John Higginbotham wrote:
>
> At 07:36 PM 6/17/98 +0300, you wrote:
>
> >Well, I'd give computer credit to Babage's machine, ca. 1896, IIRC. He is,
> >after all the one who coined the phrase "computer."
>
> There's a very good book out by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling called
> "The Difference Engine". It takes place in the 1800's, a 19th century
> Europe that is vastly different from our version. Sort of like Silicon
> Valley, circa 1855. All deriving from Babbage's first machine, which, in
> the book, he invented at a quite early age.
There's an even better book, _The Country of the Blind_ by Michael J.
Flynn, which uses the concept _not incompatible with history so far_
that the Analytical Engine worked and was co-opted by a conspiracy
that ever since the 1840s has used them to analyze and redirect the
progress of societies. One of the first decisions was the employment
of John Wilkes Booth.
--
Ward Griffiths
They say that politics makes strange bedfellows.
Of course, the main reason they cuddle up is to screw somebody else.
Michael Flynn, _Rogue Star_
Received on Wed Jun 17 1998 - 23:05:08 BST