Another ~1960 computer kit

From: Ward Donald Griffiths III <gram_at_cnct.com>
Date: Wed Dec 16 01:24:26 1998

dave dameron wrote:
>
> I was looked through some older magazines and found another computer kit
> from about 1959, 1960, a full page ad for the "geniac". It has 6 dials, each
> with 16 sets of radial holes. It's cost was US$19.95 and made in Mass. My
> guess is it was electro-mechanical, but could not tell any more from the ad.
> The ad said it could play "Nim", but that doesn't seem to be that unusual.
> Has anyone seen one or knows what it did?

Hell, with the DigiComp I could play Nim, with far less logic and
zero electricity. Wish I still had mine. Got to use those scans
and build one from scratch (and I'm not much of a machinist even
with plastic [I flunked balsa]). Nim is computationally gagloads
simpler than tic-tac-toe.

I'd love to see plans, scans, schematics for the Geniac as well,
though, apparently it's barely younger (by commercial delivery date)
than the Univac One.
-- 
Ward Griffiths <mailto:gram_at_cnct.com> <http://www.cnct.com/home/gram/>
WARNING:  The Attorney General has determined that Alcohol, Tobacco,
and Firearms can be hazardous to your health -- and get away with it.
Received on Wed Dec 16 1998 - 01:24:26 GMT

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