The Computer Chronicles - Virtual Meetings (1994)

[@shawn4664]

Watching this in quarantine is surreal

[@floydjohnson7888]

If someone were to interview Stewart Cheifet today, that interviewer might allude to this very episode.

[@larryk731]

​​@floydjohnson7888 he's still alive in 2023

[@EeveeFromAlmia]

I fucking adore how we have the video tape lead-in. This channel isn’t just one persons personal collection, it’s the real tapes used in the real show! Ah! Thank you

[@guillermogutierrez710]

To think that today I have a daily meeting through Internet with people around the world in decent quality. And to think that I can also do that through my handheld device called Smartphone. This TV show was so futuristic back then. I wish there was something like this now, to see what is coming for the next decades.

[@BBC600]

It's like Zoom before Zoom... ;-) An interesting perspective on video conferencing. I liked the one segment of this episode where an Australian is a part of the call. I've actually been attending church services based out of Queensland, Australia on Saturday evenings (in Australia it's Sunday morning) via Zoom. The congregation has embraced me and have kind of become a wee 'family' in this time of quarantine... During Easter week they had evening prayer meetings (which here in Saskatchewan started at 2:55 AM) but nonetheless I stayed up to listen in (and even participate as the minister once asked me to read the scripture in my Canadian accent). It's amazing what technology allows us to do.

[@floydjohnson7888]

The story you relate of being asked to do a reading for a service in Australia probably hammers home, "tho' distant on the map, together in spirit".

[@АлексейГриднев-и7р]

Imagine what would quarantine and remote work have looked like at those times...

[@floydjohnson7888]

Eeee...I don't remember if the v.34 modem had been invented yet, but I do recall that the effects of the "digital divide" would have been even crappier in such a 1992. As history actually went down, 2020 was a wakeup call.

[@JaredConnell]

Most people and their jobs would be screwed. Not only did few people have computers at home and know how to use them even fewer had internet connections and if they did they would be phone line based. And even if they did have a computer and internet connection they surely didn't have multiple devices so everyone in the home would be able to use them all at once. Basically the quarantine would have much more catastrophic effects than it did already.

[@oldtwinsna8347]

Aside from very niche industries (journalism being a huge one), less than 0.1% of the population that did remote work in 2020/2021 would've been able to do the same. The infrastructure simply wasn't there. For starters, the interconneted networks were still ruled by private players (Telenet, Tymnet) that had aged systems from the 70s milking it out, resulting in horrifically slow speeds even for 1994 standards. The networks would've simply have been saturated with even a sliver of increased activity. That is, however, assuming that more of the population would even have access to a computer. If you thought tech supply shortages were bad a year ago, that would've been nothing compared to 1994 where there was just no industrial capacity to have handled churning out big volumes of systems compared anything to what we experienced; none whatsoever.

[@KabelkowyJoe]

FIrst of all - there would be NO quarantine and no "pandemic" because Bill Gates would be focused more on making Windows rather than selling vaccines ;) Second of all people wont be that stupid to trust their government and would rather go Swedish way of doing that.

[@KabelkowyJoe]

@@JaredConnell Opposite was true. So happened that life and jobs has been screwed thanks to fact those who instigated pandemic could lock people in homes. Because of existence of electronics - and people accepted fact they been robbed. Literally screwed over. There was attempt for such pandemic in 2009 but it didn't work out. TV alone wasn't able to scare people enough. Social media wouldnt dare censor information.

[@repawnd1]

Real-time file sharing software; cost is $1600. Stuart, "okay not too bad".

[@NickKont]

i smiled there too! Only if they could have a glimpse of 20 years later!

[@blackneos940]

@@NickKont And imagine what people will say 20 years later about us! :)

[@NickKont]

@@blackneos940 my guess is to the next generation we gonna look as primitive as they do to us now.

[@blackneos940]

@@NickKont Yeah. :) But I love Computers, and I love learning, so I guess I'm all set. :)

[@Aranimda]

For $ 1600, I'll copy that floppy.

[@The9q11]

actually the remote conference concept were proved 30 years back. Software, cameras and mics, even fancy devices were ready except for broadband internet. the shift to adsl modem makes it real.

[@joseph_b319]

Man i miss 80s and 90s computing.

[@AnaiBendai]

I find it hard to believe they were getting these Internet data speeds (150 Kbps) in 1994. I remember typical AOL connection speeds ranging from 5 Kbps - 10 Kbps as late as 2001. These must have been some pretty advanced Internet connections. Live streaming video in 1994 by Internet connection in 1994? I just don't remember anything like that.

[@911quartermaster5]

They were using an ISDN line. It was two 64K channel bonded to 128k. You had to pay per minute on each channel. 94 I was using. 14.4 modem. It was slow.

[@oldtwins]

Had my first cable modem in 95. It was pretty slow by today's standards - I believe less than 1mbps, but absolutely night and day difference than the 56k modems in place.

[@EeveeFromAlmia]

Much less people on the network back then, and much less data needed to be sent back and forth. It doesn’t sound too crazy tbh

[@j2simpso]

I don't see this video conferencing stuff taking off. Why would we even need such a thing?

[@Redstripe921]

wow 600 dollar for the microphone and camera back in 1994, insane !

[@The9q11]

what about 3500 Usd for new Philips CRT monitor mentioned in another CC issue of same year 😂

[@tvaught125]

Flash forward to 2020 and 2021...

[@Daehawk]

Why is this labeled 1994 when it clearly shows the airdate at the start as 1992?

[@shankao]

Yeah, I've seen that in other videos of the channel...

[@SnakeVenom3000]

It's hard to see due to early 1990's blurriness but if you look at 10:11 you can see at the top the date listed is Oct 29th 94

[@xereeto]

@@SnakeVenom3000 It's clearer to see at 2:38

[@Idleshot]

man who would have thought

[@JaredConnell]

20:52 imagine that, the boss didn't like people not knowing which ideas were his. He wanted people to sgree to his ideas and pretend that they were the best, even if they weren't. Instead of wanting what was best for the organization, he wanted his ego stroked and his ass kissed!

[@AlyxxTheRat]

I've noticed they say "you bet" a lot on this show.

[@jcp012000]

Alexandria Thorne you bet they do!

[@NickKont]

Also at the beginning of the series they were using a lot the phrase "Thats correct" and later replaced by "Thats exactly right" which nowdays of course rarely hear any of them.

[@WannabeMarysue]

4:24 still hte australian internet experience 2day...

[@charlibiris]

Hey man how's your internet been doing so far? Any better?

[@j2simpso]

I hear they've upgraded to 56K over here in Sydney. I'd hate to see what the baud rate is for those folks out in the sticks! 🤣

[@HeadlightMorningGlow]

Haha yeah, the do. Even with the free software, the camera/microphone/digitising board come to $1k, and Sharevision $2.5k! The Omnishare 'call' was hilarious.

[@yellowblanka6058]

It's almost as if this were almost 30 years ago and computers were far less powerful.

[@Finallybianca]

Did two trainings today over teams

[@brihmatyassine6590]

So, we didn't have to go to work

[@davidt8087]

Man I miss 90s UI. They were so cheesy..you can tell they were trying to make it look so amazing and graphical, and it looked good to them, but there's a reason the flat Sans serif white background designs won over.

[@ADDMEONPSN]

Vintage Red Ball Mouse 4:50

[@JaredConnell]

Trackball*

[@larryk731]

I'm not sure this concept will ever take off, especially around 2020 and later (sarcasm)

[@weedcity2296]

computer legenDs..

[@nickkrewson]

Ugh, referring to the Magic Link as a "PDA"... shameful. Sony marketed it as a "PIC", or "personal intelligent communicator". Yeah, I'm still a Magic Cap fanboi. 😁

[@MelhodRiperton]

Skip 0:43

[@u0aol1]

Waited the 43 seconds just to see what you wanted me to avoid, thanks for saving the rest of humanity, that's 43 seconds of my life I ain't getting back. FYI everyone else, just blank screens and screeching music, follow this dude's skip link.

[@u0aol1]

The Audio and Video is out of sync in this recording, as bad as AT&T's shitty phone hahaha