Wow! This being released is wonderful and unexpected. I first heard about these tapes being found six weeks ago yet the NSA being unable to release them due to not having a suitable working 1-inch VTR machine (via this article: https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2024/jul/10/grace-hop...)
That article was re-posted here on Two Stop Bits (Link: https://twostopbits.com/item?id=3788) and elsewhere but didn't seem to get much attention and I feared the worst, since 1-inch magnetic video tape degrades with time. Very frustrating since such vintage VTRs do exist in working order in the hands of museums, video preservationists and collectors. Now six weeks later we get the best possible news! Hopefully, that article and the re-postings helped spread the word and someone in control of access to the tape got connected to someone with the gear.
And what an amazing piece of history to have preserved. I'm only ten minutes into the first tape but she's obviously a treasure - clear thinking, great communication and a sharp wit. Even captured here later in life you can clearly see why she was so successful and highly regarded by her peers (including some the most notable people in early computing history).
That article was re-posted here on Two Stop Bits (Link: https://twostopbits.com/item?id=3788) and elsewhere but didn't seem to get much attention and I feared the worst, since 1-inch magnetic video tape degrades with time. Very frustrating since such vintage VTRs do exist in working order in the hands of museums, video preservationists and collectors. Now six weeks later we get the best possible news! Hopefully, that article and the re-postings helped spread the word and someone in control of access to the tape got connected to someone with the gear.
And what an amazing piece of history to have preserved. I'm only ten minutes into the first tape but she's obviously a treasure - clear thinking, great communication and a sharp wit. Even captured here later in life you can clearly see why she was so successful and highly regarded by her peers (including some the most notable people in early computing history).