Happy Friday the 13th! Good luck out there….
Today in History:
June 13, 1993
Time-Warner Inc., Microsoft Corp., and Tele-Communications Inc. (TCI)—shook hands on a joint venture that aimed to redefine home life. Their audacious mission: to bridge the chasm between computing and television, effectively laying the groundwork for the connected homes we inhabit today.
The centerpiece of this grand alliance was a concept brimming with futuristic promise: Interactive TV (iTV). At its heart was the Microsoft Interactive TV (MITV) System, a visionary platform conceived to deliver everything from video-on-demand and interactive shopping to online banking and web Browse. All of this, piped directly through your television set, thanks to a pioneering digital set-top box. This wasn’t merely a technological experiment; it was a bold declaration of a cultural shift, fundamentally altering how people would interact with their media, commerce, and information.
For the IT community, the venture wasn’t just news—it was a seismic event, signaling the immediate arrival of:
- Unprecedented cross-industry collaboration, knitting together content providers, software developers, and infrastructure giants.
- The nascent stage of media and data convergence, a direct lineage to the streaming platforms and smart TVs that dominate our living rooms today.
- A paradigm shift in user interface design, compelling developers to innovate interaction paradigms far beyond the confines of the traditional PC.
While the 1993 initiative wrestled with formidable technical and market challenges that ultimately limited its immediate public triumph, its visionary legacy remains etched in technological history. It wasn’t just ahead of its time; it was a profound prophecy of:
- The eventual explosion of IoT and smart devices.
- The undeniable primacy of user-centric design in all home technology.
- The absolute necessity for seamless interoperability across every digital platform and service.
Read More
Also of interest on June 13th
1927 – Aviator Charles Lindbergh receives a ticker tape parade up 5th Avenue in New York City.
1977 – Convicted Martin Luther King Jr. assassin James Earl Ray is recaptured after escaping from prison three days before.
1983 – Pioneer 10 becomes the first man-made object to leave the central Solar System when it passes beyond the orbit of Neptune.
1994 – A jury in Anchorage, Alaska, blames recklessness by Exxon and Captain Joseph Hazelwood for the Exxon Valdez disaster, allowing victims of the oil spill to seek $15 billion in damages.
1996 – The Montana Freemen surrender after an 81-day standoff with FBI agents.
1996 – Garuda Indonesia flight 865 crashes during takeoff from Fukuoka Airport, killing three people and injuring 170.
1997 – A jury sentences Timothy McVeigh to death for his part in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
1997 – The Uphaar Cinema Fire took place at Green Park, Delhi, resulting in the deaths of 59 people and seriously injured 103 others.
2010 – A capsule of the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa, containing particles of the asteroid 25143 Itokawa, returns to Earth by landing in the Australian Outback.
2015 – A man opens fire at policemen outside the police headquarters in Dallas, Texas, while a bag containing a pipe bomb is also found. He was later shot dead by police.
2018 – Volkswagen is fined one billion euros over the emissions scandal.
2021 – A gas explosion in Zhangwan district of Shiyan city, in Hubei province of China kills at least 12 people and wounds over 138 others.
2023 – At least 100 people are killed when a wedding boat capsizes on the Niger River in Kwara State, Nigeria.
2023 – Three people are killed and another three injured in an early morning stabbing and van ramming attack in Nottingham, England.
Births on This Day
1934 – Leonard Kleinrock, American computer scientist and engineer
1943 – Malcolm McDowell, English actor and producer
1945 – Whitley Strieber, American author
1949 – Ann Druyan, American popular science writer
1951 – Richard Thomas, American actor, director, and producer (Good night John Boy)
1951 – Stellan Skarsgård, Swedish actor
1953 – Tim Allen, American actor, comedian, and producer
1962 – Ally Sheedy, American actress and author
1970 – Rivers Cuomo, American rock musician
1974 – Steve-O, American stunt performer
1978 – Ethan Embry, American actor
1981 – Chris Evans, American actor and producer
1986 – Kat Dennings, American actress and comedian
1986 – Ashley Olsen, American child actress, fashion designer, and businesswoman
1986 – Mary-Kate Olsen, American child actress, fashion designer, and businesswoman
1986 – Lea Verou, Greek computer scientist and author
1988 – Cody Walker, American actor
1990 – Aaron Taylor-Johnson, English actor
Deaths on This Day
1986 – Benny Goodman, American clarinet player, songwriter, and bandleader (born 1909)
1989 – Fran Allison, American television personality and puppeteer (born 1907)
1993 – Deke Slayton, American soldier, pilot, and astronaut (born 1924)
1998 – Reg Smythe, English cartoonist (born 1917)
2010 – Jimmy Dean, American singer and businessman, founded Jimmy Dean Foods (born 1928)
2012 – Sam Beddingfield, American pilot and engineer (born 1933)
2013 – Albert White Hat, American educator and activist (born 1938)
2021 – Ned Beatty, American actor (born 1937)
2024 – Benji Gregory, American child actor (born 1978)
Holidays Today
June 13 | Holidays, Birthdays, Events
The Funnies:
AI Contribution of the Day:
Copilot
Here are 15 funny ways to blame someone else—perfect for light-hearted situations, pranks, or just a good laugh:
- “It was the dog. Even if we don’t have one, it was the dog.”
- “I was framed! Probably by Steve. It’s always Steve.”
- “Aliens did it. I saw them. They were wearing your hoodie.”
- “I was under mind control. Guess who had the remote? Yep, you.”
- “I was testing your reflexes. You failed.”
- “I was just following your terrible example.”
- “You left your aura of chaos lying around again.”
- “I thought it was opposite day. So technically, it’s your fault.”
- “You distracted me with your face. It’s too expressive.”
- “I was trying to impress you. Clearly, that backfired.”
- “You said, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ So I showed you.”
- “I was possessed by the spirit of your bad decisions.”
- “You didn’t stop me. That’s basically permission.”
- “I was reenacting your last mistake. Nailed it, huh?”
- “I blame society. But mostly you, because you were closest.”
Quote of the Day:
Comic of the Day:
Wrong Hands | Cartoons by John Atkinson. ©John Atkinson, Wrong Hands
Inspirobot Always Controversial, Occasionally Inspirational Quote of the Day:
In case you missed yesterdays reuniting Spark! by @jimender2, you can catch it here.
What I am listening to today:
How many remember watching this from the Windows 95 CD?
