Historian replicates 2000 year old computer

[SilentHunter7]

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/12/2000-year-old-a.html?npu=1&mbid=yhp

An amateur historian successfully replicated the 2000 year old Antikythera mechanism, thought to be the worlds first computer. Attempts to run Crysis at max settings have had mixed results.

 

[jim_doki]

that is awesome. there is no other word to describe it. go history

 

[SilentHunter7]

I know. I think it's pretty badass that someone with no access to electric power or precision tools made this in 150 B.C. It ranks right up there with Tony Stark making an Arc Reactor in a cave

I wonder if they'll make more. I'd like one for my room.

 

[reaper_2k9]

That is amazing, simply amazing. How cultures that are thousands of years old had a good hold on how time and astronomy works.

 

[TheBluesader]

Like Heron's aeolipile, the first steam engine. Makes you wonder what they could have achieved had they had the time and resources to focus on these things.

 

[Aardvark]

That is amazing, simply amazing. How cultures that are thousands of years old had a good hold on how time and astronomy works.

Cultures back then developed higher brain functions after fire and before television, so they had nothing to do after roasting the mammoth, except watch the stars. Pretty soon, they realised that the stars were pointless, so they started naming them. It went downhill from there.

 

[Captain Wes]

Cultures back then developed higher brain functions after fire and before television, so they had nothing to do after roasting the mammoth, except watch the stars. Pretty soon, they realised that the stars were pointless, so they started naming them. It went downhill from there.

They also hunted dinosaurs and created the first symphony by banging a collection of rocks together [/sarcasm] you know they had entertainment then too right? they weren't just bored out of there minds so decided to try science, they made a decision to.

 

[Radelaide]

I wonder if you can upgrade it's RAM?

 

[Whiskyjakk]

Have Microsoft bought the copyright off him yet?

 

[Monty9]

Nah but they have figured out how to bluescreen it.

 

[nekolux]

This reminds me of that dude who build a working calculator in LBP using only magnets, switches and loads of other non electric and non programming stuff

 

[Monty9]

That would be intresting to see.

 

[Doug]

I know. I think it's pretty badass that someone with no access to electric power or precision tools made this in 150 B.C. It ranks right up there with Tony Stark making an Arc Reactor in a cave

I wonder if they'll make more. I'd like one for my room.

What, like the pyramids? Which, in engineering terms, was more impressive to me.

It's not Turing-complete, though, which proves that even if the Greek world was capable of getting to an industrial revolution, they didn't quite make it. Pity. It's a fascinating device.

True, its an interesting device. However, I do think its not a true computer, to me at least. Its more of a special-task computer than a general purpose one.

Like Heron's aeolipile, the first steam engine. Makes you wonder what they could have achieved had they had the time and resources to focus on these things.

It wasn't the lack of time and resources - it was the large number of slaves they had that made it more costly to use steam than to use slaves. Think of it as the ancient worlds version of 'petrol vs renewable energy'.

 

[Haliwali]

This popped in my head-
[link]http://xkcd.com/505/[/link]

 

[iseko]

This popped in my head-
[link]http://xkcd.com/505/[/link]

lol!

 

[TheBluesader]

It wasn't the lack of time and resources - it was the large number of slaves they had that made it more costly to use steam than to use slaves. Think of it as the ancient worlds version of 'petrol vs renewable energy'.

But if they had spent time thinking about it, they would've realized at some point, as we did, that mechanical power was far more productive and efficient than slave labor. And then they could've invested the resources to produce those engines.

(We're BOTH right! )

 

[falcontwin]

Not wanting to be negative or anything but isn't it just a clock?

If I am wrong i'll apologise but it just seems to be an overly complex way of measuring time.