored the history of assorted voting methods.

“The Web’s Early Threads” – Nov. 8.

Looked back at the origins of the World Wide Web.

“Accelerating the Future: Supercomputing, AI, Part One” – Nov. 15.

Discussed the growing importance of AI in the tech industry.

“AI Engines: GPUs and Beyond” – Nov. 22.

Explored the role of graphics processing units (GPUs) in powering AI.

“The ‘Early Bird’ Still Soars” – Nov. 29.

The story of NASA’s INTELSAT 1 satellite.

“The Mysterious Miniature ‘Space Shuttle’” – Dec. 6.

My take on the mysterious X-37B, an uncrewed, reusable US spaceplane.

“A Bright Idea: An Electrically Lit Christmas Tree” – Dec. 13.

An illuminating history of Christmas tree lights.

“Jessica’s Question: A Christmas Tale” – Dec. 20.

A story on how Santa Claus uses technology.

“A year of Memories and Columns “ – Dec. 27.

Today’s column.

It is nearly time to say goodbye to 2024; Mom was right.

I created this image using Gemini Advanced AI 

Jessica’s question: a Christmas tale

© Mark Ollig

On Dec. 22, 2008, I wrote a special Christmas column about a young person named Jessica who asked a question about Santa Claus.

I remember my mother enjoying that column, and in her memory, I am republishing it today with a few modifications.

The column started with Jessica asking, “Does Santa Claus use a computer?”

All right, Jessica, I emailed my list of North Pole contacts and found one elf from Santa’s North Pole Toy Workshop who investigated your question.

Finarfin Elendil moonlights as a freelance journalist with the North Pole Frosty newspaper during the Christmas offseason.

He informed me that the jolly old elf with a white beard, a broad face, and a little round belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly is very computer savvy.

The computer located at the Claus Computer Center (CCC) is cleverly concealed beneath the North Pole’s main toy-making factory. According to Elendil, it oversees the operation of Santa’s key toy production facilities.

The CCC uses state-of-the-art North Pole (NP) quantum computer technology to analyze the wish lists submitted by Santa effectively.

Sophisticated software ensures that gifts for all the good girls and boys are processed quickly, streamlining delivery routes to ensure smooth and timely delivery of toys using Santa’s airborne sled, code-named Sleigh-One.

Sleigh-One is more than a flying wooden toboggan; it features an onboard mini-computer networked in real time with the CCC, providing Santa with up-to-date information.

A 3D holographic display on Sleigh-One shows Global Positioning System data.

One display monitors the reindeer’s speed and altitude, in MPR (miles per reindeer) of Sleigh-One’s reindeer-powered output of Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blixen, and, of course, because of his bright, shiny red nose, Rudolph, the “Red-Nosed Reindeer,” is officially designated by Santa as “Reindeer One.”

Sleigh-One also features another display that shows the number of presents delivered along with cup holders Santa and Mrs. Claus (when traveling with him) use to hold their eggnog.

The telemetry data it receives from the CCC maps and computes the coordinates for every rooftop fireplace worldwide that Santa descends into to deliver presents.

Elendil explained if a home doesn’t have a chimney, Santa’s computer kicks into gear and activates the “back door” software program using magical algorithms for Christmas present deliveries.

Of course, there can be glitches.

One time, Elendil reported the software program filled a neighbor’s refrigerator with pickled herring and even filled a chimney with fruitcake! But now, he said, everything works perfectly.

When I was a child, one of my favorite Christmas TV specials was “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which first aired back in 1964.

One highlight of the special was Christmas Eve when a major blizzard hit the North Pole.

Santa realized he could not navigate his reindeer sleigh through the storm, leading him to consider canceling Christmas.

However, a young reindeer named Rudolph had a very bright red nose that would, as Santa said, “cut through the murkiest storm they can dish up.”

That Christmas Eve, as the doors to the North Pole’s Toy Workshop opened, the heavy blowing snow rushed towards Sleigh-One, which was ready to deliver presents throughout the world.

Santa: “Ready, Rudolph?”

Rudolph: “Ready, Santa!”

Santa: “Well, let’s be on our way. OK, Rudolph. Full power!”

Returning to Jessica’s question, Elendil reported the North Pole’s supercomputer confirmed that there are approximately 131 million households in the U.S.

The world’s population is nearly 8 billion, with homes scattered across 196.9 million square miles of Earth’s surface.

Further calculations, taking into account densely populated areas, reveal an average distance of 0.1 miles between homes.

To deliver all the Christmas presents in a single night, Sleigh-One averages a cruising speed of nearly 1.3 million miles per hour!

Elendil shared the story of when Dasher asked Santa if the sleigh could travel the speed of light, which would be 186,000 miles per second and 671 million miles per hour.

Santa explained that if he traveled that fast, Rudolph’s nose light would trail behind the sleigh like a comet’s tail, and they would enter a time warp, traveling backward in time and delivering presents before Christmas.

Therefore, instead of reaching light speed, they used a specially designed sleigh equipped with magical transwarp-time drive capabilities.

Well, Jessica, I hope you found this story fun to read; I sure enjoyed writing it.

Christmas originates from the Old English phrase “Cristes maesse,” meaning “Christ’s Mass.” This phrase first appeared in historical documents around 1038 AD. It evolved into the Middle English “Christemasse” and the modern “Christmas.”

As we grow older and face the challenges life presents, it’s important to hold onto the magical memories of Christmas — even amid our challenges, there is still room for wonder and joy.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

Finarfin Elendil, who moonlights as a freelance journalist with the North Pole Frosty newspaper.

I created the image using the Meta AI artificial intelligence program (AI Imagined), which 

generated the image based on my text prompts.

A bright idea: an electrically lit Christmas tree

© Mark Ollig

Up until the late 19th century, Christmas trees were decorated with garlands of popcorn, homemade ornaments, and edible treats like berries, nuts, cookies, and fruits.

Lighted candles were also used on Christmas trees, but due to fire hazards, a bucket of water was often kept nearby.

In 1879, Thomas Edison developed a practical incandescent light bulb at his Menlo Park, NJ, laboratory.

By the Christmas season of 1880, he was demonstrating his electric lighting system, stringing bulbs outside his lab for the nearby railroad passengers to see.

The New York Times reported Dec. 21, 1880, that New York City officials visited Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park laboratory, where they were impressed by his electric lighting. The article noted a walkway illuminated with 290 electric lamps, “which cast a soft and mellow light on all sides.”

In December of 1882, Edward H. Johnson, an associate of Thomas Edison and the vice president of the Edison Electric Illuminating Company, created the first electrically illuminated Christmas tree.

He hand-wired a string of 80 red, white, and blue electric light bulbs on the tree in the parlor room of his home.

Johnson placed the illuminated Christmas tree on a slowly rotating platform (powered by a direct-current electric dynamo generator) next to a window so the tree was visible from the street.

After visiting Johnson’s home on West 12th Street and seeing his electrically lit Christmas tree, William Augustus Croffut, a journalist for the Detroit Post and Tribune, wrote a Dec. 22, 1882, newspaper article saying, “Last evening, I walked over beyond Fifth Avenue and called at the residence of Edward H. Johnson, vice-president of Edison’s electric company. There, at the rear of the beautiful parlors, was a large Christmas tree, presenting a most picturesque and uncanny aspect.”

He went on to describe the electrical lights on the Christmas tree, “It was brilliantly lighted with many colored globes about as large as an English walnut and was turning some six times a minute on a little pine box. There were 80 lights in all encased in these dainty glass eggs, and about equally divided between white, red, and blue.”

In the following years, Johnson continued to refine his Christmas tree display, increasing the number of lights.

An 1884 New York Times article said of his Christmas tree, “It stood about six feet high, in an upper room, and dazzled persons entering the room. There were 120 lights on the tree, with globes of different colors.”

Despite the public’s fascination with Johnson’s colorful bulbs, the transition from traditional candles on Christmas trees was gradual, slowed by high costs and limited access to electricity in smaller cities and rural areas.

In 1895, during President Grover Cleveland’s presidency, electric lights were placed on the indoor White House tree, which helped popularize the practice of decorating Christmas trees with electricity.

The Dec. 6, 1901, issue of the Brooklyn Daily Times featured an advertisement from the Edison Electric Illuminating Co. of Brooklyn offering miniature electric lamps for Christmas tree lighting, available for purchase or rental. The ad states wiring could be easily arranged if there was electric service in the building.

In 1903, General Electric, which had purchased Edison’s lightbulb factory in 1890, began selling the first Christmas tree lighting kits. These kits included a string of eight varied-colored glass bulbs and a connector for an electrical socket.

The kit cost $12 (about $430 today) and was marketed as a safer, easier way to light a Christmas tree, though the bulbs still posed some fire risk due to their heat.

In 1917, 15-year-old Albert Sadacca, along with his 22-year-old brother Leon and younger brother Henri, began marketing affordable electrically-powered Christmas lights through their family’s Ever-Ready Light Company.

The Nov. 28, 1920, Minneapolis Journal newspaper featured a Peerless Electrical Company advertisement, which advertised a “new kind of tree lighting set” from General Electric called the GE Christmas Arborlux, featuring smaller translucent lamp bulbs.

President Calvin Coolidge turned on the switch of the first officially recognized outdoor national Christmas tree Dec. 24, 1923.

The 48-foot balsam fir, trimmed with 2,500 red, white, and green bulbs, was lit on the Ellipse located south of the White House.

The ceremony drew more than 6,000 visitors and featured Christmas carols and a performance by the US Marine Band.

The lighting of the first national Christmas tree marked the beginning of a tradition that continues to this day.

Today’s Christmas lights mainly feature LEDs (light-emitting diodes), which are safer and more energy-efficient than older incandescent bulbs, like the cone-shaped glass ones I remember from my youth.

In the future, “smart” Christmas trees may feature lights enhanced by nanotechnology, bioluminescence, holographic projections, and immersive AI-augmented reality powered by excess heat in a room using energy-harvesting technology.

They will no doubt provide a unique and immersive Christmas experience.

Stay tuned.

The mysterious miniature ‘space shuttle’

© Mark Ollig

The X-37B is an uncrewed spaceplane shrouded in secrecy with a design resembling a miniature NASA Space Shuttle.

NASA initiated the X-37 program in 1999, aiming to develop a reusable space transportation system.

This program encompassed the X-37B, a small, autonomous spacecraft designed for operation in low Earth orbit.

In 2004, the X-37B program was transferred from NASA to the US Air Force. 

Today, operational control of the X-37B resides with the US Space Force, which assumed responsibility in 2020.

This American-made X-37B is a reusable orbital spaceplane that is 29 feet in length, 15 feet in wingspan, and 9.5 feet in height.

Its weight remains officially classified, although various sources suggest it is around 11,000 pounds.

The X-37B is designed for vertical takeoffs and is launched encased within a protective fairing shell atop a rocket. 

After completing a mission, the spaceplane lands on a runway, similar to NASA’s space shuttle.

The US Air Force’s official website states that the X-37B is a reusable experimental spacecraft for conducting orbital experiments and advancing future US space technologies.

The payloads and experiments conducted using the X-37B are mainly classified.

The X-37B’s designation follows the US military’s experimental aircraft naming convention. The “X” denotes experimental, “37” is a sequential number, and “B” indicates the second iteration.

Note that not all numbers in the one through 36 sequence correspond to actual aircraft due to canceled projects and designation changes.

The Orbital Test Vehicle-1 (OTV-1), also known as USA-212, had its first flight as the Boeing X-37B when it was launched aboard an Atlas V 501 rocket from Cape Canaveral, FL.

The Atlas V 501 rocket, operated by United Launch Alliance, stood at 191.3 feet tall, had a diameter of 12.5 feet, and weighed approximately 1.3 million pounds.

The rocket’s RD-180 liquid-fueled engine produced 860,000 pounds-force of thrust.

The Atlas V 501’s Centaur upper stage was powered by an RL10A-4-2 liquid-fueled engine, producing 22,300 pounds-force of thrust.

The X-37B’s first mission, lasting 224 days, tested technologies such as guidance, navigation, and control systems; thermal protection; satellite sensors; autonomous orbital operation; and re-entry and landing capabilities.

The X-37B reportedly operated in a low earth orbit at an approximate altitude range of 150 to 500 miles above the planet.

The X-37B contributes to Space Domain Awareness (SDA), which entails monitoring space activities and objects, including satellites and debris, that could impact US operations.

SDA helps the Space Force identify potential orbital threats and ensure safe operations for US spacecraft and satellites.

The X-37B operates in low Earth orbit, gathering data on satellites, debris, and other space activities. 

Its secrecy is driven by national security, the pursuit of technological advantage, and protection against adversaries.

General information about launches, non-classified orbital details, and landings is typically made public; however, specific mission objectives, payload details, and most experiment specifics remain confidential.

The X-37B tests various new space technologies, including advanced reusable spacecraft systems, autonomous navigation and control systems, and novel propulsion technologies.

Today, the Air Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office is involved in the program’s development, while the US Space Force oversees on-orbit operations.

The launch of the X-37B OTV-6 mission was May 17, 2020, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, FL, aboard an Atlas V 501 rocket.

A service module was introduced on the X-37B with the OTV-6 mission, enabling the spacecraft to carry out more experiments, store additional fuel, increase the spacecraft’s orbital range and duration, and support complex maneuvers.

The module also facilitates payload deployment and retrieval, hosting experiments like the Naval Research Laboratory’s Photovoltaic Radiofrequency Antenna Module and the US Air Force Academy’s FalconSat-8.

After spending 908 days in orbit, the X-37B landed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Nov. 12, 2022, ending the OTV-6 mission.

The seventh mission of the X-37B, OTV-7 (Orbital Test Vehicle-7) spacecraft launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, designated USSF-52, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Dec. 28, 2023.

The choice of the Falcon Heavy rocket for this mission may have been needed due to the X-37B’s increased payload capacity to carry more fuel, conduct more experiments, or achieve higher orbits.

The US Air Force announced that the X-37B began a series of aerobraking maneuvers Oct. 10 of this year.

These maneuvers are used to modify the spacecraft’s orbit by slowing it down with Earth’s atmosphere, which saves fuel and enables extended missions.

The secretive miniature ‘space shuttle,’ the X-37B, is currently in Earth orbit. It will continue its mission before eventually de-orbiting and returning to Earth, as it has done successfully in its previous six missions.

While many details about the X-37B remain classified, it continues to intrigue and generate speculation.

The X-37B remains a classified conundrum wrapped in an enigma.

After eight months in space, a Chinese “reusable experimental spacecraft,” landed in the Gobi Desert region located in northern China Sept. 6.

While not officially confirmed to be a direct response to the X-37B secretive spaceplane program, it does seem to signal a strategic response to advancements in US spaceplane technology.