In 1970, I discovered my first computer: an IBM 1620. Programs were written on punched cards, by the hundreds.

We programmed calculations, sometimes even small games, simply to explore the machine’s unique logic.

The 1620, one of the first generations of compact computers, changed my life.

It opened the door to understanding complex systems and the art of optimizing programs.

Two memories come back to me.

Around us, stacks of boxes filled with cards. And if one stack fell, it was panic: everything had to be sorted again.

Late in the evening, we watched the results print noisily on the teletype. This program had been running for three days.

We shut down the main power. After the constant noise, the silence became almost tangible. The next day, we simply powered back on and reset the program counter of our 1620, and the calculations resumed as if nothing had happened.

Today, with YourGlobe, code transforms massive real-time streams of satellite data into visible images. And I still feel the same sense of wonder watching our planet come to life on the screen.