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MrPlow [soylentnews.org] writes:

Submitted via IRC for Bytram

Astronomer Clifford Stoll shows off a big, beautiful mechanical adding machine from 1895 in a new Numberphile video.

"Long before transistors and other electronics came along, calculators were large mechanical machines that performed mathematics through a series of gears and cylinders turning inside their boxy exteriors. The YouTube channel called the Numberphile got its hands on one such device called the 'Millionaire,' and released a video

Source: http://www.cnet.com/news/watch-1895s-millionaire-machine-do-some-astounding-mechanical-calculations/ [cnet.com]

Original Submission