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1/25-scale Cray C90 wristwatch

chrisfenton.com

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Re: 1/25-scale Cray C90 wristwatch

#71

Post by rhelz »

burningChrome wrote: post #38

My Dad was at the forefront of the computer revolution. He talked about sharing time with Seymour Cray at his computer lab at the University of Minnesota. He said whenever Cray would show up on campus, it was like Mick Jagger or some other rock star type. People would flock to be around him and ask him questions. He then worked alongside Cray and sold many of his computers when they were both at Control Data. He has…

How many tens of thousands of computer architects... how many millions of creative ideas....

..and how Few people actually came up with anything which really moved the needle.

Re: 1/25-scale Cray C90 wristwatch

#72

Post by mnw21cam »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #56
kqr wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue with getting rich gambling is not knowing the probability, it's getting other people to continue paying you when you win large amounts and/or consistently. Even in today's professional gambling establishments (financial markets) big winners are often cut off in the name of stability.

If you know the exact results (like Biff in Back to the Future), winning things like lotteries or horse race results multiple times will draw attention. Actually, any kind of money hoarding - moreso than anyone else - will draw the attention. Which might be OK, of course, but if you make waves that are too big, you'll affect global policy and the course of (economic) history, and all your predictions may be off. But,…

I actually loved the side-plot in "About Time" where the main character went back in time and changed something and then they had a different child and then had to undo their change.

Re: 1/25-scale Cray C90 wristwatch

#73

Post by ngcc_hk »

nabla9 wrote: post #13

This would be a great prop for time travel scifi movie. Protagonist travels to 1991 and tries to convince scientist to help him. When asked for a proof, shows Gray C90 Wristwatch. "Our real computers are different, but I show you this because it does not pollute the timeline."

It still did just you being there and a small computer not tons weight.

No news so far of alien visit or time traveller … but it might be hard if they tried to avoid us … except for selling something like enterprise Vulcan did to help education fund which is more physical and hence possible.

Re: 1/25-scale Cray C90 wristwatch

#74

Post by ngcc_hk »

julianeon wrote: post #49
nabla9 wrote: post #13

This would be a great prop for time travel scifi movie. Protagonist travels to 1991 and tries to convince scientist to help him. When asked for a proof, shows Gray C90 Wristwatch. "Our real computers are different, but I show you this because it does not pollute the timeline."

My premise for a time travel movie is very simple. 1. Buy a book on probability. Work through the practice exercises. 2. Time travel back to a time before the laws of probability were invented or taken seriously. Pre-1600's would be a good guess. 3. Become a gambler. 4. With the riches that will soon be pouring into your pockets, acquire resources and transform history.

Do you know until fisher comes asking probability or the Bayesian version is always about gambling. Mostly as we have evolution type but …

Might be a time traveller.

Re: 1/25-scale Cray C90 wristwatch

#76

Post by ASalazarMX »

superposeur wrote: post #28

I love to imagine this kind of thing dug up by an alien civilization. That it displays the moons of Jupiter will be a fun puzzle and a source of wonder. “Obviously”, they will say, “these people must have worshipped Jupiter as a god and used the position of its moons to keep time.” But the pieces of the puzzle will never quite fit. Who knows, maybe the Antikythera mechanism or the pyramids were a similarly ludicrous…

Alien researcher: In fact, the dull-gray color is an artifact of aging. Ancient hoomans decorated their ritualistic jewelry with shiny black, and metallic reds and blues.

Here is a reconstruction of how it would have looked in their prime: shows colorful C90 watch render, fist risen up to the sky, other hoomans kneeling around the Cray high priest

Re: 1/25-scale Cray C90 wristwatch

#77

Post by kqr »

wbl wrote: post #70
kqr wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue with getting rich gambling is not knowing the probability, it's getting other people to continue paying you when you win large amounts and/or consistently. Even in today's professional gambling establishments (financial markets) big winners are often cut off in the name of stability.

Create life and casualty insurance!

Illegal in that period. Something like shipping insurance can be built from a repurchase agreement and this may get around usury/gambling laws, but how do you do that for life insurance? That takes more legal than probability knowledge. Also do you have the skills to combat insurance fraud?

Re: 1/25-scale Cray C90 wristwatch

#78

Post by jcun4128 »

Neywiny wrote: post #60
jcun4128 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is on my list of things to learn/have one (Orange Crab). I just haven't had a specific use yet. I know they use them for video out/camera for example. One day... so many things to learn/need time.

The orange crab looks nifty. My recommendation is to start very very simple. I'm not sure how this board integrates with the tools with their DFU mode and all that, but hopefully it allows the same quick iteration as JTAG. I think the next time if any you feel like using a microcontroller, try using the FPGA instead.

Thanks. I listen to EmbeddedFM and I always hear about JTAG but have not used one. Interesting thought about subsituting an FPGA for a microcontroller. Guess you would have to know how to use one in order to do something trivial like blink/move a servo.

Re: 1/25-scale Cray C90 wristwatch

#79

Post by wbl »

kqr wrote: post #77
wbl wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Create life and casualty insurance!

Illegal in that period. Something like shipping insurance can be built from a repurchase agreement and this may get around usury/gambling laws, but how do you do that for life insurance? That takes more legal than probability knowledge. Also do you have the skills to combat insurance fraud?

Annuities are the same math but different product, and got valued first by Haley. I'm not aware of life insurance being illegal per se, and there might be ways to work around it via structuring as a fraternal organization ala the origins of the insurance industry in the US.
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