Re: The joy of FORTRAN

On 3/8/25 5:13 PM, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 08/03/2025 20:37, rbowman wrote:

On Sat, 08 Mar 2025 14:42:42 GMT, Scott Lurndal wrote:
>

rbowman <bowman@montana.com> writes:

On Sat, 8 Mar 2025 00:21:15 -0500, c186282 wrote:

>

Relay logic was sort of fun. You were building state machines with
relays,
Eagle Signal electro-mechanical timers, limit switches, and so forth. I
never did it but even more fascinating were some of the complex machines
that were all cams, levers, gears, and springs except for the drive
motor.

>
I use and repair relay logic even in these digital times:
>
https://pinside.com/pinball/machine/target-pool

>
Real solenoids, lacing twine, DCC wire, and multi-contact steppers! The
past lives on.

 I knew a guy once who was building a working 18th century stage coach for a museum. Ultra lightweight ash body etc.
 I guess whatever turns you on...

   Well, if civ falls down (again) we'll want and need
   Ye Olde Tech !
   So, keep it alive.
   If I were suddenly transported back to the 9th century,
   telegraph tech WOULD be ultra-valuable. The first real
   'electronic' thing easiest to make would be a shitty,
   but functional, vacuum-tube/valve. Radio would warn of
   the incipient Norman Conquest !!!
   There's a huge tome called the "ARRL Radio Amateur's
   Handbook" (sometimes several small tomes) that cover
   just EVERYTHING that is or ever was in comm tech -
   from iron-filing 'detectors' and mechanical sine-wave
   generators on up. Had one, lost it somewhere, very sad.
   Vast practical knowledge between those covers.
 https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Handbook-Radio-Communications-101st/dp/1625952074
   I think the somewhat older ones were more comprehensive on
   the older tech.
   In the 9th century, would you know how to make a low-vac
   'valve' using existing/near tech ??? A 250khz radio set ?
   Kind of a sci-fi exercise now ... UNTIL civ falls (again).
   Clue ... pre-fill the envelope with carbon monoxide, easy
   enough to make. It's a reducer, will want to scavenge any
   excess oxygen. A bit of iron 'sponge' at the bottom of
   the tube. Suck as dry as possible then pre-heat to a few
   hundred and let bake for a week or two. Not a perfect
   vac, but perhaps Good Enough for some practical work
   at lower frequencies.
   Imagine you'd been deep-frozen for 2500 years only to
   awake and find everything back to sticks and stones
   and chopping-up enemies with axes. Your greatest value
   would be in sneaky comm tech, instant reports from spies
   and field commanders. "MAGIC" !
   Hey, civ CAN fall again - now helped-on by nukes and/or
   the disaster of globally-interdependent economics. I think
   they've managed to revive frozen dogs. So, the whole
   proposed scene is NOT entirely impossible anymore. A bit
   Verne-ian cutting edge, but not impossible. 25 years,
   even less impossible.