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--></style></head><body lang=EN-GB link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Hi Ellen,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Perhaps ask CBS archives for the footage? I’ve had some luck getting NBC archives to pull some pretty obscure archival footage and furnish copies for manageable educational rates (i.e. reduced corporate rates, which is nonetheless substantially more than many other archives, like a few hundred bucks). I think Letterman was at CBS by then, and they might well do the same. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I have it in my mind that maybe Letterman had his own production company? If so, they might have the footage instead or as well?<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Best, b<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica'>-- <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>Bernard Dionysius Geoghegan<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>Senior Lecturer in the History and Theory of Digital Media<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>Chair of the UG Assessment Board, Digital Culture<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>www.bernardg.com<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>Department of Digital Humanities<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>King's College London <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>The Strand Building<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>Room S3.08<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>WC2R 2LS<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Helvetica;color:black'>Office: +44 (0)20 7848 4750</span><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>From: </span></b><span style='font-size:12.0pt;color:black'>Members <members-bounces@lists.sigcis.org> on behalf of Brian Berg <brianberg@gmail.com><br><b>Date: </b>Friday, 14 August 2020 at 03:33<br><b>To: </b>SIGCIS Listserver <members@sigcis.org><br><b>Subject: </b>Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Is it a myth that David Letterman had a Top Ten List about the Pentium bug?<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I recall hearing that David Letterman broadcast myself, and there was a lot of buzz about it afterward as well. I double-checked with Dave Patterson:<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>From: <strong><span style='font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>David PATTERSON</span></strong> <<a href="mailto:pattrsn@cs.berkeley.edu" target="_blank">pattrsn@cs.berkeley.edu</a>><br>Date: Thu, Aug 13, 2020 at 5:41 PM<br>Subject: Re: Pentium Bug Really in a Letterman Top 10 List?<br>To: Brian Berg <<a href="mailto:brianberg@gmail.com" target="_blank">brianberg@gmail.com</a>><o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:18.0pt'>Yes. I heard it myself.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:18.0pt'>Dave<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Thu, Aug 13, 2020 at 3:25 PM Brian Berg <<a href="mailto:brianberg@gmail.com" target="_blank">brianberg@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0cm'><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Dave,<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Your 1999 edition of <i>Computer organization and design: the hardware/software interface</i> states on p. 306: "The Pentium floating-point divide bug even made the 'Top 10 List" of the David Letterman Late Show on television."<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>This does not seem to be included at<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal> <a href="https://www.oocities.org/jaylipp/Letterman/topten99.html" target="_blank">https://www.oocities.org/jaylipp/Letterman/topten99.html</a> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Was this an accurate statement?<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Thanks, Brian Berg<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>On Wed, Aug 12, 2020 at 10:06 AM Ellen Spertus <<a href="mailto:spertus@mills.edu" target="_blank">spertus@mills.edu</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0cm'><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>According to the popular computer architecture textbook <i>Computer Organization and Design </i>by Turing Award winners John Hennessy and David Patterson:<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0cm'><div><p class=MsoNormal>The Pentium floating-point divide bug even made the "Top 10 List" of the <i>David Letterman Late Show</i> on television.<o:p></o:p></p></div></blockquote><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I have been unable to verify this. The bug was reported in October 1994 and remained in the news until early 1995. I could find nothing relevant in the Top Ten List Archive for late <a href="http://www.mudslide.net/TopTen/lswd1994.html" target="_blank">1994</a> or early <a href="http://www.mudslide.net/TopTen/lswd1995.html" target="_blank">1995</a>. In early January, there was the<a href="http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/top_ten/archive/ls_topten_archive1995/ls_topten_archive_19950105.shtml" target="_blank"> Top Ten Signs You Bought a Bad Computer</a>, but it has no mention of Intel or math.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'>I did find a <a href="https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc278276/m2/1/high_res_d/1002656820-burns.pdf" target="_blank">Master's thesis</a> that cites Jarrett in saying that "David Letterman included a Pentium™ joke in his nightly monologue":<o:p></o:p></p><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0cm'><p class=MsoNormal>Jarrett, Jim. "A Postmortem on the Pentium Processor Crisis." Unpublished manuscript prepared for lnteleads, 1994. <o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I cannot find this document, however, and Jim Jarrett <a href="https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/mercurynews/obituary.aspx?n=james-jarrett&pid=156322551" target="_blank">passed away in 2012</a>.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>There is a <a href="http://www.polylith.com/~jerparks/jokes/Intel.shtml" target="_blank">satirical Top Ten list</a>:<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0cm'><div><p class=MsoNormal>9.9999973251 - Your old PC is too accurate.<br>8.9999163362 - Provides really good alibi when the IRS calls.<br>7.9999414610 - Attracted by Intel's new You don't need to know what's inside ad campaign.<br>6.9999831538 - It redefines computing -- and mathematics!<br>5.9999835137 - You've always wondered what it would be like to be a plaintiff.<br>4.9999999021 - Current paperweight not big enough.<br>3.9998245917 - Takes concept of floating point to a whole new level.<br>2.9991523619 - You always round off to the nearest hundred anyway.<br>1.9999103517 - Got a great deal from Jet Propulsion Laboratory!<br><br>And the number one reason to buy a Pentium:<br>0.9999999998 - It'll probably work!<o:p></o:p></p></div></blockquote><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>The <a href="http://www.polylith.com/~jerparks/jokes/Intel.shtml" target="_blank">same page</a> includes this joke:<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><blockquote style='border:none;border-left:solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt;padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 6.0pt;margin-left:4.8pt;margin-right:0cm'><div><p class=MsoNormal>"You know what goes great with those defective Pentium chips?<br>Defective Pentium salsa!" (David Letterman) <o:p></o:p></p></div></blockquote><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>I conclude that David Letterman joked about the Pentium in a monologue (although I have only circumstantial evidence) not in a Top Ten List.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>This is my first foray into computing history. Please let me know if you have additional information, if my reasoning is unsound, or if I should do anything besides notifying the authors and publisher. (I'm acquainted with David Patterson but would not cold email John Hennessy.)<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Ellen Spertus<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Professor of Computer Science<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal>_______________________________________________<br>This email is relayed from members at <a href="http://sigcis.org" target="_blank">sigcis.org</a>, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list archives are at <a href="http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/" target="_blank">http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/</a> and you can change your subscription options at <a href="http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org" target="_blank">http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org</a><o:p></o:p></p></blockquote></div></div><p class=MsoNormal>_______________________________________________ This email is relayed from members at sigcis.org, the email discussion list of SHOT SIGCIS. Opinions expressed here are those of the member posting and are not reviewed, edited, or endorsed by SIGCIS. The list archives are at http://lists.sigcis.org/pipermail/members-sigcis.org/ and you can change your subscription options at http://lists.sigcis.org/listinfo.cgi/members-sigcis.org<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>