A few weeks back I visited the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California and had the opportunity of seeing a wonderful demonstration of Charles Babbage's Difference Engine. This one, Number 2, is the only complete model ever built, and it plays an important role in the history of computing. For example, Babbage suggested the use of punch cards in the 1830-40s.
I hadn't anticipated I would want to video record anything, so I only had my Exilim 8.1 digital camera in my pocket. Hence the less-than-great production quality. (How-to tips for improvement much appreciated.) Still, I hope you enjoy the 24-minutes of the video.
To get some background on the cranky Babbage and his wonderful machine (driven by a crank), you might wish to first visit
http://www.computerhistory.org/babbage/ .
The device will be on display until November; if you live in or are in the Bay Area, it's worth a go see. Journalists might find it of interest that Babbage's design clearly anticipated something close to a mechanical typesetter or a line printer, sorta the reverse of a Linotype.
Video of presentation and demo -- http://vimeo.com/11986551
All the best,
-tj
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J. T. Johnson
Institute for Analytic Journalism -- Santa Fe, NM USA
www.analyticjournalism.com
505.577.6482(c) 505.473.9646(h)
http://www.jtjohnson.com [hidden email]"Be Your Own Publisher"
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