HOME | DD

Description
Weird, almost hypnagogic image flash while I was out driving around today--a "stone age," water-powered version of Charles Babbage's analytical engine.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytic…

A - Data processing begins with these water-driven turbine cylinders suspended in the falls. Different cylinders can be selectively locked, meshed, and disengaged at this scale, and the rotational energy of the primary gears is transmitted via worm gears, cams, and the like to the core processing cylinders in the "engine room" within the bedrock of the falls.

B - Most of the raw, "number crunching" processing power comes from this assemblage of interlocking differential gears stacked on metallic rods within the heart of the "engine room." Aside from necessary repair, replacement, and maintenance, the core gear system is rarely accessed.

C - An abacus-like rack of program rods disengages from the gear assembly and swings outward to swap, replace, and modify lathed wooden discs describing diverse mathematical functions, allowing the user to choose and apply desired data processing algorithms.

D - An easily "writable" medium--perhaps strips of cellulose coated with wax--is engraved with input data and wrapped around these ceramic cylinders, which are then plugged into the external input assembly.

E - The output system--a "printer," essentially--punches holes into a rotating wet clay cylinder, which is then rolled across fabric or papyrus to create a readable "hard copy." The cylinders themselves, once dried, can be archived in a library for later reference or reproduction.

[It also occurred to me that the "output" could be in the form of something more material produced by a lathe, forge, or extruder, thus making the engine a driver for a primitive 3D printer or other such fabrication/prototyping machine.]

Like just about everything "megalithic" I do, this one looks vaguely Mesoamerican, but the original image felt more Polynesian in style. It was also huge, consisting of a thousand-foot waterfall with multiple stages or cataracts...Maybe this one is more of a "pocket calculator."

Description
Weird, almost hypnagogic image flash while I was out driving around today--a "stone age," water-powered version of Charles Babbage's analytical engine.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analytic…

A - Data processing begins with these water-driven turbine cylinders suspended in the falls. Different cylinders can be selectively locked, meshed, and disengaged at this scale, and the rotational energy of the primary gears is transmitted via worm gears, cams, and the like to the core processing cylinders in the "engine room" within the bedrock of the falls.

B - Most of the raw, "number crunching" processing power comes from this assemblage of interlocking differential gears stacked on metallic rods within the heart of the "engine room." Aside from necessary repair, replacement, and maintenance, the core gear system is rarely accessed.

C - An abacus-like rack of program rods disengages from the gear assembly and swings outward to swap, replace, and modify lathed wooden discs describing diverse mathematical functions, allowing the user to choose and apply desired data processing algorithms.

D - An easily "writable" medium--perhaps strips of cellulose coated with wax--is engraved with input data and wrapped around these ceramic cylinders, which are then plugged into the external input assembly.

E - The output system--a "printer," essentially--punches holes into a rotating wet clay cylinder, which is then rolled across fabric or papyrus to create a readable "hard copy." The cylinders themselves, once dried, can be archived in a library for later reference or reproduction.

[It also occurred to me that the "output" could be in the form of something more material produced by a lathe, forge, or extruder, thus making the engine a driver for a primitive 3D printer or other such fabrication/prototyping machine.]

Like just about everything "megalithic" I do, this one looks vaguely Mesoamerican, but the original image felt more Polynesian in style. It was also huge, consisting of a thousand-foot waterfall with multiple stages or cataracts...Maybe this one is more of a "pocket calculator."