Helping Sega pioneer disc-based gaming, the original PlayStation went on to sell over 100 million consoles until it was discontinued in 2006. Check out the official birthday site for PlayStation here for a trip down memory lane—when PlayStations were much smaller and lighter than they are today, and didn't need to install patches every 20 minutes. [PlayStation via Kotaku]

Above you can see a humble man trying to get a clear signal in an crappy TV. Below you can see the contrast, the results of their industrial prowess: A TV shop—in which most of the country's population can't buy anything—and the mall, with a massive LCD display showing the parade itself.

Check out the Big Picture's graphic summary. It's impressive and scary at the same time. [Big Picture]

In fact, the receipt from that transaction is now enshrined in the Smithsonian. So happy 35th birthday bar code scanning—we will have you to thank when the government herds us up and begins tracking our every move. [Thanks Chris!]

Forty years ago the crew of the Apollo 8 was—right now—on their trip back to Earth after the successful mission that took them to the Moon. In the Command Module, Mission Commander Frank Borman, Command Module Pilot James Lovell—who later became Mission Commander for the ill-fated Apollo 13—, and Lunar Module Pilot William Anders were probably talking about what they just did in their four-day trip. Or maybe they were just sitting there, checking buttons and counters, in silence, reflecting on their journey, the most amazing ever in the history of mankind.

Like all great trips, theirs came completely out of the blue. Originally, they weren't going to the Moon at all. Apollo 8 was going to be a low-earth orbit to test the Lunar Module and Command Module but, since the Lunar Module wasn't ready, NASA decided to change the mission objectives and send the crew to the Moon. As a result, they had to retrain in record time for a completely new mission.

They did, they were cool, and they kicked ass, becoming the first three humans to see the dark side of the Moon a whole five years before Pink Floyd had their other trip to the Dark Side of the Moon. Their unexpected voyage was the first ever to escape Earth's gravitational force and visit another celestial body. And if you kids think that's not cool, I don't know what is.

Fortunately, nothing went wrong and their risky odyssey saved 1968 along with Johnny Cash's live concert at Folsom Prison—a terrible year in which the Vietnam War exploded, the Soviet Union invaded Prague, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated, and Richard Nixon was elected the thirty-seventh President of the United States.

Here's the original press release and the illustrations from the 101-page press kit announcing the crazy mission:

Back on Earth, Neil Amstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Fred Haise Jr.—their backup crew—were probably waiting, maybe talking with them from ground control.

And that, my friends, that's a complete different story for next year.

The secret to your success? I think it's not the "futuristic" silver finish, but a sweet spot of form factor that, while not as small as today's MP3 players, drove the success of DVDs and possibly next-gen DVDs as well. Happy anniversary/birthday Mrs/Mrss CD. Would anyone like to share their special CD moments with the rest of the class? I remember buying the Jewel "Pieces of You" for makeout music. I honestly don't remember if I ever "used" the CD. [pcnews]

Tell the diabolical proprietors when your anniversary date is when you order the ring, and they'll program it for you. Available in seven styles ranging from gold to silver, it has a lifetime warranty. We would like the company to add a special voice nagging option, kicking into an hourly whine about taking out the garbage once a week. – Charlie White

Product Page [Goldsmith Gallery]