The ware for April 2010 was an Intel 8749. Below is a shot of it nestled in its quartz window.
Back when I was in grade school, I was given one of these and even though I didn’t know how to use it, I had a vague inkling of what it could do. I would gaze at the silicon chip through the quartz window in fascination for hours at a time, sometimes using the hand-held magnifying lens that I’d also use on sunny Michigan summer days to burn holes in paper and fry ants on the driveway. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d eventually own a “real” microscope; making a micrograph of the chip was like a walk down memory lane.
Judging this competition was tough, because Michel had the correct answer first, but I really enjoyed reading Devlin’s detailed analysis and explanation. Since the spirit of the competition is learning hardware through the examination and sharing of observations (expedience and accuracy are secondary criteria), I think I’ll pick Devlin as the winner this time. Congrats, send me an email to claim your prize!