Von Neumann machines. The key to space and much else. 2431

: All countries produce propaganda that states, "our country is great : based : upon our great people". Even yours. : Yes indeed. I have however lived in the USA for 20 years and know : its atbreastudes very well. If the pot is calling the kettle black, this : pot admits : to being black as well. : Unfortunately English pride has fallen to the level of waving the flag : for : the soccer team. We no longer have a ship building industry, an aircraft : industry or even a car industry. The CIA World Factbook sums it up: : : Don't misunderstand me, I'm not putting down : : the USA, they have made some great achievements and had some : : great scientists, but they can't be the best at everything. They : will : : soon fall behind as they allow more and more socialism into their : : society. : : No offense taken as I am pretty sure I well balanced WRT where the : USA's : greatness vs. her shortcomings lie having lived in a foriegn country. : For : example, our public transportation system is Second World. : Yep... If you don't drive yourself then you don't go. I used the bus : once to go : to CMU in Pittsburgh when my car was in for service. Never again. : Your roads could use a few roundabouts too. I hated taking the wrong : exit : and having to go for miles to get back to the correct one. Those clover : leaves : are a person :-) : And all those stop signs... one on every corner. If Britain did that : it would be total gridlock in no time. "Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, blocking up the scenery..." - Five Man Electric Band.

Uh huh. We all need signs, but too many are confusing. You look around for the "No Turn On Red" amid the myriad others, by which time the light is green and the car behind is honking. It's ok once you know the area, but until you do you are mystified. If you are gonna have a light, add a filter lane light with an arrow for pity's sake. When Swan sold his patent to Edison, you'd think a rich country would be able to afford a light bulb in place of a sign, they can afford the extra road for a useless cloverleaf.

: : The REAL father (or grandfather I suppose) of computing (I won't say : : science, it's a technology, not a study of Nature) was George Boole, : : you won't get far without Boolean algebra. : : The problem their is that there is no "Boole Machine" of which Boole : created per se. : Steam isn't all that good for a calculator :-) Even a machine on paper. Had Boole used the common logical symbols for inverter (NOT), AND gate and OR gate, and expressed that a machine could be constructed based upon his algebra that would have sufficed. Instead, Boole was purely mathematical. Nothing wrong with that but it lacks the engineering aspect. Yes indeed, but it was Turing that invented paper RAM, a long strip of contiguous 1's and 0's. : Computers need an engineering component not just : mathematics. Babbage, on the other hand, is all machine and no : definitive theorectical basis such as Boolean Algebra. : : : Charles Babbage built fantastic differential engines, the forerunner : : of the analogue computer. : : Which goes to show you that having a single "father" is difficult WRT : computers. : : True enough. Like the airliner, no one man does it all. Though the Wrights tend to get creedit for being the first. Langley sure as heck deserves something as well as others.

I don't think the Wrights had hydraulics, jet engines (Frank Whittle), autopilots, radio, radar, a movie and a drinks trolley or even windows and doors. We can credit the movie to the Americans. :-) I don't know who invented the door, but it's even more useful than the wheel. :-) Androcles.