A Model Railroad That Computes

tri44id writes "Several blogs have noted an Austrian team that has built a model train set that is a primitive computer. I have to point out, though, that it's actually only a Finite State Machine, like a pocket calculator, not a general-purpose device. Their plan for a general purpose layout is for an infinite-state machine, not a FSM+tape that Turing envisioned in his original paper. Turing took the concept a further step, by presenting a Universal Turing Machine that embodies a special set of states and transitions that allows its tape to be programmable to emulate any other TM. Do Slashdot readers know of any mechanical implementations of a truly Universal Turing Machine? (Danny Hillis' famous tinkertoy tic-tac-toe machine has neither infinite tape nor programmability, and is thus yet another FSM. It shouldn't be hard to elaborate the Austrian model train FSM to use a series of cars carrying movable magnets to represent Turing's tape cells writable with different symbols, and thus become a true TM or even UTM."

Comments

SONS OF NEPHILIM!!!!! THE END-TIMES ARE HERE!!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

# We consider that the UFO, Alien, and Abduction phenomena is real.

# We consider that what our primitive society has observed as Aliens are in actuality the heavenly hosts, angels, fallen angels, watchers, wicked hosts in high places, rulers of the dark world, powers, and principalities stated in the Bible.

# We do not consider aliens to be demons, although demons may be their slaves (See the origin of demons).

# We consider that they are here to put in place the seed of Satan (the antichrist) by installing a false world religion of ascended masters with a hierarchy that embraces all religions and smothers true Biblical Christianity. The UFO cults will say that Jesus is one of the ascended masters. If that is true then they should do what Jesus said, "You must be born again!"

# We consider that they were here before and after the deluge according to the Book of Genesis Chapter 6 verse 4.

# We consider they were here before and they will return again according to the prophecy of Jesus Christ..."But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the son of man be." Matthew 24: 37.

# We consider that they took the daughters of men and committed fornication (intercourse) with them and produced the Gebers as the Bible states in Genesis 6:4. See the See Mischievous Angels or Sethites?

# We consider that according to the prophecy of Daniel they will do it again in the 4th and final kingdom of the beast. "They will mingle with the seed of men." Daniel 2: 43.

# We consider that the antichrist will be Satan's seed--a Nephilim/Gibborim. See Genesis 3:15, Genesis 6:4, and Revelation 13. This will probably include cloning and a hybrid.

# We consider that the UFO phenomena, once revealed, will trigger the falling away (apostasy) of the church as predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3.

# We consider that because the 'world' rejects the truth of the Bible that God "will send them a strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they may all be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thessalonians 2:11. A cult will arise that will believe that they are doing the work of YHWH when in fact they are the instrument of the Satans.

# We also consider that the 'lie' is the major spin of the UFO phenomena. The UFO cults say that the aliens are the Elohim, that they are our gods, and that we came from star-seed, and that we are not created by God--This is THE 'lie'. See the movie "Mission to Mars."

# We believe that a cult will clone a human being in this Century.

# We consider that N.A.S.A. will discover extraterrestrial life in this Century.

# We consider the early church writers reported and believed in the story of the fallen angels taking the daughters of men, having had sex with them, produced the Nephilim/Gibborim.

# We consider that the dead sea scrolls confirm the books of I Enoch, Jubilees, and the Book of the Twelve Patriarchs which all reported the fallen angels having sex with the daughters of men and produced the Nephilim/Gibborim. These Books are not canonized but they are sacred revered Rabbinical text.

# We consider the writers of antiquity reported the same story of the fallen angels causing the deluge by having sex with the daughters of men as reported in the Book of Josephus, I Enoch (Ethiopian), The Mysteries of Enoch or Enoch II (Slavic), Enoch (Aramaic & Hebrew), the Book of Watchers, the Book of Giants, the Astronomical Book, Genesis the Apocryphon, the Book of Jasher, the Book of Jubilees, the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, the Book of Dreams, and throughout the Dead Sea Scrolls. These Books are also not canonized but predate Christianity by at least 400 years. All of the texts refer to the Book of I Enoch as a revered sacred Rabbinical text. See Enoch.

# We consider the Bible to be the best authority on this issue, the Old and New Testament, in its original writings, specially recorded i

Re:Just state machine?

[tonsofpcs]

Actually, that covers clicking, click+hold [making it cover dragging], and double-clicking and triple-clicking and n-times-clicking.