This is the video archive from our lottery-funded Viva Computer! project. The archive is a valuable resource for people interested in computing history.

Whilst the main focus of this project is collecting oral histories relating to home computing in Cambridge from 1960, over time as the archive builds we hope to increase the scope of our collection. 

Supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, this project is aimed at capturing the stories of people in tech. This focus on not just the technological breakthroughts, but the past memories and capturing them for the enjoyment of others is what makes this project so important. Below you can find some of the videos we have already created.

Interview with Andy Hopper

An interview with Professor Andy Hopper of Cambridge Computer Lab. Filmed on 26/02/2010. Jason Fitzpatrick of The Centre for Computing History talks to Andy about his involvement in computing and the projects he has worked on.

Chris Turner - Acorn and the BBC Micro

Jason Fitzpatrick of The Centre for Computing History talks to Chris Turner about his involvement with Acorn and the BBC Micro computer.

Andrew Oliver - The Early Days of The Oliver Twins

An interview with Andrew Oliver about his, and his brother Philip, early career in the video game industry.

Dan Crow - Working at Apple and with Steve Jobs

An interview with Dan Crow who worked at Apple as tech lead for the Apple Media Tool in the early nineties. Dan was also responsible (along with Steve Jobs) for the brushed aluminium feel of the Quicktime media player! Dan talks about the what it was like to work at Apple during turbulent years and the return of Steve Jobs to Apple as CEO.

John Romero - How to Start Developing Video Games

Some fantastic advice from game industry legend, John Romero, about how to get into creating your own games for mobile devices.

John is best known as one of the co-founders of id Software and designer of groundbreaking games like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Quake.

John Steele - Ferranti and the Argus 100 Computer

An interview with John Steele who worked at Ferranti from 1963 to 1970. John talks about the Argus 100 computer and what it was like to work at Ferranti.

Natasa Milic-Frayling - Privacy in the Digital Age

Dr Natasa Milic-Frayling talks to us about Digital Privacy.

 

Peter Cunningham - Early Computers in Education

Dr. Peter Cunningham talks about his experiences with micro computers in education throughout the eighties and nineties. Peter talks about Acorn BBC Micro computers, The Turtle, RM Nimbus computers and how they have changed education.

Natasa Milic-Frayling - Digital Preservation

Natasa Milic-Frayling talks about software preservation and virtualising operating systems to ensure access to old file types.

 

Chris Turner - The BBC Domesday System and Laserdiscs

Chris Turner talks about the development of the BBC Domesday System and why Laserdisc technology was chosen for the project.

Peter Cunningham - The BBC Domesday System in School

Peter talks about how the schools were asked to participate in the creation of content for the BBC Domesday Project and how it gave the children a sense that they were participating in something special.

Jon Hare - Sensible Software - The Video Games Industry in the 80s

Jon Hare of Sensible Software talks about his career and the early days of the video game company. Interviewed by Mike James of Retro Gaming Roundup.

Bubbles Whiting - Using Punch Cards - Hollerith and IBM

An interview with Bubbles Whiting who, in her early career used punch cards in her everyday work life.

"From Hollerith to a Laptop" can be read here >>>


Rachel Jones - "I'm not a geek but I love technology."

Dr Rachel Jones talks about her career in product design in the field of human-computer interaction. She talks about the projects she has worked on and reflects on the sociotechnological changes she has witnessed and on being a woman in a STEM field.

 

Ian Williamson - My Life and the MK14

Ian Williamson talks about his "humble background" and wide-ranging career.

 

Walter Herriot - "I was in an interesting place and I did interesting things."

Walter Herriot talks about his time at Barclays Bank in Cambridge in the 1970s and 1980s when he oversaw the growth of many of the hi-tech businesses that became household names.

Eben Upton - The Story of Raspberry Pi

Eben Upton, founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, talks about the Raspberry Pi, how it came to be and the ups and downs of bringing his £25 computer to market.

David Allen and Steve Lowry - The BBC Micro and Computer Literacy Project

David Allen and Steve Lowry talk about the development of the Acorn BBC Micro computer and the Computer Literacy Project.

Part of the Heritage Lottery funded Viva Computer project from the Centre for Computing History.

Christopher Curry - "It was always enthusiasm, growth and opportunity"

Chris Curry talks about his early days at Sinclair Radionics and Acorn Computers and the development of the BBC Micro.

Steve Lockwood - A traditional, analogue musician who relies on technology

Steve Lockwood talks through how computer technologies have changed musicianship in recent years.

The Oliver Twins - 80s Game Development

Game designers Andrew and Philip Oliver talk about how they got into the video game industry in the early eighties and their drive and ambition to create enjoyable games from their bedroom.

 

Institute of Astronomy - Scientific computing in the 60s

Four people from the University of Cambridge Institute of Astronomy talk about the practicalities of 1960s scientific computing using IBM/360 series computers.

Torch: We were "bright young things who didn't know what was impossible."

Russell Lyons and Martin Baines describe the early days of Torch Computers.

Smash Brothers - Talking to the Players

Edward Fox talks to competitive Smash Brothers players to find out why they play, what drives them and the scene around e-sports.

Team sponsored by The Centre for Computing History

David Skinner - "Computers could have been different"

Dr David Skinner of Anglia Ruskin University talks from an academic perspective about the 1980s home computing boom.

Rodney Dale on Cambridge Consultants

Rodney Dale talks about the earliest days of Cambridge Consultants.

Andy Hopper - The Cambridge Ring and the Computer Lab

Andy Hopper talks about the development of the Cambridge Ring network and also reflects on the Cambridge Computer Lab, its innovation and commercial successes and failures.

Eben Upton - Life Before Raspberry Pi

Eben Upton, the man behind the £25 Computer - Raspberry Pi, talks about his first experiences with computers like the BBC Micro and the Commodore Amiga. He also talks about his days at Cambridge University and meeting his (now) wife, Liz Upton.

Ruth Bramley - "Cutting edge and very exciting."

Ruth Bramley reflects on working at Sinlcair Research in the early 1980s.

Andrew Hutchings - Interview - Early 3D Games for the Acorn Archimedes

Andrew Hutchings talks about his early career in video games and his passion for 3D games. Andrew developed games including Chocks Away, Stunt Racer 2000 and Star Fighter 3000 for the Acorn Archimedes computer for publisher 'The Fourth Dimension'.

Chris Turner - Memoire Presentation

Recorded at Virtual ABug Meetup recorded in 2020.

Chris talks about his work at Acorn Computers and career in computing.

David Arnold and the Atari ST Computer

Jason Fitzpatrick talks to internationally renowned film composer David Arnold, whose credits include scoring five James Bond films, as well as Young Americans, Independence Day and Godzilla to name just a few.

David generously donated his Atari ST computer to the museum and tells us about how he used the machine to create hit songs like Play Dead and score major blockbuster films!

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