Posted on 07/10/2017 6:17:49 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
Hundreds or even thousands of people working as a team to solve a complex problem.
The basis of today's computer programs were developed to mimic the strategies and process flow the computer teams used to manually crank out the solutions.
Same goes for the first Stealth design. Math was done and plans drawn, but the material needed was yet not available. Put them in the drawer for a few decades, dust them off, check all the math done by hand using computer and it was spot on. What a Plane!
When I worked in China ‘76-’77, the Chinese were AMAZED at out electronic calculators (I had brought my HP-11C scientific calculator). They were so amazed they called our calculators “devil boxes.” Abacuses were everywhere and every store counter had an abacus. It was really amazing watching them use them, fingers flying over the beads. But we were all shocked how backwards the country was at the time.
Hell, find me a teen at a store counter that can figure out what to do if you hand them $2.02 for a $1.97 purchase. After the quizzical looks, confusion and brain farts, you're probably going to get five pennies back. "Sir, your total is $1.97 -- you don't need to give me the extra two cents." "THINK, son. THINK!"
My gal pal Yi is so fast on her abacus, that her fingers are just a blur!
It’s likely better to keep your pennies and get 3 back. If they are copper save them.
Senator Warren can polish up her defense creds by decrying the ‘abaci gap’ now...
Only if you think the price of zinc will rise:
“With the exception of 2009 bicentennial cents minted specifically for collectors, United States cents minted after 1982 have been zinc with copper-plating.”
“Only if you think the price of zinc will rise:”
Which is why I said if they are copper save them. I didn’t know about the 2009 coin, I will have to keep an eye out for them. I still see a lot of copper coins.
Oh yeah.
I saw a freshly minted college grad working on her teaching certificate who could only make change with the help of the cash register to calculate it for her.
If she entered the amount offered for payment incorrectly she was either dead in the water or you got whatever amount showed on the cash register.
And she could never master the complicated art of counting the change back up from the amount of the sale to the amount tendered.
But she got her teaching certificate with no problem and moved on into the school system.
Particularly that 64-bead version.
“and a Curta calculator I bought in 1970 to do estate work.”
A Curta calculator is worth $2000 in mint condition.
“and a Curta calculator I bought in 1970 to do estate work.”
A Curta calculator is worth $2000 in mint condition.
Mine is and I have the original box and instructions but, unfortunately not the receipt.
Russian theoretical physicist was allowed by the former Soviet Union to publish his book on stealth technology on the open market.
The head engineer at Lockheed Martin had a copy of it but they weren’t invited to the trials even though they had been using limited stealth tech in the SR-71. They asked if they could submit an entry and the rest as they say is history. They eventually hired the Russian physicist.
When the US Navy went nuclear, all the training of nuclear operators was done using slide rules...the Navy still has never had a nuclear accident...nothing wrong with that technology at the time.
My favorite scene in Apollo 13...they had to do a short burn to correct their course for reentry...Tom Hanks comes up with a number of seconds needed for the thruster burn and asks Houston for a double check on his math...a bunch of guys in mission control whip out pencils, paper, and their slide rules and quickly confirm....It was epic...and sadly I don’t think most smart people could do that today.
Good catch!
Imagine the millions of slide rule calculations that went into the Apollo program and those missions to begin with.
And then altering them on the fly!
Some pretty smart hombres!
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