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What If Computers Were Made Of Gears?
- ThatOneFox
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What If Computers Were Made Of Gears?
Just imagine, instead of taking the electrical route, that computers ended up being made out of clockwork. It's perfectly possible, and has been done to a small extent many times by ancient civilization.
A prime example of a clockwork computer is "The Writer"
[media=youtube]FUa7oBsSDk8[/media]
So. If computers were made mainly from gears, would there be any video games? Would there be any mobile devices?
Discuss.
A prime example of a clockwork computer is "The Writer"
[media=youtube]FUa7oBsSDk8[/media]
So. If computers were made mainly from gears, would there be any video games? Would there be any mobile devices?
Discuss.
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- ElectroYoshi
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- ThatOneFox
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I don't know, but the greeks made an analogue computer in 100bc out of gears.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism
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- ElectroYoshi
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Well, given the kinds of computers we have now (PCs, macs, tablets, consoles, etc.) and the things people do on them, I don't think things like video games and mobile devices could even exist. Gears alone can't do everything that makes those things possible.
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- Phantomboy
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Oh my gosh, I love the very concept of this! I believe the movie Hugo pulled clear inspiration from this.
Massive memory systems can be stored in very simple forms, such as 1's and 0's or simply gears. That could have lead way into major complex computing machines, honestly I would love to view that alternative world were that is the outcome
Massive memory systems can be stored in very simple forms, such as 1's and 0's or simply gears. That could have lead way into major complex computing machines, honestly I would love to view that alternative world were that is the outcome
- Sebastian Lawe
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Computers could definitely be gear powered, heck look at this video of a scientific calculator in Minecraft. Its pistons and red stone.
[media=youtube]wgJfVRhotlQ[/media]
You would need a bunch of interlocks and gear relocaters in order to process or store different values. If you press X Y or Z the pathway of gears that are spun would be changed, much like a computer changes its pathways of electrical current through switches.
[media=youtube]wgJfVRhotlQ[/media]
You would need a bunch of interlocks and gear relocaters in order to process or store different values. If you press X Y or Z the pathway of gears that are spun would be changed, much like a computer changes its pathways of electrical current through switches.
- ThatOneFox
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Since we've been talking about similar stuff on skype, there is actually a fashion style designed around this called "Steampunk"Sebastian Lawe wrote:Computers could definitely be gear powered, heck look at this video of a scientific calculator in Minecraft. Its pistons and red stone.
You would need a bunch of interlocks and gear relocaters in order to process or store different values. If you press X Y or Z the pathway of gears that are spun would be changed, much like a computer changes its pathways of electrical current through switches.
Keith Keiser has a better ass than you
- Phantomboy
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- ThatOneFox
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I tried Steampunk. Cyberpunk is so much cooler.Phantomboy wrote:At one point I actually knew someone who was getting into that style, it was quite cool. From what I've gathered from her and what I have generally heard, it is essentially if the Industrialization influenced a Victorian era civilization. It is pretty interesting!
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- Phantomboy
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- Newah
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Sebastian Lawe wrote:Computers could definitely be gear powered, heck look at this video of a scientific calculator in Minecraft. Its pistons and red stone.
You would need a bunch of interlocks and gear relocaters in order to process or store different values. If you press X Y or Z the pathway of gears that are spun would be changed, much like a computer changes its pathways of electrical current through switches.
Yeah it would work but it would be heavily unwieldy, though it certainly would be cool.
- ElectroYoshi
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- ThatOneFox
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- ElectroYoshi
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- Sebastian Lawe
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- ElectroYoshi
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True, smaller gears are just as effective than bigger ones in the sense that they both get the job done. However, smaller gears are much easier to break.Sebastian Lawe wrote:Why not? That's like saying micro circuits are less effective then their larger versions.
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When it comes to physics, the smaller the object, the harder it is to break, especially if the object is very dense. You would have an easier time smashing a big gear to bits.ElectroYoshi wrote:True, smaller gears are just as effective than bigger ones in the sense that they both get the job done. However, smaller gears are much easier to break.
- ElectroYoshi
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Here's the thing though: Laptops are supposed to be easy to carry around. Gears in general wouldn't be that practical to use on a laptop because it's kind of a no win situation. You would need to use gears that are very small and thin compared to the ones you see in, say, factories. But thinner gears tend to break more easily because they're more flimsy (That's what I meant by "smaller" gears not being as practical), and thicker gears wouldn't be good things to make a laptop out of because that would make said laptop just plain heavy.
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- Phantomboy
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Also, scaling down clockwork doesn't really change much about its systematic properties. When you start getting into systems that relay on weight, durability, viscosity, resistance and pliability it absolutely does, however gears are really just transferring motion via contact. In fact, if I recall correctly work has actually been done to create nano-clockwork using cogs of arranged molecules.
NINJA'D: Yes, I do see where you are coming from though, Yoshi.
NINJA'D: Yes, I do see where you are coming from though, Yoshi.
- ThatOneFox
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