Computer chronicles
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Computer Chronicles was a television series about personal computing and new computer technology, hosted by Stewart Cheifet. The Internet Archive's series collection identifies its broadcast run as 1983-2002. Its 1992 episode "Virtual Reality" examined computer-generated environments, glove interfaces and design applications.[1][2]
Program format
The program used product demonstrations and discussion with guests. In his memoir, Computer Connections, former co-host Gary Kildall described Cheifet organizing the shows and selecting companies to demonstrate their products. He recalled taping at the College of San Mateo, with guests setting up hardware for questions and demonstrations. This account describes the production during Kildall's participation in the series.[3]
1992 virtual reality episode
The archived episode presents virtual reality through both studio demonstrations and field reports. Its catalog records an original 1992 broadcast and copyright by Stewart Cheifet Productions. Subjects include data gloves, head-mounted displays and computer-aided design.[2]
| Segment | Demonstration |
|---|---|
| Talking Glove | Finger spelling produces displayed letters and speech through a glove-based interface.[2] |
| Virtual Reality Showcase | A field report visits the Software Development Conference in Santa Clara, California.[2] |
| Autodesk Cyberspace | Software demonstrations use a mouse, a head-mounted display and a glove to explore and interact with virtual scenes.[2] |
| Virtus WalkThrough | An architect shows a proposed building design and discusses changing the model with clients.[2] |
| CyberGlove and design tools | A glove drives a virtual hand; subsequent demonstrations manipulate three-dimensional objects through hand gestures.[2] |
These segments document demonstrations and statements made in 1992. The recording preserves both working examples and discussion of applications still under development.[2]
Preservation and viewing
The Internet Archive hosts the series collection and the "Virtual Reality" recording for online viewing. Its donation record describes at least 50 boxes of VHS, one-inch and U-matic tapes from Computer Chronicles and Net Cafe, donated by Cheifet. The collection is an archival holding of recorded programs; the donation description covers both series.[1][4]
In February 2023, GDELT announced access to the archive through its Visual Explorer, developed in collaboration with the Internet Archive. Its thumbnail interface helps locate scenes and timecodes before opening the recording. In October 2023, GDELT announced an experiment applying Google's Chirp automatic speech recognition to the archive.[5][6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Computer Chronicles". Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/computerchronicles. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "Virtual Reality". Computer Chronicles via Internet Archive. 1992. https://archive.org/details/virtualreali. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ Gary Kildall (1993). "Computer Connections". Computer History Museum. pp. 19-21, 58. https://s3data.computerhistory.org/kildall-p.1-78-publishable-lowres.pdf. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ "Stewart Cheifet Donation COL-1637". Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/Stewart_Cheifet_COL_1637. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ "Visual Explorer: Computer Chronicles 1982-2002 Archive Now Available". The GDELT Project. 2023-02-25. https://blog.gdeltproject.org/visual-explorer-computer-chronicles-1982-2002-archive-now-available/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- ↑ "Visual Explorer: Computer Chronicles 1982-2002 Archive Transcribed". The GDELT Project. 2023-10-11. https://blog.gdeltproject.org/visual-explorer-computer-chronicles-1982-2002-archive-transcribed/. Retrieved 2026-10-13.