Data Vapour: 020506

Retro Computer Brochures at Computerhistory.org

For geek chic check out Computerhistory for its selection of computer marketing brochures, the graphics are gorgeous, and the wording, including the elaborate specifications for the machines, is pure retro-future. In all there are 261 brochures for you and your rainy day covering classic machines from Atari, IBM and Apple Computers.

Its is said the Charles Babbage was the originator a machine that could be deemed the precursor to the modern computer. His Difference Engine, a mechanism for calculating absolutely accurate mathematical tables was conceived in 1821, and an original model lives in the science museum in London. Tim Robinson has gone to fantastic lengths to reproduce the Difference Engine entirely in Meccano!

A few weeks ago I struck lucky with a nice find! A 130 in 1 Science Fair Lab, where you can create a multitude of sound generators including a light controlled electronic harp, a push-pull square wave oscillator, and white noise generator, for just £1 in a junk shop! The BreadBoardBand take this kind of activity to new heights, utilising rudimentary circuit boards to make live music and visual improvisations.

The Kitchersociety keeps throwing up all sorts of wonderful and curious material, some recent favourites include The Human Camera, The Man Who Typed to One Million, The Rosetta Disc and The Muggletonian Celestial Prints

Light Display: Black-White-Grey – László Moholy-Nagy

László Moholy-Nagy’s Light-Space-Modulator consists of a cube-like body or box, 120 x 120 cm in size, with a circular opening at its front side. On the back of the panel, mounted around the opening are a number of yellow, green, blue, red, and white-toned electric bulbs (approximately 70 illuminating bulbs of 15 watts each, and 5 headlamps of 100 watts). The equipment is used for demonstrating both plays of light and manifestations of movement. Moholy-Nagy’s ‘Light Display: Black-White-Grey’ is a film documenting the machines choreography.