Paging Charles Babbage
This is really pretty cool -- a 1953 Navy training film on the components of a mechanical fire control computer. Steampunk for our parent's generation -- this kind of gear/sprocket exercise is what my dad studied as a mechanical engineer.
Doug:
Brings back memories. Stationed aboard a 30 year old reserve destroyer in the early seventies, I shared a space with one of these and its operators. They were really fun to watch during firing exercises, getting plenty of exercise themselves.
I also carried an analog pocket calculator.
March 15, 2011, 6:34 am