A Tinkertoy computer that plays tic-tac-toe (1989) (opens in new tab)

(web.archive.org)

45 pointsanschwa2y ago13 comments

13 comments

In France in 1982, the magazine Science & Vie published a cardboard computer simulator, named "Ordinapoche". It was designed by Joel de Rosnay. Here is a cached copy in french: https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%...

It helped me understand computers!

jhbadger2y ago

This in is a tradition of earlier simulated ("cardboard") computers such as the 1965 "Little Man Computer" or the 1968 CARDIAC. Like Ordinapoche, they were basically aids to help a person step through a machine language program, with the person performing the low-level actions themselves.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_man_computer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CARDboard_Illustrative_Aid_to_...

askiiart2y ago

"What do you call it when you're prosecuted for illegally importing cardboard computers?"

"CARDIAC arrest (ba-dum tsss)"

1 more reply

ustad2y ago

Do you have another link? my mobile safari gots into infinite redirects.

speps2y ago

The page contents: https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?inframe=1&url=h...

Had to disable JS to get the frame URL and load that instead.

JKCalhoun2y ago

The Computer Recreations column by A.K. Dewdney was fascinating to me when I was just getting into programming. (And of course it followed the more famous Mathematical Recreations column of Martin Gardner before him.)

Dewdney collected his columns into a few books over the years. The Tinker Toy computer is featured in this one: https://archive.org/details/tinkertoycomputer00dewd

0823498723498722y ago

In the tradition of 1961's MENACE? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matchbox_Educable_Noughts_and_...

_a_a_a_2y ago

I don't think so, MENACE actually learned to play, this appears to be just a look up table for precomputed positions. Still impressive.

imglorp2y ago

The original: https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/X39.81

10,000 parts. "The gates are all TTL (Tinker Toy Logic)" :-)

schubart2y ago

"It could have been built by any six-year old with 500 boxes of tinker toys and a PDP-10."

theolivenbaum2y ago

Or many years after with some custom cut acrylic pieces: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7wp70Xyxxw

bangaroo2y ago

Seeing this on display in the boston computer museum is a formative memory of my childhood.

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