How cool is this: Engineer discovers first microcomputer ever built

Marvellous. Thanks for posting!

Here's a presentation by the lead designer and developer of the AGC, Dr Eldon Hall:

[video=youtube;PbX8OtPe3eY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbX8OtPe3eY[/video]

The first ever guided flight controlled by an onboard digital computer (a forerunner of the AGC) was in 1959 - Polaris missile. See 10:52 in above.
 
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Arthur said:
Marvellous. Thanks for posting!

Here's a presentation by the lead designer and developer of the AGC, Dr Eldon Hall:

[video=youtube;PbX8OtPe3eY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbX8OtPe3eY[/video]

The first ever guided flight controlled by an onboard digital computer (a forerunner of the AGC) was in 1959 - Polaris missile. See 10:52 in above.
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Fascinating. Quite a long video but well worth the watch and much of it over my head WRT the electronics.

Of interest to me was the odd bit and word lengths (given current architecture), register shifting and floating point side computations (assembly language), difficulties with the user interface (an ongoing problem), and fitting the whole gadget into weight and size parameters for space flight.

Good video, thanks.
 
Arthur said:
Has to be the most boring speaker ever. 1950s computer geek. Finds it hard to speak analogue.
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Funny, there are 2016 computer geeks that speak the same way, and don't have to work around the limitations that were around in the fifties and sixties in order to send a man to the moon. I think computer geeks are naturally pre-disposed to talking binary.

Just because a bloke is boring or dynamic on camera, doesn't mean their contribution is not meaningful, or ground breaking.

I found the video you posted very interesting regardless.
 
IdlePhaedrus said:
Funny, there are 2016 computer geeks that speak the same way, and don't have to work around the limitations that were around in the fifties and sixties in order to send a man to the moon. I think computer geeks are naturally pre-disposed to talking binary.

Just because a bloke is boring or dynamic on camera, doesn't mean their contribution is not meaningful, or ground breaking.

I found the video you posted very interesting regardless.
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Absolutely. It's riveting. Seriously.
 
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