[Back Issues] Week of November 16, 1999

"Your Outside Source for Silicon Valley News"

San Jose's Tech Museum of Innovation May Need Updated. "Behold The Power Of The Pentium 166 Processor!" Last year, at the unveiling of the new San Jose Museum of Innovation, that thunderous cry brought gasps from the assembled crowd as Intel unveiled it's latest processor. Weighing just under 2 pounds, and requiring only 2 fans to cool it, the Pentium 166 processor was called "The Last Chip Mankind Will Ever Need." Scientists debated if it would be practical or possible for a processor to run at a greater speed without possibly tearing a hole in the very fabric of the space/time continuum. Reporters took newsreel, computer geeks soiled themselves, and the high tech industry patted itself on the back for creating something that would inspire awe for generations to come. While visitors were stunned by the P-166 exhibit at first, it wasn't too long before they began to grow tired of it. "I'd say about mid-way through 1999, people began to lose interest in the Pentium 166 exhibit." said Doug Sparsso, curator. "We tried to renew interest by revamping the exhibit with a C-64 emulator, and met with moderate success. Even the kids got bored with it after a while." The "Wow, Look! Dig-Dug!" exhibit failed to gain repeat customers. While Doug isn't sure, he feels that the introduction of the 200+ mhz sub $10,000 home PC's might have had something to do with it. "You no longer have to go to the tech museum to see something so awesome. Chances are, someone in your neigeberhood might have a 266 MHZ machine sitting on a desk for you to come over and experiment with, without having an armed guard eying your every move."