Thursday, 11 November 2010

'Superb' Apple 1 on the block for £100k-£150K

1976 Jobs garage tech can be yours

By Drew Cullen • Get more from this author

12th November 2010 01:16 GMT

Forgotten Tech An original Apple 1 made by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in Jobs parent's garage goes on the auction block in London this month.

The Apple 1 was designed by Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976. Just 200 were made, according to the website Old Computers, and up to 50 are thought to survive.

At the time they cost £666.66, but Lot 65 is expected to fetch £100,000- £150,000, according to Christies, which says it is in superb condition.

Lot 65 has its original packaging, with the garage's return address on the typed label. Also included are the original manuals, a letter from Steve Jobs and an invoice dated 12/7/76.

Apple1 -motherboard, number 82, printed label - pic credit Christies

Apple 1 - It could be yours

According to Christies, the Apple 1 was the first pre-assembled PC - no soldering required. As you can see from the picture above there was no casing, monitor, power supply, or keyboard. But in principle, it worked out of the box.

We have lifted the picture of an Apple 1 with lovely wooden casing from Wikimedia, so you can see what it looked like in anger.

Apple 1 Computer housed in wooden casing - from Wikimedia

Apple 1 - lots of lovely wood

The website Old Computers has more about the Apple 1 spec.

Christies has assembled a strong list of works - composed by iconic names from the science and technology worlds - and another rare bit of kit for the Valuable Printed Books and Manuscripts auction on November 23.

These include:

An Enigma Machine used to code break German messages in the second World War (estimate £30K-£50K)
A collection of offprints by Allan Turing (estimate £300k-£500K)
A paper by Charles Babbage 'On a method of expressing by signs the action of Machinery (£10k-£15K).
THE IMPORTANT FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DISCOVERY OF DNA, SIGNED BY WATSON, CRICK, WILKINS, AND STOKE (£50k-£80K)
patent specification for ENIAC, the world's first electronic computer (£6k-££9K),
a manual co written by Grace Hopper (£1,200 -£1,500)

Happy bidding. ®
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Asian Games glittering opening, Guangzhou shines!

Glittering opening to Asian Games

Chinese prime minister declares the games open after a spectacular opening ceremony in Guangzhou.

Last Modified: 12 Nov 2010 22:03 GMT

The Asian Games officially opened with a glitzy ceremony featuring more than 6,000 performers [AFP]

China promised another spectacular opening event and delivered it to mark the start of the Asian Games.

Two years after the Beijing Olympics in the Chinese capital, the southern city of Guangzhou - which for a long time served as China's window to the world - opened the world's second-biggest multi-sports event on Friday, with an aqua-themed ceremony.

Athletes were ferried on 45 boats to an island venue shaped like the bow of a ship for an extravaganza of light, water and flames.

More than 10,000 athletes from 45 countries or territories are competing in 42 sports starting on Saturday and finishing on November 27.

Brightly illuminated in bulbs of different colours, the boats were decorated with Asian landmarks - including Japan's Mount Fuji, Cambodia's Angkor Wat, Jordan's Petra and India's Taj Mahal. China was represented by the Temple of Heaven, the Bird's Nest and the country's pavilion from the recently concluded Shanghai World Expo.

Logistical issues
The massive scale of the opening ceremony posed logistical issues for the Chinese organizers.

Except for members of the public who won a lottery for tickets to the show, most residents in the city of 10 million had little choice but to watch on TV.

The downtown area was locked down near the stadium and residents within a one-kilometer radius were ordered to leave their homes for the night - apparently to eliminate the threat of sniper fire.

Many downtown subway stations were closed Friday for security sweeps and streets in the vicinity of the opening ceremony were unusually quiet for a bustling city of more than 10 million.

Wen Jiaobao, the Chinese Premier, attended, and was joined by Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan's president; Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Thai Prime Minister; and other dignitaries from the region.

There will be 28 gold medals awarded on Saturday, the first day of full competition, with finals in shooting, swimming, triathlon, judo, weightlifting, gymnastics and in dance sports, which is making its debut at the Asian Games.

India has a good chance in the shooting, with Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang in action.

Japan has the leading contenders in the women's triathlon and judo, but China is again expected to lead the way from the start in the overall medal count.

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Two years after dazzling the world at the Beijing Olympic Games, China gets another chance to show off its economic and sporting might when the 16th Asian Games to open in the Southern city of Guangzhou on 12.11.2010

(Chinadaily.com.cn) Updated: 2010-11-08 10:51. Guangzhou shines for Asian Games

Light shoots out from the Liede Bridge into the night sky, illuminating Guangzhou, the host city of 16th Asian Games on Nov 7, 2010. Dazzling light displays for the upcoming Asian Games have been installed in some public places and high-rise buildings in Guangzhou to make the city more charming for the games. [Photo/Xinhua]

The 610-meter-high new Guangzhou TV Tower is illuminated and decorated for the upcoming Asian Games in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province on Nov 7, 2010.

[Photo/Xinhua]

Commercial buildings and green belt along the Pearl River shine at night in Guangzhou, host city of the 16th Asian Games, Nov 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Buildings along the Pearl River have been decorated with various lights displaying images to light up Guangzhou, the host city of the 16th Asian Games, Nov 7, 2010. [Photo/Xinhua]

Tuesday, 9 November 2010

China's lunar probe: Bay of Rainbows reveals varied details of moon's surface

Expert: Image of Bay of Rainbows reveals varied details of moon's surface

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A black and white photo of the moon's Bay of Rainbows was unveiled Monday morning. The high quality photograph is expected to reveal the landscape details of the area, the proposed landing site for Chang'e 3.
The image of the Bay of Rainbows, snapped 18.7 kilometers from the moon's surface, shows a rather flat area covered with basalt soil. It is also scattered with craters of various sizes. The picture shows the landscape of the Bay.

Dr. Mu Lingli, Research Fellow of National Astronomical Observatories, said, "Of all the strip images that the camera took, this one reveals the varied details of the moon's surface. It contains old craters, and new ones with rays that extend 800-kilometers."

The photo's taken October 28th with the main camera on the lunar probe. A CCD stereo camera is designed to capture images 17 times clearer than that of the Chang'e one. The design of 96 sensors and scanning technology allows for an enhanced definition and resolution.

He said, "The resolution of Chang'e one's camera was 120 meters. The Bay of Rainbows area looks very smooth. But the new camera from Chang'e two shows the site scattered with craters. It does provide a much clearer image."

With the Bay of Rainbows images, the Chang'e 2 successfully completed its mission to scout out a landing location for its successor Chang'e 3. The satellite will continue its scientific objectives including investigating the lunar landscape and exploring the geological structure of the moon.

CCTV reporter Zhang Nini said, "This is the first batch of photos relayed back from Chang'e 2 and it's only a start. In the next five months, Chang'e will continue to send back more high resolution pictures, which will give scientists a more accurate understanding of the moon's geology and topography, and pave the way for China's future lunar programs.