Modern Tube computing

From: Tony Duell <ard_at_p850ug1.demon.co.uk>
Date: Wed Jan 21 15:33:26 2004

> I then kept pouring the water back and forth between each other: a
> FlipFlop!

Some time ago I went to a lecture on soap films, where the lecturer did
various demonstrations with such films contrained between plastic plates,
with metal pins anchoring the ends of the films. The film always forms a
local minimum of area IIRC.

Anyway, one configuration of pins had 2 stable forms of the soap film,
and could be switched from one to the other by gently blowing on it. I
pointed ou that this was essentially a flip-flop and could be used as a
memory device. I then said 'Well, I've heard of bubble memory, but this
is ridiculous' <groan>

-tony
Received on Wed Jan 21 2004 - 15:33:26 GMT