The first “computational” device and the founder of computational science came from Ramundo Lull. Leibniz took Lulls ideas and “invented” computational science in modern times. The antihythera was a calculator. Someone else will have to state what differentiates calculator from computer. It has to do with symbols — not analog versus digital.
Davew On Fri, Mar 12, 2021, at 10:44 AM, uǝlƃ ↙↙↙ wrote: > I have no idea what Marcus' intention was with that comment/link. But > it does highlight that the abstraction/idealization of "digits" and > "computer" is a dangerous delusion. So I disagree completely with > Steve. Calling the antikythera (or an orrery) a computer is the > *correct* use of the term "computer" or "calculator" and calling an > abstraction like a Turing machine or ascribing ontological status to > √-1 is an abuse of the term. > > We all know that computers are actual things out in the world, > regardless of whether they crisp things down to discrete or exploit the > full parallelism of the world. So, to me, it's the silly abuse of > "analog" and "digital" in place of "continuous" vs. "discrete" that's > most annoying. > > The dangerous tendency of humans to idealize and reify their own brain > farts (e.g. Turing machines) is a separate issue entirely. > > On 3/12/21 9:26 AM, Marcus Daniels wrote: > > DRAM rates are remarkably low, even without error correction. Like 1 in a > > trillion per hour. > > https://tezzaron.com/media/soft_errors_1_1_secure.pdf > > At some point the analog device becomes a good-enough digital device. > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Friam <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Steve Smith > > Sent: Friday, March 12, 2021 9:08 AM > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: [FRIAM] Antikythera > > > > Is the antikythera anything "more than" a highly elaborated Orrery ? I > > suppose the most egregious conflation for me is between map/model and > > "computer" in the sense of a device capable of universal computation. > > Orreries are elaborate maps (in the cartographic sense) of the grosser > > features of the solar system. The mechanical-engineering aspects of the > > antikythera is certainly impressive but to call it a "computer" or even > > "calculator" misses the point I think. > > > > Analog(ue) vs Digital is it's own abuse of terms of course. The former > > alludes to the one-to-one-correspondence nature of the elements of the > > model and a reduced description/apprehension of the parts of the system it > > models... an "analogy". The latter is grounded in "counting on your > > fingers (and toes?)" which is abstracted in things like an abacus which > > "models" the components and aspects of a system as whole numbers (or > > fancier things like real or complex or even hypercomplex) numbers. IMO, > > until we started using "digital" computers to model abstract mathematical > > concepts beyond (possibly quite complex) arithmetic, they were nothing more > > than really fast, really complicated abacii? > > > > I suppose the term "computer" doesn't connote this form well, and I suppose > > there is a more apt term of art that people who philosophize more regularly > > about "computing" than I might use? > > -- > ↙↙↙ uǝlƃ > > - .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. . > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam > un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com > FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ > archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/ > - .... . -..-. . -. -.. -..-. .. ... -..-. .... . .-. . FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Zoom Fridays 9:30a-12p Mtn GMT-6 bit.ly/virtualfriam un/subscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ archives: http://friam.471366.n2.nabble.com/
