DESCRIPTION: I'll see your Timothy Edward Downs and raise you 20.
Very early pictorial map advertisement for Digital Equipment Corporation or DEC, for their DEC10 Supercomputer as a key part of the ARPA network. With the introduction of the TCP-IP protocols, ARPANET grew rapidly in size and within less than 20 years evolved into the Internet.
ARPA stands for Advanced Research Projects Agency, a U.S. Defense Department agency responsible for leading-edge technical research. Beginning in 1967, by 1969 the ARPANET network interconnected four supercomputers, in 1970 - 9 supercomputers and by 1972 - 24 supercomputers .
The ad shows the location of ARPANET supercomputers, generally large universities and research institutions; the interconnections between those supercomputers; and the data exchanged between the computers.
In the early 1970's networking concepts were poorly understood and the artist uses common pictograms as metaphors as an aid to understanding. Without exception each university/research Supercomputing center is represented by old white men in suits, most with ties (NASA Ames the exception). Names of each institution appears on the outstretched arms of the old white men as they extend into the cube of another institution with an old white man. By Digital Equipment Corporation, Maynard, Massachusetts, run by old white men in the 1970's.
PUBLICATION DATE: 1972
GEOGRAPHIC AREA: United States
BODY OF WATER: N/A
CONDITION: Very Good
Verso with another ad.
COLORING: None
ENGRAVER:
SIZE: 8
" x
11 "
ITEM PHYSICAL LOCATION: 88
PRICE: $275
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