Re: Reading is fundemental...

On 4/11/25 5:05 PM, c186282 wrote:

On 4/11/25 5:20 AM, Popping Mad wrote:

https://slate.com/human-interest/2024/02/literacy-crisis-reading-comprehension-college.html >
>

    I thought it was about being able to read paper
   data tapes by eye :-)

   Hmmm ... researching ... paper data tapes go back
   all the way to 1725 - to run automated cloth looms.
   The PROBLEM was that the tapes back then were kinda
   fragile and there was no good way to fix them.
   Jacquard is commonly credited - but HIS innovation
   was to switch from tapes to wider, physically linked,
   paper-ish data CARDS. Those were strong enough to
   hold up AND you could de-chain, insert new cards,
   and put the chain together again. "RAM" -vs- ROM
   so to speak.
   Jacquard inspired BABBAGE ... who designed the
   first real computers - albeit in brass gears.
   Poor bastard HAD IT RIGHT - but didn't live
   quite long enough to see electric/electronic
   solutions.
   Oh, according to story, Jacquard was just the
   company OWNER ... some OTHER, unnamed, guy
   thought up the cards and mechanism and did
   all the programming. SO typical ...