Sunday, January 16, 2011

Computer

I have recently been reading up about the EDSAC, the first practical stored-program computer. This is because a replica has been commissioned to be built at Bletchley Park. Of course, it was one of those room-sized beasts, tended to by blokes in overalls and thick, round spectacles. Reading the specs, I see that it used 3000 valves/tubes, and therefore used 12kW of power. Seen as though an electric fire uses just 1kW, it is going to get pretty hot in that room. I'm thinking they should maybe build one for show that has pretend valves lit with LEDs, and have someone sitting inside it with the transistor equivalent in a shoebox on his lap.

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