Difference Engines out of Toys?

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4 responses to “Difference Engines out of Toys?”

1. 

   max

   February 12, 2006

   Thanks for the interesting links, Matt. I like to bring Babbage’s difference engines up in my compiler design class, because the principle of differences on which those engines were based is the exact same principle that is used for “strength reduction optimization” in modern compilers. (Another important lesson from Babbage is that communication skills and the management of interpersonal relationships matter greatly. Many historians think one important factor in his failure to bring his visionary designs to fruition was his limitations in these areas.)

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2. 

   mweier

   February 14, 2006

   as long as we’re rambling about babbage, I may as well throw this into the meme pool…

   William Gibson and Bruce Sterling have written a piece of historical fiction about the difference engine, name, perhaps appropriately, The Difference Engine. It’s a far cry from Gibson’s other cyberpunk works — this one is an alternate history written in the genre that has been dubbed steampunk for its historical take on sci fi. It may be interesting to people who want to read more on the period as it never happened, and in novel form. While looking for the link to the book, I stumbled across this online encyclopedia concerned entirely with The Difference Engine.

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3. 

   Brad Richards

   February 21, 2006

   For those with an interest in things Babbage, Flare Productions did an hour-long documentary on Ada Lovelace in 2003 called “To Dream Tomorrow. I really enjoyed it, and a highlight was seeing a replica difference engine cranking away (briefly). You can buy a copy at http://www.mith.umd.edu/flare/.

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4. 

   Farank

   October 11, 2007

   Very nice toys!! Visit my favorite site Couponalbum.com for shopping and getting discounts while shopping……….!!

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