Workings of Ancient Calculating Device Deciphered 268
palegray.net writes "Scientists have discovered new meaning behind the functions of the Antikythera Mechanism, which has been referred to as the oldest known analog computing device. In addition to providing a means to calculate the dates for solar eclipses, the device apparently tracked the four-year cycles of the Olympiad. From the New York Times article: 'Only now, applying high-resolution imaging systems and three-dimensional X-ray tomography, have experts been able to decipher inscriptions and reconstruct functions of the bronze gears on the mechanism. The latest research has revealed details of dials on the instrument's back side, including the names of all 12 months of an ancient calendar.'"
Yeah but... (Score:1, Funny)
about time (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Yeah but... (Score:2, Funny)
Imagine a Beowulf cluster of these!
Re:Yeah but... (Score:1, Funny)
No, but it's completely open source.
it just needed to be set... (Score:5, Funny)
when they found it, it was flashing 12.
not just the first known analog computer... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Yeah but... (Score:3, Funny)
I'm imagining Beowulf imagining a Beowulf cluster of these things.
Re:Yeah but... (Score:4, Funny)
I, for one, welcome our new analog computing overlor...
What do you mean, "They're dead"?
Re:Again? (Score:5, Funny)
Isn't this the eighth or ninth time this year that they've "discovered" the inner workings of this damn thing?
It's hard to say. They're also using the device to keep count... They think.
Re:Need one today (Score:3, Funny)
...or maybe the Antikythera Mechanism is actually a time machine!
Yes (Score:5, Funny)
But some idiot lost the boot cog and it won't work with any known version of GRUB, LILO, SYSLINUX or LOADLIN :(
Historians speculate that if someone could get it to boot up, it would run faster than a modern PC running Vista!
You kids, I swear (Score:5, Funny)
With your bronze gears and such tomfoolery. Back in my day we sisn't even have abacuses. We had to count everything by hand, do the math in our heads, and remember it!
Now get off my lawn, and take your newfangled gizmo with you!
That's great but... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Yeah but... (Score:1, Funny)
Up yours, Locke! :)
Re:but (Score:3, Funny)
You hook it up to the Baghdad Battery [wikipedia.org].
It Computes Dates (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Rebuild? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:modern data recovery (Score:3, Funny)
>I don't even want to imagine a computer with the developers' manual carved on it!
One of the Corinthian Letters mentioned in the bible actually was named "Read me first!" (in Corinthian Bold Condensed), but since they didn't understand what it was about, it was not included in the bible.
Re:Where would we be today? (Score:5, Funny)
The Church Father known as "Pillar of Faith" who had Hypatia killed was the same man who had Mary mother of Jesus proclaimed as an "eternal virgin".
Eternal virgin? If that was true, then to heck with this "saint Mary" stuff... Joseph was more of a saint than she was!
Re:Yeah but... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Yes (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Where would we be today? (Score:3, Funny)
And how do you know these "Dark ages" weren't caused on purpose by aliens or humans from the future to stop us from achiving an even worse future? How do you know???
Getting serious, imagine what our future generations will say about these days: Patriot act, Trusted computing, DRM, Intellectual copyright, HD TV bit flag, etc, etc, etc. All of them setting us back, maybe, thousands of years. And what do we do? We keep buying iPods and other closed-source stuff and software. It's all about preserving Status Quo...
Re:cute but... (Score:1, Funny)
And he can't have been open-source -- he was too popular.
Re:Where would we be today? (Score:2, Funny)
Re:You kids, I swear (Score:3, Funny)
He knows 'teh Google'.
Re:Yeah but... (Score:4, Funny)
I predicted these very first two posts. Ahhhh Slashdot, how your constant familiarities of Beowulf clusters, Linux, Soviet Union, Goatse and frosty pissers never tend to cease!
You must not be new here...
Re:Yes (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Yes (Score:5, Funny)
Ha! Never underestimate the powers of a dead walrus! (or a twisted imagination)
Re:Yeah but... (Score:4, Funny)
I think you've mistaken the ancient Greeks for the Crab People [wikipedia.org]. That's ok. It's a common mistake.
Re:Yeah but... (Score:2, Funny)