On April 28, 2008 at the Computer History Museum, Fiona Tang showed me the Babbage Difference Engine No. 2 being installed for exhibition on May 10, 2008. It is the perfect graduation present for any Victorian gentleman who wants to accurately calculate the carbon footprint of any orphan labor sweatshop he builds. Text from DJCline.com.

Lots of early adopters got burned buying the Difference Engine No. 1. There wasn’t much software and very poor telegraph support. I was hoping for an improvement this time around.

Only two have been built so there is a waiting list. It weighs five tons, which is heavy for carrying on business trips. With 8000 metal parts you might have trouble getting it through security anyway. The good news is that all the parts can be recycled. It is seven feet tall and eleven feet long so it would not fit in most cubicles and probably should not be placed on a second floor.

I can’t fault Babbage’s strategy for combining software and hardware but I think his marketing strategy needs rethinking. If it takes 150 years to release a product it has to be faster than anything on the market. The lack of WiFi capability is a serious disappointment.

Free admission for a family event on May 10, 2008 from noon until five.

This one’s for you Doug!

Copyright 2008 DJ Cline All rights reserved.

Posted by dj in Events, Humor, Reviews [1,104 Views]