return to main page

Tony Sale Award 2014

awarded by the Computer Conservation Society
as of Nov. 14, 2014

Table of Contents
     - Background
     - Announcement
     - Pictures of the Award Ceremony
     - BBC-Interview
     - Comments about Awards on Web

Background
The Computer Conservation Society has a Tony Sale Annual Award to recognize achievement in the area of "Computer Conservation and Restoration".

Tony Sale was one of the earliest and most prodigious computer restorers, he and other volunteers having re-manufactured the Colossus code breaking machine from memories of the original constructors. Winston Churchill (Prime Minister) insisted the Colossus was to remain a secret, broken into pieces "no larger than a man's fist" and all drawings, notes and Colossus information be destroyed.
Youtube videos
     - Colossus - The First Electronic Computer - Pt1
     - Colossus computer conservationist Tony Sale dies Queen visits Colossus
     - LABcast interview: Tony Sale and Colossus rebuilt
     - bletchley park - tony sale demos colossus.MP4
     - Tony Sale and Colossus radio receiver
He was also a key figure in starting the campaign to save Bletchley Park in the early 1990s, he co-founded The National Museum of Computing and jointly established the Computer Conservation Society.

Early in 2014, Dag Spicer, head curator of CHM, suggested that the 1401 Restoration Team write an award application for this prize based upon the CHM 1401 restoration efforts. Robert Garner, project lead, took up the challenge.

As a result ...

Official Announcement <- click there
Summary & extra details:

"The 2014 Tony Sale Award for computer conservation has been jointly awarded to two outstanding and contrasting entries representing computing in the 1930s and the late 1950s. "

  1. "IBM 1401 Experience, a restoration of one of the most significant machines in computer history by the Computer History Museum in California"
    "Our" 1401 restoration and presentation efforts.
                 Web site of Restoration
                 Award received by "our" Robert Garner

  2. " Z1 Architecture and Algorithms, a virtual reconstruction of the 1930�s Konrad Zuse mechanical computer, by the Free University of Berlin"
    Virtual Presentation (web site) of Konrad Zuse's reconstruction of the Zuse Z-1 computer.
                 picture, 3 D Animation by another artist, local copy of reconstruction
                 Award received by Professor Raul Rojas of the Free University of Berlin

Pictures of the Award Ceremony
"The award ceremony for the 2014 Tony Sale Award will be at 18:30 on Thursday 6th November at the BCS in London�s Southampton Street. A buffet reception follows at 19:30. All CCS members are (of course) invited."
The following four pictures by Stephen Fleming on flickr.com
Clearly the recipients were required to "sing for their supper". Here is Robert Garner explaining "our" restoration and presentation. Here is Professor Raul Rojas explaining "Architecture and Simulation of the Z-1 Computer".
Left is Margaret Sale, widow of Tony Sale - having just presented Robert with the prize. Left to right, Professor Raul Rojas, Martin Campbell-Kelly well known computer historian and chair of the judging panel, Margaret Sale, Robert Garner
The following four pictures by Robin Beresford, wife of Robert Garner
Robert Garner presenting Margaret Sale presenting award to Robert Garner
Robert Garner with Dr Doron Swade, a founding committee member of the Computer Conservation Society, and Babbage Machine construction lead. L->R, Professor Raul Rojas, Margaret Sale, Robert Garner

BBC-Interview
As reported by "Stephen Fleming" < stephen.fleming@palam.co.uk >
The BBC Click Podcast website is here:
The Report by the BBC World Service is now online in the "Chapters" section about four clickable items down Click Podcast:
  • The world's greatest computer restoration projects by Nick Heath in TechRepublic
  • Jack Schofield on this year's Tony Sale Award winners in ZDNet with ZDNet in Germany and Japan too!
  • Sue Gee on the awards in iProgrammer
  • and in several outlets in Mexico including this

To save fuss, the above podcast has been trimmed here to just the Tony Sale Award portion:

  • 0:06 to 1:01 - an introduction by Gareth Mitchell (BBC interviewer)
  • 1:01 to 2:08 - background by Professor Martin Campbell-Kelly (Tony Sale Award judge)
  • 2:08 to 4:45 - Professor Raul Rojas (Zuse-1 virtualization)
  • 4:45 to 7:22 - Robert Garner (IBM 1401 restorations)
  • 7:22 to 8:32 - Bill Thompson (?co-host?) (introducing EDSAC and its current power-up)
  • 8:32 to 8:50 - wrap-up by Gareth Mitchell (BBC interviewer)

Comments about Awards on Web
from Robert Garner
Here's some more press links for your Tony Award page: