Computer Oddities

* See also Rapture_Computers
* See also Era_Computers
* See also Porter + Wahl + The_Thinker + Minervas_Den
* See also Historic_Tech_Timeline
Weird Experimental Projects Done in Rapture by 'Garage Inventors'. 
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The 'Fenrick Toothpick Computer' (Rapture) :
Substantially smaller than the "Fenrick Mechano/Erector Set Computer"Another failed project by an inventor in Rapture.
Uses "rod logic" ( a mechanical system of interlocking sliding rods and springs (cams?) which implements logic mechanisms - here attempted with Toothpicks and Rubberbands )
Watching the 'Signals' travel in waves across this machine was impressive ( It became more effective when someone suggested that more than one Wave could be passing through the large machine simultaneously. )
Unfortunately such machines on the MACRO scale just aren't even as fast as the obsolete 'Tube' based computer systems ( People keep trying to make mechanical computers like this even today - on the NANO-scale, but really haven't gotten too far ).
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NOTE _ A Real World computer (really a tabulation mechanism) using flowing Ball Bearings as the active component -- A complex central tallying machine was used in Australia for 'Paramutual Betting ( Horse Racing', computing/setting odds and such operations ). Ball bearings put into the system by telegraph signals from betting shops across the country, and were guided electro-mechanically into bins that then triggered 'decade' counters ( A VERY important feature was : IF the machine's power failed/glitched, the ball bearings maintained the 'state' (tallys) wherever they were in the machine and would be counted when the power was restored ).
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Engineer Me This Batman!!! (Comstock Orders It) :
pix
Etch-a-Sketch computer display for Infinite BS computers ( Sorry - LCD screen didn't exist, nor did the complex electronics to control them, nor even CRT mechanisms ). Fink has little more than fricken GEARS and fluids and flames ( and some nice blinkey lightbulbs and relays ) to work with. Some actual imagination could have come up with something if one tried.
The Etch-a-Sketch has 2 axis (those knobs) which allows vector drawing pictures and text (You do have to shake to erase it still, but then I used graphics terminals ages ago that had 'persistent phosphor' screen that you erased each page).
Likely developed for a projected 'Prayer of the Day' or "Comstock's Words Of Wisdom'.
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Williams Tubes - (Real World Williams–Kilburn tube) using TV-like cathode ray tubes as 'memory' ( more being the CPU 'registers' ).
Trying to get around the problem of multiple vacuum tubes being required for every BIT of such memory and a large number of 'registers' being desired to be able to do more complex calculations. A Williams tube could typically store about 1024 to 2560 bits of data. 
The earliest BIG ( likely ONE mainframe ) computers in Rapture would experiment with this technology, which even as limited in its capacity could do research/engineering calculations far faster than the alternatives. The effect of these difficulties was to cause McClendon to become interested and to later bring about the Bio_Electronic advancements in Rapture. 
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Have Namedropping :
"The Carrot Computer" ('Apple' - but with little more work on the project beyond the name..)
Etc ...
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