Chronicles of Old Singapore | Bernard Tan – Computer Geek & Historian Part 2

What this episode covers

Welcome to Chronicles of Old Singapore. Professor Bernard T.G. Tan recounts how the National Computer Board, est. in 1981, encouraged computerisation in the civil service and local businesses. Being able to build the computer yourself, he says, is important because it fosters creativity and entrepreneurship. Bernard also talks about his research into the history of Rollei. He believes that Rollei failed because they lagged behind Japanese camera manufacturers technologically, not because the Singaporean engineers were not good enough. 00:00 The Early Computer Geeks in Singapore 03:18 Government Interest & the National Computer Board 10:38 Computerisation & the Workforce 12:14 Texas Instruments & the Semiconductor Companies 17:23 Why Rollei Failed 22:34 Sim Lim Square & Funan Centre: Computer Marts 25:26 Building Your Own Computer 27:54 Sim Wong Hoo & Entrepreneurship 30:02 AI & Smartphones Bibliography Bernard Tan on the history of microcomputing in Singapore, 2018: http://sms.org.sg/download/Microcomputing_in_Singapore.pdf I am Dr Loh Kah Seng, the people’s historian. In Chronicles of Old Singapore, I speak to people about their memories of Singapore before it became a global city. Do like the video and subscribe for future episodes. This will help the channel a lot. Write to [email protected] if you have stories to share. YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@ChroniclesOldSG Spotify | https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/loh-ks Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/61551786759344/ Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/ChroniclesofOldSingapore

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