()()()()()()()››        <<< COMPUTER TRIVIA >>>›             Author Unknown› (Reprinted from APRIL 1992 POKEY,›  With Thanks.)››THE ANALYTICAL ENGINE (1835-1869)››     Because of lack of government›support, English mathematician Charles›Babbage (1792-1871) never got to build›his invention, whose design presaged›the modern computer. Had it seen the›light of day, the engine would have›used data fed by punched cards,›performed arithmetical calculations,›and stored information in a memory›bank.››     Lady Lovelace, the mathemetically›brilliant daughter of Lord Byron,›developed some potential problems for›the future machine, in effect acting as›the first programmer.››MARK 1 (1944)››     Conceived by Howard H. Aiken of›Harvard University in 1937, the first›automatic digital computer was built by›International Business Machines in›1944. An automatic sequence controlled›calculator, it was first used for›computing ballistic data. The computer›could do three additions per second,›working as fast as 20 people on›calculators. The MARK 1 took up a lot›of space; it was 51 ft. long and 8 ft.›high, with 750,000 parts.››ENIAC (1945-1946)››     Built only a year or two after›MARK 1, the first electronic computer›was thousands of times faster; it could›perform 5000 additions per second. It,›too, was a monster, with 18,000 vacuum›tubes, a weight of 30 tons, and a need›for 15,000 sq. ft. of floor space.›According to legend, when ENIAC was›first switched on, lights all over›Philadelphia dimmed.››UNIVAC 1 (1951)››     Delivered to the government in›1951 to help with the census, it cut›human work hours from 200,000 to›28,000. On October 3, 1963 the computer›was retired after 73,000 hours of›operation and is now on display at the›Smithsonian Institution.››THE "PI" COMPUTER (1961)››     One of the computers at the IBM›Data Center calculated PI to 100,265›places in 8 hr. and 43 min. In one›slightly long working day it performed›100 times (or more) the amount of work›a man could do in 10 years.››MOON-LANDING COMPUTER FAILURE (1969)››     As "Eagle" approached its landing›on the moon, the on-board computer,›slated to guide the landing, set off an›alarm indicating an overload. The›astronauts took over, telemetering›measurements to Mission Control in›Houston. Later it was determined that›interference from the radar system had›scrambled the computer's circuits.›(Editor's note: Actually, both›navigational computer and the computer›to process radar were left on,›overloading the main computer with data›during the landing! Source: "Men From›Earth" by Buzz Aldrin.)››THE STORY-WRITING COMPUTER (1973)››     Programmed by Sheldon Klein, the›computer writes detective stories 2,100›words long. Humans can still do much›better, but...››THE COMPUTER THAT HELPED STEAL›$10.2 MILLION (1978)››     In one of the biggest bank thefts›in history, computer analyst Mark›Rifkin used the services of a computer›to transfer $10.2 million from the›Security Pacific Bank in Los Angeles to›an account in Switzerland. Unable to›keep the amazing feat to himself,›Rifkin made several remarks to a›businessman, who called the FBI. He›(Rifkin) was arrested on Nov. 5, 1978.›While out on bail, Rifkin attempted a›2nd illegal wire-transfer of $50›million and was re-arrested. In March,›1979, he was convicted and sentenced to›eight years in prison. The computer was›not prosecuted.››            ()()() END ()()()