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The Rise and Fall of 3M’s Floppy Disk

Cars That Think

Floppies have had a surprisingly long life—in January 2024, Japan announced it will no longer require floppy-disk copies of government submissions. BASF, a German chemical manufacturer, has a somewhat similar corporate history and logo design to fellow thick-Helvetica enthusiast 3M. based on Pfluemer’s magnetic-tape invention.

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Inventing Postscript, the Tech That Took the Pain out of Printing

Cars That Think

The time was right because of the imminence of three hardware developments: the first low-cost, bit-mapped personal computer, the first low-cost laser printer, and a decline in price of high-density memory chips. of Tokyo, Japan, introduced the Canon LBP-CX desktop laser printer, which, moreover, printed beautifully. “If

Design 105
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Designing the First Apple Macintosh: The Engineers’ Story

Cars That Think

make a low-cost “appliance”-type computer that would be as easy to use as a toaster. Under his direction, the design team became as compact and efficient as the Macintosh was to be—a group of engineers working at a distance from all the meetings and paper-pushing of the corporate mainstream.

Design 118
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How Ted Hoff Invented the First Microprocessor

Cars That Think

Busicom had hired Intel to develop a set of custom chips for a low-cost calculator and had sent three engineers to Santa Clara to work on the chip designs. In October 1969, Hoff, Mazor, and the three Japanese engineers met with Busicom management, visiting from Japan, and described their divergent approaches. You’re crazy.”

IDEA 120
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Why Warren Buffett is investing in electric car company BYD - Apr. 13, 2009

Tony Karrer Delicious EVdriven

GE: The global stimulus bellwether FORTUNE 500 Current Issue Subscribe to Fortune (Fortune Magazine) -- Warren Buffett is famous for his rules of investing: When a management with a reputation for brilliance tackles a business with a reputation for bad economics, it is usually the reputation of the business that remains intact.

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Creating the Commodore 64: The Engineers’ Story

Cars That Think

When the design of the Commodore 64 began, the overriding goals were simplicity and low cost. The initial production cost of the Commodore 64 was targeted at $130; it turned out to be $135. There were additional VIC-20 assembly facilities in Japan, where the disk drive for the C-64 was to be manufactured.

Engine 117
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How Carmakers Are Responding to the Plug-In Hybrid Opportunity

Tony Karrer Delicious EVdriven

The F6 DM uses ferrous batteries, with no lithium content, that BYD says are high-energy density and low cost. Hyundai top 12/18/07 Hyundai Motor, Koreas largest automaker, said it is considering developing a plug-in hybrid car, a move expected to follow bigger rivals such as Japans Toyota Motor and General Motors of the United States.

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