Richard J. Ridel's all-wooden, mechanical Turing machine uses the smallest set of data elements capable of computing any calculation: 0, 1 and blank; it was inspired by Ridel's viewing of The Imitation Game.
There are a number
of issues that need mentioning.
I did not build a safeguard into the
Writing Wires. Things will
break if the machine attempts to write a ‘0’ as well as a ‘1’.
And wires can migrate and drift.
The Reader Rocker basically floats when reading a ‘0’. It could
move and present the wrong data to the back of the Configuration
Mechanism.
Build the machine so timing and throw are adjustable.
Build the machine so you can remove a part without having to
completely dismantle the entire thing.
My part names are not the most logical nor clear.
My engineering technique is not the
best, however, efficiency
and simplicity can be ignored for artistic aesthetics.
In the end, I had fun building it. And I guess that’s all that
matters.
Lucian's SPUDwriter (Single Purpose User Device) was designed to help him focus on creative writing after a long day of staring at a screen in his engineering job: it uses an e-ink screen and a keyboard, and only outputs via SD card or thermal printer. As a person who does all of their engineering work […]
Jason from the Comedy on Vinyl podcast writes, "I've spent the last eight years interviewing people from Rachel Bloom to Harry Shearer about their favorite vinyl comedy albums on my podcast, 'Comedy on Vinyl.' A few weeks ago, inspired by the brilliant podcast 'Mystery Show,' I decided to do something new, as I attempted to […]
High-def cameras are available to anyone and for much less than they were just a decade ago. Even the phones in our pockets can be used to shoot and edit short films. It’s never been easier to be a filmmaker, providing you have the technique. Enter the Film & Cinematography Mastery Bundle, an online boot […]
Breaking into the indie video game market may be easier than you think. It all starts with an idea, and then it’s a matter of finding the right development platform to bring it to life. No matter what that platform is, it’s a good bet that it’s covered in the 2019 Game Dev & Design […]
Learning a new language like Spanish doesn’t have to be hard. Either you can buy a ticket to a Spanish-speaking country, immerse yourself in the culture and pick it up intuitively – or you can do it from the comfort of the chair you’re in right now by logging on to Rocket Spanish. There are […]
