MartinFFeb 25
Cory Doctorow
CARDIAC (CARDboard Illustrative Aid to Computation)
https://www.instructables.com/CARDIAC-CARDboard-Illustrative-Aid-to-Computation-/
Nov 5 at 6:11pmWeb
Show threadCory DoctorowNov 5
CARDIAC (CARDboard Illustrative Aid to Computation)
https://www.instructables.com/CARDIAC-CARDboard-Illustrative-Aid-to-Computation-/
Show threadHoward CohenNov 5
@pluralistic I had one of these when I was a kid. I used it once and somehow it didn't put me off computers entirely: I ended up writing software professionally for 40 years.
Show threadCory DoctorowNov 5
@hoco It transformed my life.
Show threadChard NelsonNov 5

@hoco @pluralistic I had to write a simulation of a CARDIAC for my final project in a Fortran class in college. It was actually kind of fun. Probably the best, clearest Fortran code I ever wrote!

Also, likely, the last. 😀

Show threadOpen Water Otter VE7GR🏳️‍🌈Nov 6
@pluralistic We had these in a high school computer science course, (the course was actually called computer math) circa 1977. All of us used a single DEC LA37 terminal with modem connection to a PDP11 at a local community college, to program in BASIC. I remember sneaking into the school on weekends through the boiler room to use it. Good Times!
Show threadMartinFFeb 25
@Tribear @pluralistic such an incredible motivation!
Show threadOpen Water Otter VE7GR🏳️‍🌈Feb 25
@barrionomia @pluralistic No, just shit that you do when you're 16, nerdy, and full of piss and vinegar!
Show threadMike would rather be running!Nov 5
@pluralistic I loved this when it first rolled out! Funny you posting this now: I recently tripped over mine about a month ago while cleaning out the basement and started writing an emulator. #cardiac #CardboardComputing
Show threadNiniNov 5
@pluralistic Bell Labs really was something special, wasn't it?
Show threadPossumDarkNov 6

@pluralistic We had these in junior high. There is a direct line from Cardiac to my career as a full stack engineer.

I have one and a nice book about them.

…I also married a Bell Labs alumni.

Show threadchronically exhausted fatherNov 6
@andrewault two very important questions:
are they on mastodon and do they know about tacobelllabs.net ?
Show threadJoel Falcou, Ph. DNov 6
@andrewault @pluralistic so can we say you ringed a Bell ?
Show threadPossumDarkNov 6

@joel_falcou @pluralistic

When we were dating, we looks at Macs in the Apple store and she opened a terminal and started using Unix commands.

She was the one!

Show threadJoel Falcou, Ph. DNov 6
@andrewault @pluralistic Lucky guy :)