Otherpower.com

We are a group of alternative energy enthusiasts who want to spread the message that It's EASY

to make your own power FROM SCRATCH. Otherpower.com's headquarters is located in a remote part of the

Northern Colorado mountains, 12 miles past the nearest power pole or phone line. All of our houses and shops run

on only solar, wind, water and generator power...not because we are trying to make some sort of political or environmental

statement, but because these are the only options available. And we refuse to move to town.

Great site for alternate power options.

My Produce Guy - Online Groceries in Atlanta

Woot! Web Van came and went and I miss it. Well in Atlanta we now have myproduceguy.com
a local company that delivers fresh produce to your door.

Diagramming the Preamble

Harry Stephen Keller

HARRY
STEPHEN KEELER (1890-1967) is one of the strangest writers who ever
lived. In his time, he was pegged as a mystery novelist who also wrote
some science fiction. Today, if you've heard of him at all, it's as the
Ed Wood of mystery novelists, a writer reputed to be so bad he's good.
Actually, no genre, nor "camp," can much suggest what Keeler is all
about. Take some typical Keeler situations:

Learn A Foreign Language For Free

FSI Language Courses

This site is dedicated to making these language courses freely available in an electronic format. This site is not affiliated in any way with any government entity; it is an independent, non-profit effort to foster the learning of worldwide languages. Courses here are made available through the private efforts of individuals who are donating their time and resources to provide quality materials for language learning.

Link

Test Post

Test post of ritilan.com on blogger

Philco Predicta

My favorite television the Philco Predicta a true classic.
http://www.predicta.com/

Very Slick Case

This has got the be the best case mod I have seen.

The Curta Calculator

The image is of the only pocket sized completely mechanical calculator
ever built. And how do I want one.

The Amazing CURTA!
by Bruce Flamm

Perhaps no calculator of any type has generated more discussion than the Curta. Although a book could be written on this incredible device and its inventor, I will limit this article to a very brief summary. In the future I'll discuss more details and explain how this wonderful machine actually works.

What is it? The Curta looks like a small metal pepper-mill or coffee grinder. It is, in fact, a precision instrument which performs calculations mechanically using no electric or electronic parts. I can best describe the sensation of turning the crank on a Curta as being similar to winding a fine 35mm camera. To the best of my knowledge it is the smallest mechanical calculating machine ever built.

Who invented it? Mr. Curt Herzstark of Austria.

How was it invented? Over the years I've heard rumors that Mr. Herzstark secretly developed the Curta while imprisoned in a German concentration camp. Apparently this is almost true. Herzstark was a prisoner at Buchenwald but the camp leaders were aware of his work and encouraged it. They apparently wanted to give the invention to the Fuehrer as a victory gift at the end of the war! Herzstark was given a drawing board and worked on the design day and night. The camp was liberated in April, 1945 by the Americans. Herzstark survived as did his revolutionary concept for a miniature calculator. (More details about how Curt Herzstark ended up in a concentration camp in a future issue.)

When were the Curtas made? Although several prototypes were made, the first production began in April, 1947. The last Curta was made in November, 1970 but they were still sold until early 1973. By then, pocket electronic calculators were selling for under $100 and a precision mechanical instrument like the Curta could no longer compete.

Are there different Curta models? The Curta II is slightly larger than the original Curta. It was first produced in 1954 and has a larger numeric capacity than the Curta I.

How many Curtas were produced? In 1949 only about 300 Curtas could be produced each month. By 1952, production had increased to about 1,000 units per month. Over the course of about 20 years approximately 80,000 of the Curta I and 60,000 of the Curta II were constructed.

Are there any Curta prototypes? Mr. Herzstark kept three prototypes in his home in Nendeln, Liechtenstein. Upon his death in 1988 they were sold to a private collector.

Are there different protective cases? Since the Curta is a precision instrument, it was sold with a protective capsule or case. These are screw-top cylinders often with internal padding. Some plastic capsules were made but these were found not to be suitable so production was stopped and the metal cases again prevailed. Apparently Prince Heinrich von Liechtenstein found the metal case to be to rigid for a precision instrument so he had a special leather case crafted for his Curta.

Why does the cap of the Curta's protective capsule screw on backwards? I had always assumed that this was to prevent someone from hastily unscrewing the cap and dropping the fine instrument on the floor. I recently learned that this was actually a design change made to prevent the accidental turning of the Curta's operational crank when the case was screwed shut. This accident would leave the Curta not ready for calculation when the case was opened. Early metal cases having a clockwise closing cap are apparently quite rare.

Special thanks to member Bob Otnes in Palo Alto, CA and Peter Kradolfer in Germany for providing information used in this article. Please send any interesting information that my be helpful for future articles on the Curta to Bruce Flamm, 10445 Victoria Avenue, Riverside, CA, 92503.