The clock is ticking on one of Albuquerque's best-kept secrets.

Startup: Albuquerque and the Personal Computer Revolution, one of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science's longest-running exhibitions, will close on November 14th, taking with it the fascinating story of Microsoft's birth here in the Duke City.

In 1976, Bill Gates and Paul Allen came to work for MITS, an Albuquerque-based company manufacturing the Altair 8800, largely recognized as the world's first personal computer. During their two-year tenure in Albuquerque, the men created Microsoft, developing the BASIC code which would go on to become Windows in 1985 and change the world forever.

In addition to Microsoft's narrative, Startup offers a rare opportunity to explore the PC's evolution from goliath machinery, capable of only the basest of calculations- to smartphones and tablets, which are millions of times more powerful than their ancestors.

Many of the artifacts will travel to Paul Allen's computer museum in Seattle after Startup closes, where they will be on permanent display.

So, I did find something 6502-ish, but at a rather unexpected location.
In Roswell, NM, in a Place called Alien Zone, a Souvenir Shop/Cheesy Alien Exhibition, I spotted a PET board as part of the decoration.

I see what you mean about the "cheesy" part.

Looking at that PET board makes it clear how far we've come since those halcyon days. A computer nowadays with that many chips would be powerful enough to predict the weather for most of the world.

Holy crap, Batman!

I live in the Chattanooga area...how did I not know about the computer museum in Atlanta?

If and when you get a chance to go there, please consider visiting my parents' apartment and checking out that Franklin Ace they transported for you when they moved there from California a couple of years ago.