Part 4 - Testing... Testing...1 2 3

So one of my tasks this week is to answer these questions without google or wikipedia.... Now... WHAT AM I GONNA USE? They are the only ones that I really use, and this will be a challenge! Let us begin with 1 shall we?

1. What did Alan Turing wear while riding his bicycle around Bletchley Park?
[Note: Who is this guy? I have never heard of him before. This is definately a challenge.]
Went to AskJeeves and it came up with a website dedicated to him. I am going to take a guess at this question because how are we supposed to find it out. On his page and in other photos he is wearing tweed a lot... So I will guess A TWEED JACKET. =)
[http://www.turing.org.uk/turing/]


2. On what date did two computers first communicate with each other? Where were they?
So, for this one I tried to use hotbot.com (it sounds awesome), but epic fail. NEXT
Then, I attempted to use dogpile.com, it came up with "First Communion Ceremonies" (wtf?) epic fail. NEXT
Used yahoo and this is the best I could do. I didn't get a date, but from what I found from the unrelevant information I deciphered that the creation of the Local Area Network (LAN) was the first way for computers to communicate if they were connected.


3. What is Bill Gates’ birthday and what age was he when he sold his first software?
Used Yahoo! for this one again and it like the rest of the above its first link was to "Wikipedia" (which has been so tempting), but then its second link was to the microsoft website.
He was born on 28th October 1955! (First answer I know is right)
He sold his first software when he was around 19. (Estimation) From websites, it said he sold his first software after high school/during college, so I would guess around that age!

4. Where was the World Wide Web invented?
I don't need to use the internet for this question. Switzerland :) I know this because after reading Dan Brown's book "Angels & Demons" CERN is actually a real company name that is brought up in his fictional novel, so I researched about it! Very interesting stuff especially on Wikipedia. lol.

5. How does the power of the computer you are working on now compare with the power of a personal computer from 30 years ago?
WOW. This is amazing. http://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/?category=cmptr (found through yahoo). I cannot believe that computers in the 1970s had like a KILOBYTE of memory. Do you know what we could store with only a few kilbytes of memory today? NOTHING.
It says in 1981 "The first PC ran on a 4.77 MHz Intel 8088 microprocessor and used Microsoft´s MS-DOS operating system". Wow. Wow. Wow. Everyone should see my face right now. Total geek like.
ROFLCOPTER @ the first portable computer. It cost as much as my laptop cost now. Imagine this:
My Laptop - 2GB RAM, 400GB memory, 2.6Ghz Intel Centrino 2, Windows Vista, 15.5 inch display, dvd/cd drive, 4 USB ports (you get the picture)
First Portable Computer - 5 inch display, 64 kilobytes memory, a modem, 5 1/4 inch floppy disk drives.
That is unbelievable.... what did people even USE them for? Maybe we can compare it to rich people buying expensive luxury cars because they can.
Also, (an interesting note) my laptop is now classed obsolete and I only bought it 8 months ago! The pace our world is at right now technology wise, is insane and unbelievable. I am barely catching up now.