On this day in 1822, proto computer geek Charles Babbage presented a paper to the Royal Astronomical Society entitled "Note on the application of machinery to the computation of very big mathematical tables."
From that moment, it was only a matter of time until first-person shooters, spam email, CD piracy, and watercooled overclocking became common. All that Babbage's proposed "Difference Engine" needs to be instantly recognizable to any geek today is some red anodized aluminum, and neon light tubes in the case.
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3 comments:
Not so fast, Shooty Girl. Have you seen the 20 sided Roman die over at Ace of Spades? Geekiness has a much longer history than you give it credit for.
Although the Babbage story resonates well today, what with Ada's contribution... sort of a Girl Genius touch.
Shooty Girl? Heh. Great name for a Blog, though.
Dear Charles. *sighs, and toys with his Bletchley Park pencil*
One wonders how it would have turned out if we hadn't passed the digital so we could digital on the digital.
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