My brand new gadget

[baja_yu]

So, last night I got one of these bad boys



I didn't know what it was, but after a few moments of playing with it, it started to look like a calculator. Addition and subtraction I figured out quickly, but it seemed it could do more. I googled a bit and found this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bz8_tNDUDog

Original-Odhner, invented in the late 1800s, the one I got seems to be from 50s-60s, fully functional. I like it very much

[dilettante]

Interesting that it has that USB plug sticking out in the front. How many GB of flash memory is in that thing?

[baja_yu]

Hehehe, it does seem like it. It's just a thin metal lever. I haven't figured out what it does yet

But it can calculate the square root of 2 up to 8 decimals, how cool is that.

[Bonker Gudd]

This is still used by Barclays.

[szlamany]

Don't touch the thin metal lever...

[FunkyDexter]

This is still used by Barclays.

...and NatWest upgraded to this system last week. They did touch the metal lever. They shouldn't have.

[dilettante]

Maybe it's just sticking its tongue out at you.

[dday9]

Maybe it's just sticking its tongue out at you.

O.O funny

[Nightwalker83]

Why did you get it if you didn't know what it was?

[dday9]

Why did you get it if you didn't know what it was?

I know I'd buy it with out knowing what it was, it just looks cool man!

[dilettante]

I know I'd buy it with out knowing what it was, it just looks cool man!

*smacks forehead*

Time to empty my basement onto eBay.

[baja_yu]

A bunch of numbers, levers and bits, you can't tell me you wouldn't be intrigued. I didn't want to Google it before trying to figure it out on my own. It became apparent pretty quick that it was some sort of a calculator, but I didn't know it could do the more complex things.

dilettante, if you post stuff like this on eBay, be sure to post links here.

[dilettante]

dilettante, if you post stuff like this on eBay, be sure to post links here.

No problem. However little of what I had in mind is of a collectable nature like the toy above. More like carcasses of 286/386 era machines in various levels of "intactness" along with ancient keyboards and add-in cards.

Most pre-IBM PC era computers have long since been donated to others, but I probably have a mechanical calculator or two left here somewhere.

[baja_yu]

Not many of these Odhner calculators on eBay, but some are fetching as much as +$200

[dilettante]

Wow, does that include shipping?

[Icyculyr]

So, last night I got one of these bad boys



Original-Odhner, invented in the late 1800s, the one I got seems to be from 50s-60s, fully functional. I like it very much

But can it play Crysis?

[baja_yu]

No, because it's not for kids.

[Icyculyr]

No, because it's not for kids.

[FunkyDexter]

If Apple made one it'd have a better screen resolution.

[moonman239]

If Apple made one it'd have a better screen resolution.

If they made a calculator, TI graphing calcs would probably not be as popular as they are.