My First Computer

The Bananalets and I are on a technology unit in history. Yesterday's lesson talked about the development of computers, and, as I added asides, they got an idea of How Old I Really Am, since I remember things like the computer room in high school being huge and having the windows covered with foil so the computers did not overheat, and punch cards, and dot matrix printers. (Yes, I still think digital watches are a pretty neat idea.) *

Anyhow.

I started getting a fuzzy memory from some time in high school of having a penny that answered all yes/no questions in a logical way. And today its name came to mind: Miniac. After a bit of an online search, I found the rules for Miniac so you can build your own. (I originally read this in Vicious Circles and Infinity: An Anthology of Paradoxes by Patrick Hughes and George Brecht.)

Here ya go:

In this age of computers it seems a pity that sincere but impecunious scholars should be deprived of their benefits. Herewith are presented do-it-yourself plans for constructing a computer that will answer questions not resolvable by any other present machine. Among its advantages, MINIAC is (1) small enough to be carried in one's watch pocket; (2) inexpensive; (3) infallible; (4) easy to build; (5) child's play to operate.

To build MINIAC:

1. Obtain a penny. (Substitution of a ha'penny will not materially affect MINIAC's operation.)
2. Typewrite the words "YES" and "NO" on two pieces of paper and glue one to each side of the penny.

To operate MINIAC:

1. Hold MINIAC on the thumb and forefinger (either hand, either side up) and ask it question A (e.g. `Will it rain tomorrow?').
2. Flip MINIAC and allow it to come to rest.
3. Note the answer, either YES or NO. Now MINIAC has given us either a true answer or a false answer. To determine which:
4. Hold MINIAC as in operating instruction 1, ask question B: `Will your present answer have the same truth-value as your previous answer?' and flip.
5. Note MINIAC's response to this question, either YES or NO.

Suppose MINIAC's answer to question B is YES. This is either a true answer or a false answer. If true, then it is true that the answer to question A has the same truth-value as the answer to question B, hence the answer to question A was a true answer; if false, then it is false that the answer to question A has the same truth-value as the answer to question B (which is false), hence the answer to question A was a true answer. In either case, if MINIAC answers YES to question B, then its answer to question A was a true answer. If MINIAC answers question B with NO, a similar line of reasoning shows that its answer to question A was a false answer.The electronic character of MINIAC is obvious from the fact that there are two free electrons in the outer shell of the copper atom.

I think at the end of the year, I will have the student body build their own and see how far they can get in figuring out Miniac's logic circuits.


 ~ ~ ~ 
* did anyone else have a clock radio where the numbers were printed on cards that made a loud click when they flipped into position? Amazing.

Stuck in Neutral

Long time since I've done a book review, but here goes. I read the young adult book Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman. It is a very quick read and rather compelling. Shawn is 14 years old, completely disabled, and convinced his father is planning to kill him, yet Shawn has no way to communicate or do anything for himself. 


I really can't say if I like this book or not or if I would recommend it or not. I know I would not read it to any but the hardiest of children. There were parts that creeped me out (crept me out?) and also some parts I liked and found life-affirming. 


I was interested in Shawn's story because two of the Bananlets have significant cognitive disabilities and I am always trying to understand what life might be like for them or for others with even greater needs. The glory of this book is that it gives hope that even in cases that seem the most profoundly hopeless, we just do not know what sort of life is really there but is invisible to us because of inability to communicate. My favorite paragraph challenged me to reconsider what pleasures would be remain to someone completely disabled:

I love my mom, brother, sister, dad. Although I can't connect with things through my senses, there is an energy inside me and around me; somehow all the things I think about and remember turn to joy. Pure joy: favorite movies, paintings I've seen and loved, music on compact discs, pinecones, chocolate pudding, the taste of smoked oysters (thank you, Paul!) the sound of motors, a bright-red 1966 Ford Mustang. I love the  idea of books and the dusty smell of them on bookshelves, the scent of Comet in a stainless steel sink. I think of the way, on cool mornings in November, the sun pours in through my window, and covers my hands. I think about my baths every night with Mom dripping warm water from a big soft sponge down my back, the hairbrush passing through my hair after the tangles are all gone, all of it turning to joy. Life can be great, even for me. Even for me.

Seeking Advice

Thursday we took the Bananalets on the annual trek to the amusement park. I had what I thought was a brilliant idea but couldn't get it to work. 

I thought it would be such a beautiful thing to let the wind blow bubbles from the wand as I rode the roller coaster. So I took my snazzy little bottle of Gazillion bubbles 


and while we were in line for the ride, I poured some solution in my hand and then was ready to dip the wand in and let the wind blow it out. But for some reason it didn't work very well. I could only get enough to do two dips. And they kind of burst more than blew into lovely bubbles out of the wands. I tried on a second ride but didn't do much better. One up side is this: if you are nervous about the coaster you hardly notice it while you are thinking about how could you possibly open the bottle for another dip?


Oh well. Any ideas for how to tweak it for next year's trip?

Veggieized

Surely we are not the only family that has been Veggieized?


VeggieTales were new when the Bananalets were little and so we know the oldest ones quite well. 


Every now and then I notice it. I cannot hear the story of the fall of Jericho without thinking about purple slushies. And today I told Miss Dog Lover she is loyal and she immediately responded with "Like a pea. 'The end.'"