Texas Instruments Still In Business

[MusterX]

I used to have a TI-99 back in the day. Shit was awesome.

Used to play Hunt the Wumpus

As well as the most blatant rip-off of Donkey Kong, Bigfoot

I also had one. I wish I still had it.

 

[Higus]

It's amazing that they still get $100 for TI-83's.

I was talking to someone about this the other day. You can get an app on your phone that basically clones the TI-83, 84 interface, but the only downside is that an educator probably wouldn't let you use it in class or during a test.

 

[MusterX]

Holy hell that is impressive.

That is why I was wondering about them to. My mom has worked for them for 40yrs and was just telling about some stock check she just got. Like a profit share or something. I asked her how they still in business but her department is more trouble shooting than anything. I told her its time to cash out and retire but she doesnt want to be bored at home. I work there out of High School in Lewisville at their Tape Libaray. At the time there had one of the biggest off site data torage libaries. I am glad to see them doing so good.

I guess you could consider them a high tech sort of company. Most people wouldn't even be able to describe what it is they do, beyond "calculators." They are and have done very well over the years and continue to chug along. They have been around for a long time too, something like 1940 or 50.

 

[Guestx]

I did a job, rather the company I work for did a job down at Texas Instruments in Dallas around 1990. Everything is locked down tight as fuck. People joke about calculators but those fools have been doing classified work for the government for decades. Everyone that worked on that job had to have security clearance just to get to certain areas and perform work. Some weird things were going on down there. There was a pizza delivery driver that delivered pizzas down there to one of the buildings and the pizza delivery guy had to have security clearance.

When we started the job we had a guy spill a bottle of water on the floor that he had on top of a ladder. He climbed down and started cleaning up the water and the Texas Instruments people shut down the entire floor and kicked everyone out until it was cleaned to their specifications. I'm not even making this shit up. Texas Instruments has been responsible for revolutionizing the world in various ways. you ever heard of Jack Kilby?

That old guy was on the team that gave us integrated circuits. In other words, the entire computer/information age of technology was launched because of that old dudes work at Texas Instruments in 1958.

Jack St. Clair Kilby (November 8, 1923 – June 20, 2005) was an American electrical engineer who took part (along with Robert Noyce) in the realization of the first integrated circuit while working at Texas Instruments (TI) in 1958. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics on December 10, 2000.[1] To congratulate him, American President Bill Clinton wrote, "You can take pride in the knowledge that your work will help to improve lives for generations to come."[2]

Anyway, most of the areas at Texas Instruments we couldn't even get near because of clearance and we had escorts everywhere. Pretty intense for a calculator company.

Wow, that's pretty crazy. I never had any idea they were involved in shit like that.

I take it from some of the other posts ITT that they've gotten out of the business of the super secret shit, but that's interesting to know they were once involved with that kind of thing. Seems like yet another example of a company that once was so much more than it is today. Kind of like Tandy/Radio Shack.

 

[boingyman]

Still got my TI-83 (I think) since 1998

 

[ralphc1]

Lot of Radio Shack closed down in my state the past few years.

What does that have to do with this thread?

 

[MusterX]

Wow, that's pretty crazy. I never had any idea they were involved in shit like that.

I take it from some of the other posts ITT that they've gotten out of the business of the super secret shit, but that's interesting to know they were once involved with that kind of thing. Seems like yet another example of a company that once was so much more than it is today. Kind of like Tandy/Radio Shack.

The crazier thing to me is that a couple guys in Texas are responsible for the information age. I mean basically without the integrated chip there are no computers, cell phones, or the internet. The folks at Cern like to toot their own horn about the internet but they stood on the shoulders of Jack Kilby out of Texas Instruments in Dallas, Texas. He does this in 1958 but they don't give him the Nobel until 2000 when its fully realized his contribution to the planet.

When people say who was the most important man of the 20th century, nobody thinks Jack Kilby, but they should because he was responsible for transforming planet Earth.

They put up a big plaque to remind people who Mr. Kilby was, he died in 2005.

 

[Sir Galahad]

What does that have to do with this thread?

 

[Amerikuracana]

They made all the mirror parts for DLP tv's.

Are those still made?

 

[ithinktheymad]

Being able to play Zelda on my calculator in school got me through many hellish day.

 

[clutchCAT420]

The factory is about 2hrs away from my place. Ive passed by it many times. Many locals have stated they'v seen strange lights at night in the sky.
Its really a top secret air force technology base that the gov is laundering money through...