Thanks Alan.
On Sat, Jul 7, 2012 at 12:29 AM, Alan Kay <[email protected]> wrote: > P.S. > > I vaguely recall that someone did an Etoy model of the Antikythera ... > (might be findable on the web somewhere) > Karl Ramberg pointed me to: http://www.dmst.aueb.gr/dds/sw/ameso/ which may be what your are recalling. > > Going a little deeper, it would be good for children to think about: > *Computing > is inventing a kind of machine that can carry and manipulate > representations of ideas.* The machine can be made from physical or > symbolic materials. > I really like the inclusion of "inventing" in the definition. I'll see what the kids come up with and then weave this in. > > For example, the abacus -- which vastly predates the Antikythera -- is > also a computing machine. And so is Algebra ... > > Cheers, > > Alan > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Steve Thomas <[email protected]> > *To:* squeakland <[email protected]>; iaep < > [email protected]> > *Sent:* Friday, July 6, 2012 2:22 PM > *Subject:* [IAEP] Has anyone build a set of gears in Etoys or any other > freely available program? > > I got I asked my class to play > LightBot<http://armorgames.com/play/2205/light-bot> and > then asked them: > > "How this is like and not like "programming" > > > This lead into one kids responding its like "mabey small motors and > gears" (wish I knew what was going on in her mind, I'll ask in the next > class) > > So I responded: > > I was on the Battleship NJ (commissioned in 1943). They had a "computer" > on board to calculate the angle and direction of the big guns and could hit > a target miles away within a few yards!!! Pretty impressive when you have > to consider they had to take into account the ships speed and direction, > wind speed, waves and the recoil from the guns firing. The whole > "computer" was built using gears which controlled BIG motors to move the > gun. > > > Here's a pop quiz (you will be graded on this and it will go on your > PERMANENT record :) > *What is the oldest computer we know about?* > * > * > > I then asked them to think about and email me an answer to: > > *What is a computer?* > > I then added the caveat, non-biological computer, as a bunch came back > with the answer "the brain". > > > I found a nice video on a Lego version of the oldest know computer > here<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLPVCJjTNgk> > . > > So I want to get them to try and build some adding machines (and I will > see if we can find enough lego parts amonst us to do that as it would be > best), but in case I can't, and just for fun. > > Has anyone build a set of gears in Etoys or any other freely available > program? > > Thanks, > Stephen > > _______________________________________________ > IAEP -- It's An Education Project (not a laptop project!) > [email protected] > http://lists.sugarlabs.org/listinfo/iaep > >
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