On August 1, the classic Commodore 64 computer turned 30 years old. That’s a long time in the world of technology, but the C64 has turned into the little computer that could, with lots of people still using it, websites dedicated to it, and more.

We wanted to pay our own respects to the Commodore 64 as well as all the dedicated users that have used the computer over the years. So we rounded up a number of photos of the C64.

The really cool thing is that these are all photos taken way back when it actually happened, when the Commodore 64 was new, in the 1980s.

Read more

Yesterday reports started circulating that Eastman Kodak Co. is on the brink of filing for bankruptcy protection.

The company, which was founded in 1892, is just about synonymous with photography, and has been immortalized in popular culture in countless ways. Who doesn’t remember Paul Simon’s “Kodachrome,” and haven’t all of us used the saying “it’s a Kodak moment”?

As you prepare for the news whether the company will live on or not, we’ve collected 10 Kodak cameras you can rest your eyes on.

Read more

The construction work on our new office is now in full swing. We thought it would be fun to share some before-and-after pics from the teardown of the old innards, which should give you an idea of the great potential this place has. It’s going to be completely customized for Pingdom once it’s done.

As you may know, we’ll be moving our headquarters to a brand new office that’s smack in the middle of Västerås, Sweden. We’re already in central Västerås, so it’s not far from our current location, but we need more space. Hence, new office!

Read more

Many of today’s most popular applications and operating systems have been around for a long time. This is a look back at version 1.0 of some of the most popular and widespread applications of today, many of them ranging all the way back to the 1980s.

To keep this article from becoming the size of a novel we were extremely picky with what we included. We only included applications that are in current use and so widespread and popular that they have more or less become iconic. We also decided to focus solely on Windows and Mac OS this time (sorry, Linux people, we’ll make amends in the future).

Let’s start with the first versions of Windows and Mac OS and move on to the applications from there…

Read more

For decades, supercomputers have helped scientists perform calculations that would not have been possible on regular computers of that time. Not only has the construction of supercomputers helped push the envolope of what is possible within the computing field, but the calculations supercomputers have performed for us have helped further both science and technology, and ultimately our lives.

This post pays tribute to some of the most powerful supercomputers the world has seen, all the way from the 1970s until today.

Read more

What is now the fastest supercomputer in Europe was recently unveiled at a research institute in Jülich, Germany. The computer, named Jugene, is capable of a massive one trillion computing operations per second.

Here is a look at what makes Jugene tick, including pictures of its installation.

Read more

We all use personal computers and we all take them for granted in our everyday lives. It’s easy to forget that PCs have only been around for a couple of decades, and initially were nowhere near the powerhouses we have on our desks today.

For example, did you know that the first “portable” computer weighed 25 kg (55 lb) and cost close to $20,000, that the first laser printer was big enough to fill up most of a room, or that you basically had to build the first Apple computer yourself?

Read more

This underground data center has greenhouses, waterfalls, German submarine engines, simulated daylight and can withstand a hit from a hydrogen bomb. It looks like the secret HQ of a James Bond villain.

And it is real. It is a newly opened high-security data center run by one of Sweden’s largest ISPs, located in an old nuclear bunker deep below the bedrock of Stockholm city, sealed off from the world by entrance doors 40 cm thick (almost 16 inches).

Read the full post for plenty of more pictures and cool information.

Read more

Bumper stickers give people a chance to express their personality. So, what happens when the car owner is a dedicated computer geek (like us Pingdom-ites)?

This is what happens.

Go on for 15 photos that will put a smile on your face.

Read more

ZDNet has posted a short walkthrough of HP’s portable data center, POD, which we assume is set to compete with other container data centers from for example Sun and Rackable.

Want one? It’ll only cost you just over $1 million. Without servers.

Read more