A mechanical, wooden Turing machine

Cory Doctorow 10:54 am Thu Mar 8, 2018

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.

Mechanical Turing Machine in Wood
Explained [Richard J. Ridel]

(via Hackaday)

That time that David Lynch stuffed a pair of fan's panties in his mouth

Only David Lynch. This video resurfaced recently of an incident that happened in 2003(?). It shows David Lynch eating a pair of warm panties just removed by "Cinema Lover," a member of the DavidLynch.com chatroom. He stuffs the panties in his mouth and then attempts to pronounce the handle of another chatroom member, WMMVRRVRRMM. Paging… READ THE REST
Interview with Boing Boing contributor Annie Rauwerda, of "Depths of Wikipedia" fame

Wikimedia's Chris Koerner interviews Annie Rauwerda, whose encyclopedic knowledge of the encyclopedia means she finds (and shares) the most wild, offbeat and fascinating articles. (See also her work here at BB) From the interview: What's a common misconception you find people have about Wikipedia? I'm often surprised by how many people forget that they can… READ THE REST
Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra's dropping a "financial record"

I really get a kick out of Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra, a conceptual band out of San Diego with a robot lead singer. So when the band's human, Professor B. Miller, asked me to write the liner notes for their latest laser-etched LP, Balance a Checkbook, I couldn't say no! It's a "financial record," so I've… READ THE REST
Working outside the office just got way easier, thanks to this portable 4K touchscreen monitor

We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. You do a lot on that little laptop of yours, from (reluctantly) answering work emails to shopping for a new ride. But with all these digital tasks come many annoying roadblocks,… READ THE REST
Your cat will have a ball with new self-moving teaser ball for only $29

We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. If you've got a fuzzy feline friend at home, you know how important it is to keep them active and stimulate their curiosity. They can get bored quickly of stationary toys, and… READ THE REST
IT hopefuls are digging these online cybersecurity courses

We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. There's only so much side-hustling you can do in one lifetime — perhaps it's about time you chose a career that has great earning potential you can really enjoy, like cybersecurity.… READ THE REST