Captain Kirk Explains Microprocessors

I found this on AT&T’s Tech Channel back in March and just haven’t gotten around to sharing. Apparently from the AT&T video archive, this video about microprocessors hosted by William Shatner is a hoot to watch. Not only does in include every sort of corny background music and visual gimmick you can remember from late 70s educational films, but it actually does a great job of setting the stage for the same sort of “future think” that currently consumes us. We are living in the age that this video describes, no longer limited by what we might be able to create in the future, but actually overwhelmed by what we’re capable of right now with computers!

If you’ve been teaching long enough, you may actually remember when this video made the rounds in the classroom. If you teach about computer history, microprocessor design, or are just plain curious about educational videos from the 70s, this might be useful in helping students understand Moore’s Law.