Mechanical machines replaced people called computers

This kind of thing boogles the brain: A Calculating Machine Using LEGO® Pieces

Before the day of computers and pocket calculators all mathematics was done by hand. Great effort was expended to compose trigonometric and logarithmic tables for navigation, scientific investigation, and engineering purposes. The larger efforts involved rooms of semi skilled people, called 'computers', capable of doing reliable arithmetic who would be under the direction of a skilled mathematician.

In the mid-19th century, people began to design machines to automate this error prone process. Many machines of various designs were eventually built but, the most advanced and famous of these was not. The Babbage Difference Engine.


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Tech News

Interesting articles from LiveScience.com


New Computer Hard Drives Better, Faster, Stronger
You don’t have to treat your laptop as if it contained raw eggs, thanks to solid-state drives.

New New Hard Drives Hold a Terabyte of Data
The trick was to teach each bit to stand up rather than lying down. Incidentally, for planning purposes, the next level is the petabyte (a quadrillion bytes); and then the exabyte (one quintillion bytes); and then the zettabyte (one sextillion bytes); and then the yottabyte (one septillion bytes.)

New Technique Stores Data in Bacteria
You think those USB flash memory "thumbdrives" are small, check this data storage out.

Bring Your Own Bigwheel Race 2007

In my biased, unoffical study, the entire country has a love/hate thing with Califoria. It could be because the state is hogging so much of the ocean front property, or that is it rich in natural resources. I dunno. But as a result, this great land is a draw for many many people seeking something special in life.

I've heard San Fancisco described in several ways, all impling it's still the wild west that it always was. And so it would stand that the people it draws are looking for some excitement. On occasion these Mavericks need to create their own thrill rides.

This weekend in San Francisco, that thrill ride came in the form of "bring your own Big Wheel" and one GIANT hill. But not just any hill, it was a race down Lombard street, the crookedest street in the world.

Take a look.