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GeneralRe: Principles of Computing Pin
GuyThiebaut11-May-15 11:43
professionalGuyThiebaut11-May-15 11:43 
GeneralRe: Principles of Computing Pin
Ravi Bhavnani11-May-15 11:51
professionalRavi Bhavnani11-May-15 11:51 
GeneralRe: Principles of Computing Pin
Tim Carmichael11-May-15 12:59
Tim Carmichael11-May-15 12:59 
GeneralRe: Principles of Computing Pin
Ravi Bhavnani11-May-15 13:01
professionalRavi Bhavnani11-May-15 13:01 
GeneralRe: Principles of Computing Pin
Tim Carmichael11-May-15 14:08
Tim Carmichael11-May-15 14:08 
GeneralRe: Principles of Computing Pin
Richard MacCutchan11-May-15 21:28
mveRichard MacCutchan11-May-15 21:28 
GeneralRe: Principles of Computing Pin
Brady Kelly11-May-15 21:54
Brady Kelly11-May-15 21:54 
GeneralGood reads (Wooley on Ada, Countess Lovelace) Pin
BillWoodruff11-May-15 6:27
professionalBillWoodruff11-May-15 6:27 
I have read two excellent books by Benjamin Woolley this year : one was "The Bride of Science: Romance, Reason, and Byron's Daughter," the story of Byron's daughter, Ada, Countess of Lovelace, the mathematical prodigy, known as the "Princess of Parallelograms," who along with Charles Babbage came up with the design for the world's first (mechanical) general purpose computer: [^].

The other was the story of Dr. John Dee, physician, alchemist, magician to Queen Eliabeth the First : "The Queen's Conjurer: The Science and Magic of Dr. John Dee, Adviser to Queen Elizabeth:" [^].

Both were excellent, however, the book on Ada did not cover the fascinating and tragic collaboration she engaged in with Babbage on a scheme to bet on horses based on mathematical theories.

Said scheme leading to the loss of Babbage's funds, and the skilled workmen building the "Analytic Engine" walking off the job with their custom-made dies and jigs. If they had finished the "Engine" (a working model is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum), it has been hypothesized that giant, perhaps steam-powered, computers could have been employed around the start of the 20th. century !

As you may know, novelists William Gibson and Bruce Sterling used this premise (the Difference Engine completed and in widespread use) in their entertaining 1992 novel "The Difference Engine:" [^].

"Many : not conversant with mathematical studies, imagine that because it [the Analytical Engine] is to give results in numerical notation, its processes must consequently be arithmetical, numerical, rather than algebraical and analytical. This is an error. The engine can arrange and combine numerical quantities as if they were letters or any other general symbols; and it fact it might bring out its results in algebraical notation, were provisions made accordingly." Ada, Countess Lovelace, 1844
«I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can't see from the center» Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

GeneralRe: Good reads (Wooley on Ada, Countess Lovelace) Pin
Maximilien11-May-15 8:04
Maximilien11-May-15 8:04 
GeneralRe: Good reads (Wooley on Ada, Countess Lovelace) Pin
Brady Kelly11-May-15 9:31
Brady Kelly11-May-15 9:31 
GeneralRe: Good reads (Wooley on Ada, Countess Lovelace) Pin
Manfred Rudolf Bihy11-May-15 11:00
professionalManfred Rudolf Bihy11-May-15 11:00 
GeneralRe: Good reads (Wooley on Ada, Countess Lovelace) Pin
racketeer11-May-15 23:59
racketeer11-May-15 23:59 
GeneralThought of the day Pin
OriginalGriff11-May-15 5:17
mveOriginalGriff11-May-15 5:17 
GeneralRe: Thought of the day Pin
jeron111-May-15 5:43
jeron111-May-15 5:43 
GeneralRe: Thought of the day Pin
BillWoodruff11-May-15 6:04
professionalBillWoodruff11-May-15 6:04 
GeneralRe: Thought of the day Pin
Chris Losinger11-May-15 6:24
professionalChris Losinger11-May-15 6:24 
GeneralRe: Thought of the day Pin
Ravi Bhavnani11-May-15 6:28
professionalRavi Bhavnani11-May-15 6:28 
GeneralRe: Thought of the day Pin
User 842011-May-15 6:34
User 842011-May-15 6:34 
GeneralRe: Thought of the day Pin
Jay Riggs11-May-15 6:47
Jay Riggs11-May-15 6:47 
GeneralRe: Thought of the day Pin
User 842011-May-15 7:45
User 842011-May-15 7:45 
GeneralRe: Thought of the day Pin
Sascha Lefèvre11-May-15 6:36
professionalSascha Lefèvre11-May-15 6:36 
GeneralRe: Thought of the day Pin
HobbyProggy11-May-15 20:49
professionalHobbyProggy11-May-15 20:49 
GeneralRe: Thought of the day Pin
Jochen Arndt11-May-15 6:43
professionalJochen Arndt11-May-15 6:43 
GeneralRe: Thought of the day Pin
Single Step Debugger11-May-15 7:12
Single Step Debugger11-May-15 7:12 
GeneralRe: Thought of the day Pin
Daniel Pfeffer11-May-15 7:20
professionalDaniel Pfeffer11-May-15 7:20 

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