Unexpected Histories: Spotting Patterns and Making Connections That Others Miss

Course overview

Pattern recognition meets hidden history: from Arlington Cemetery's coded tombstone to supercomputing's classified origins to Big Tech's antitrust reckoning.

6 parts
16 chapters
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Part 1

The Day the Internet Died3 chapters

Begin part
  1. The Day the Internet Died

  2. Silicon Valley Takedown

  3. Transcontinental Railroad

Part 2

The First Silicon Valley Unicorn Startup3 chapters

Begin part
  1. The Bigger They Come

  2. The First Silicon Valley Unicorn Startup

  3. “Incipient” Battles

Part 3

The Secret in Arlington3 chapters

Begin part
  1. The Secret in Arlington

  2. Return With Honor

  3. The Salem Trials

Part 4

Safe Havens Then and Now3 chapters

Begin part
  1. First Rate

  2. Safe Havens Then and Now

  3. Where Computers Come From

Part 5

Top Secret Ultra3 chapters

Begin part
  1. Top Secret Ultra

  2. Bill Norris and Seymour Cray

  3. Control Data Corporation

Part 6

Road Map1 chapters

Begin part
  1. Appendix A. HPC Tradecraft Road Map