Tag Archives: 1986

The Japanese emoticon, (^_^), was published by Yasushi Wakabayashi in June 1986 on ASCIInet. The user binbou was using the (‾_‾) emoticon around the same time. Japanese emoticons are also called kaomoji. More info here and here.

:-) and :-( were first made on a computer by Scott E. Fahlman in 1982. Some say they date back as long as 1862 or 1648. Also see the PLATO emoticons/emojis from the 1970s, and the Polish vertical emoticons from 1881.

More emoticon-posts here.

Update, June 2024: There is a text credited to Takeshi Kitano, 1970, that includes emoticons, but it was apparently a joke from 2009.

Editing teletext pages for Radio Television Ljubljana, 1986. It became the first Yugoslavian teletext in 1984, although there were trials already in 1980. More info, photos and videos here.

MAXHEAD2, a Max Headroom ANSI animation with speech synthesis from 1986. Executable available here. Unknown author.

via the excellent ulan-bator.tumblr.com.

Microtex 666 (1986-1989) was a videotex service on the Australian network Viatel, where it was the only service to cater specifically to computer users in 1986. It featured telesoftware (downloadable software for free or at a cost), lists of BBSs (not on videotex), programming resources, the turnbased multiplayer game Great Galactic Conflict (updated weekly) and a bulletin board called Blackboard. While other Viatel boards were apparently moderated by hand, Microtex automatically removed obscenities and updated the pages every 15 minutes during peak hours.

The brand was also used for a hardware/software bundle for dial-up services (videotex, BBS, etc). C64, DOS, Apple II and BBC Micro were supported.

Source: Viatel Directory and Magazine Vol 4, 1986.

Fun with basic keyboard graphics, a book from 1986 by Winnifred Nichols. Contains step-by-step instructions for 50 keyboard/typewriter works. Plenty of seasonal greetings! Available in full at archive.org thanks to Marcin Wichary.

The 1986 retina screen: the WY-700 video card/screen gave the PC a 1280×800 resolution, and a text-mode of 160 columns by 50 lines. It had a built-in 16×16 font (download), and you could even use your own custom fonts. The high-res modes only supported greyscale, but who needs colours anyway?

Sources: John Elliot, thecomputerarchive.com, PC Mag.

Ditzitel, a Dutch videotex service that was scheduled to launch in 1986 but never did. Full soothing video ad here.

Girotel, a videotex banking service for old white men, running on the Dutch Viditel network. Most images from here.

teletextart:

4 Tel the Dog, moving picture, Channel Four Oracle teletext, 26th February 1986. Hmm, that floor looks a bit uneven! Maybe Wiggly has been fooled by an optical illusion?

Captured by Jason Robertson, http://twitter.com/grim_fandango

Source: http://ift.tt/1O4tMOb

Today, 30 years ago.