Sanjay Srivastava @sanjaysrivastava.net

They reprogrammed a 47-year-old computer system with 68k of memory across a 22+ hour lag

35 replies 670 reposts 1809 likes

Jen o' the Sproats @flyinjenny.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 23:14 UTC

The most impressive thing was being able to anticipate the "click OK to continue" actions 22 hours in advance.

0 replies 0 reposts 4 likes

Ian McLean @mrthewalrus.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 20:23 UTC

Over a 16-bit-per-second connection.

0 replies 1 reposts 18 likes

waxmonkey @waxmonkey.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 19:51 UTC

new excuse dropped

0 replies 1 reposts 45 likes

Terry Baucher @trabaq.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 21:18 UTC

If you have not seen it I thoroughly recommend the fantastic doco on the Voyager Program "The Farthest" youtu.be/znTdk_de_K8?...

0 replies 2 reposts 7 likes

@leasepie.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 23, 2024 at 02:07 UTC

they had a clear sightline

0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

EnberLight - Comms Open! @enberlight.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 23, 2024 at 01:04 UTC

It's absolutely amazing that a computer that predates home PCs is out there, in temperature extremes and radiation, bopping along looking at things beyond our solar system, and we can still talk to it. Let alone hear back or FIX it. Like dang. My thermostat probably has more memory.

0 replies 0 reposts 7 likes

Aubrey Harris @aubreyharris.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 21:05 UTC

@ziyatong.bsky.social

0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

Kate Watson @loreandordure.com [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 19:47 UTC

Reading between the lines, a lot of hard-coded pointer excitement. 🥴🤣

2 replies 0 reposts 41 likes

Funk As Puck @funkaspuck.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 23, 2024 at 11:54 UTC

In college the students taking Ada had to work with an emulator that ran in batch mode with no I/O, only a final status indicator for Success or Failure.

0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

@tujungadude.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 21:33 UTC

not that big a deal. they had 'Clippy' to help

0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Josh Pollock 🌱🌵🌲 @josh412.com [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 21:27 UTC

Imagine watching that progress bar slowly advance.

0 replies 0 reposts 5 likes

Patrick Matthews @matthewsp.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 21:34 UTC

45 hour lag, really, when you consider the time for the return signal

1 replies 0 reposts 2 likes

St. Chris @stchris.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 21:09 UTC

As a lifelong space exploration enthusiast, software engineer, and former tech support phone rep, I can’t think of anything more epic, ever.

0 replies 0 reposts 9 likes

@technicalsquirrel.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 21:57 UTC

I get mad if unit tests take more than 90 seconds to run.

0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

chadzia dax 🖖🏻 😷 🔞 @m00psy.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 22:24 UTC

this is so fucking cool!!! 🤩

0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

Lord Hræfn, esq. @xneardark.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 20:21 UTC

V'Ger thanks the carbon units for their hard work and will probably not choose to destroy them on its return. Probably.

0 replies 0 reposts 43 likes

John Linen @johnlinen.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 23, 2024 at 01:22 UTC

In high school I had an Atari computer with 64k of memory. Years later, I had an older Mac which had a date & time utility that took 64k. Wow.

0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

工an Monroe 🚰 @eean.dev [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 19:53 UTC

I guess a bit less than 68k memory now

0 replies 0 reposts 16 likes

Sean Eric Fagan @kithrup.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 20:35 UTC

With *corrupt* memory.

1 replies 0 reposts 17 likes

ABooklySolo @abooklysolo.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 20:32 UTC

VGER is becoming self aware.

0 replies 0 reposts 4 likes

Aaron Bourque @afbourque.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 22:22 UTC

What's modern tech support's exuse???

0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

Lighting Rod [Bluesky Older] @yendorcire.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 20:05 UTC

it’s worth mentioning that it is the farthest man-made object away from earth there is.

1 replies 0 reposts 35 likes

Jimmy Acevedo @metareferential.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 21:39 UTC

Absolute steely-eyed wizards, holy shit.

0 replies 0 reposts 4 likes

The Almighty Tallest @spooknine.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 20:38 UTC

Nerd level: Epic

0 replies 0 reposts 11 likes

@rosellek.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 23, 2024 at 00:35 UTC

Excellent context

0 replies 0 reposts 0 likes

wagoner @wagoner.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 20:24 UTC

...to play Doom

0 replies 0 reposts 5 likes

Lebanon Link 🌎 ✨ ❤ @lebanonlink.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 19:49 UTC

And we can't wash a Cybertruck in sunlight.

1 replies 3 reposts 63 likes

Whistling Batter @whistlingbatter.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 21:21 UTC

[bald lady trekker voice] V-GER!

0 replies 0 reposts 2 likes

Here I post, here I remain @buckeroo303.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 21:08 UTC

45 hours there and back. I love NASA scientists so much.

0 replies 0 reposts 5 likes

robertus @robertus.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 20:29 UTC

We live in the future

0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Andrew D Wilson @adw.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 19:53 UTC

Somehow this is more impressive than landing something on Mars to me

3 replies 0 reposts 46 likes

Boston Tom Levenson @tomlevenson.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 20:33 UTC

Yeah. But the East German judge still gave them a 5.7.

0 replies 0 reposts 13 likes

Not kidding; wish I was @nkwiw.com [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 20:48 UTC

i think it’s more like 9k. according to wikipedia it’s memory is 18 bit words, 4096 words for each of the two cpus.

1 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Hipster Sasquatch @hipstersasquatch.bsky.social [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 22:18 UTC

YAYAYAYYY! VOYAGER IS NO LONGER INSANE!

0 replies 0 reposts 1 likes

Extremely on Summer Break @extremelyuncanny.com [ View ] Apr 22, 2024 at 22:17 UTC

and yet my printer still keeps disconnecting from the network

0 replies 0 reposts 3 likes