worth a watch for anyone with a tool fetish
- Thread starter Phil Pascoe
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AES
Established Member
Thanks for posting that phil. Very interesting, but sometimes that US commentary really "greats" - goodness knows how many billion "cools" (not to mention the "very cools") and, as per usual, about half a trillion "awesomes"!!!
But great tools and interesting shops and processes. Thanks.
AES
But great tools and interesting shops and processes. Thanks.
AES
Phil Pascoe
Established Member
Aaahsome! 
When you see something like that you realise why the stuff is the price that it is - although much of their production I believe has gone to China. The thing that made me think was that massive computerised machine - when the guy asked whether it did a particular job the reply was yes but it's early '90s, it runs out of memory ... your phone has ten or twenty times the memory.
It came up recently on tv (or radio, I don't remember) that someone said it used to be said a 7 series BMW had more computer power than Appolo 13 - was this true? The answer was yes, undoubtedly it used to be - but now a singing birthday card has more computer power than Appolo 13.
When you see something like that you realise why the stuff is the price that it is - although much of their production I believe has gone to China. The thing that made me think was that massive computerised machine - when the guy asked whether it did a particular job the reply was yes but it's early '90s, it runs out of memory ... your phone has ten or twenty times the memory. It came up recently on tv (or radio, I don't remember) that someone said it used to be said a 7 series BMW had more computer power than Appolo 13 - was this true? The answer was yes, undoubtedly it used to be - but now a singing birthday card has more computer power than Appolo 13.
novocaine
Established Member
phil.p":xx16n5q4 said:Aaahsome!
It came up recently on tv (or radio, I don't remember) that someone said it used to be said a 7 series BMW had more computer power than Appolo 13 - was this true? The answer was yes, undoubtedly it used to be - but now a singing birthday card has more computer power than Appolo 13.
I hate that quote.
yes the Apollo missions had limited computing power, because it didn't need anymore than it had. the AGC (Apollo Guidance Computer) and the DSKY only had one set of instructions, it didn't even have snake on it. everything on the Apollo missions was built to size, the amazing thing about the AGC is just how small they managed to get it, it went to the moon on a tiny amount of physical memory, that's amazing. modern equipment could be implemented and the system would have been even smaller, they still don't add in useless tech on a mission, so the latest stuff that goes up still can't play snake.
the 7 series BMW isn't going to get you to the moon is it?
it's like Audi claiming they had more patents on one car than NASA held. obviously the do, because there are more than 20 other car manufactures who want to steal the ideas, NASA didn't have patents because no one else was trying to do the same as they were other than Russia and they didn't really care about patents (see concordski).
AES
Established Member
I don't know enough about modern computers and computing to comment novocaine. But I DO remember when I was involved in flight simulation in the 1970s and '80s (the "real" things for pukka airline pilot training, NOT MS PC stuff) the company I worked for was very proud because the computer used had a 24 bit word length (as opposed to 8 or 16, current at the time) and the memory was a "huge" at 56K! Loaded by punched paper tape!
It was "real time" computing of course, but in reality, each of the aircraft systems was split up into separate "programs", so that aerodynamics, responsible for re-creating the flight performance, was run at full rate, something like engines "program" at half rate, and things like fuel and aircon systems (where not all that much happens very quickly most of the time) was run at eighth rate. What those rates were I forget now - could it have been 50 Hz?
Back to topic - I am the proud owner of a Starrett combination set, which I bought new (off a market stall in Singapore in the '80s would you believe). Even there & then it was expensive. It wasn't a copy/clone, but the real thing, in a sealed red (cardboard) box, with a real certificate inside. I value that set highly and only use it for "proper" work!
OTOH I inherited M&W 0-1" and 1"-2" mics from my Dad. Must have been originally bought, I guess, in the 1930s. Still going strong and just as highly valued by me, by I do confess that I do use them, especially the 0-1", almost daily.
AES
It was "real time" computing of course, but in reality, each of the aircraft systems was split up into separate "programs", so that aerodynamics, responsible for re-creating the flight performance, was run at full rate, something like engines "program" at half rate, and things like fuel and aircon systems (where not all that much happens very quickly most of the time) was run at eighth rate. What those rates were I forget now - could it have been 50 Hz?
Back to topic - I am the proud owner of a Starrett combination set, which I bought new (off a market stall in Singapore in the '80s would you believe). Even there & then it was expensive. It wasn't a copy/clone, but the real thing, in a sealed red (cardboard) box, with a real certificate inside. I value that set highly and only use it for "proper" work!
OTOH I inherited M&W 0-1" and 1"-2" mics from my Dad. Must have been originally bought, I guess, in the 1930s. Still going strong and just as highly valued by me, by I do confess that I do use them, especially the 0-1", almost daily.
AES
AES
Established Member
P.S. Re phil.p's title to this thread. I DO have an interest in tools (especially those that I use) but personally, I wouldn't describe my interest as a "fetish" (ladies with L O N G shapely legs is more my thing)! But I do like tools, they're "nice".
AES
AES
