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Computer Bug

$10.00 only

This novelty item is a Red-Tailed Computer Bug. The item features a stealth "computer bug" (74LS245 digital I/O chip) mounted on a circuit board and posing as an LED illuminator just waiting to cause trouble. Item shipped will be very similar to that pictured, and includes a small container with a lid.

History: The term Computer Bug was coined by Grace Hopper when she served in the U.S. Navy as a computer operator/specialist working on one of the first larbe scale computers. These early computers were gigantic in size and operated with electronic components called Vacuum Tubes. A vacuum tube is a sealed chamber without air containing a heated filament (source of electrons), a grid (a control element), and a Plate (the attracction for the electrons). The Plate is ususlly connected to a high voltage source.  When the grid is set to allow electrons to pass through it, the tube conducts electricity and is therefore in the ON position. If anything should cause a short circuit under the tube base where the wires are attached, the tube will fail to operate. While troubleshooting a computer failure, Grace Hopper found a moth that got attracted to the heat of the filament under the tube base and caused a short circuit. When she discovered it, she said, "I found the problem! It was a bug!" Hence, the term "Computer Bug" was coined.