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Simple Computation Using Dominos

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the houses-of-cards dept.

An anonymous reader writes "When silicon fails to beat Moores law, maybe dominos can help. This guy has created a half adder in dominos as a proof of concept for domino computation. If he intends to make a full domino computer he's going to need an awful lot of dominos."

38 of 131 comments (clear)

  1. Yes but... by MrNaz · · Score: 5, Funny

    I was going to say "Yea but does it run Linux?", but I thought I could avoid the resulting -1 Redundant mod down to hell by saying "Yea, but are there Vista drivers for it?" instead.

    --
    I hate printers.
    1. Re:Yes but... by MrShaggy · · Score: 2, Funny

      in soviet Russia, adders halfvyou!

      --
      I have mod points and I am not afraid to use them.
    2. Re:Yes but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      Gee, let me try:

      I was going to say "I wonder if their web server is running on dominos... which fell over already"

      "Another crippling bombshell: Netcraft confirms it, domino computers are falling over"

      "Imagine a cluster of dominos standing on end, ready to fall over"

      "I don't see what you like about OS X. My falling dominos copied a large file in seconds, while my OS X machine has been grinding away for the past 30 years"

      "In Soviet Russia, *you* fall over"

      "dominos: naked and covered in grits" (if you don't get this one, you must be new here... you insensitive clod)

      <meta>Let me be just get it out of the way: here are all the tired Slashdot cliche jokes done in one post</meta> (itself a tired joke! and pointing it out is tired too! come to think of it, I'm tired.)

    3. Re:Yes but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      But of course. It's called Doominos. In fact, in Doominos 3 id left an easter egg in it. It reveals the answer to life, the Universe, and everything.

      On the very last level of the game, as you descend the candlelit cavern toward the final boss, take a left at the fork in the path. Find the id Software logo in the back corner. Approach and click your mouse button on the id logo. You'll hear a distinctive "beep" sound. A nearby wall opens to reveal a hidden chamber. The PDA on the altar simply reads "42".

    4. Re:Yes but... by aldo.gs · · Score: 4, Funny

      1. Try to cite every tired joke.
      2. Miss this one.
      3. ????
      4. Profit!

    5. Re:Yes but... by AndroidCat · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just wait until they get it all setup for a run, go to lunch, and come back to find that Schrodinger's Cat might have been in the room!

      --
      One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
  2. Conceptually, it reminds me of by TheCouchPotatoFamine · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A turing version of conway's game of life. But on reflection, if the "dominos" were something like charged nanotubes, then the creation of computing structures could be "grown" in a much different way then current cpu's, kind of think that's neat.

    --
    CS majors know the time/space tradeoff, but they never get taught the 3rd, crucial, tradeoff of the set: comprehension!
    1. Re:Conceptually, it reminds me of by QuantumG · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Would you happen to know what the biggest grid of conway ever simulated is? and for how long? I was trying to find stats on this a month or so ago..

      --
      How we know is more important than what we know.
    2. Re:Conceptually, it reminds me of by d34thm0nk3y · · Score: 4, Interesting

      According to here:

      Andrzej Okrasinski has found a new methuselah record holder, a 15 bit intial pattern with a final population of 1623 after 29053 generations. David Bell quickly found a 13 cell predecessor, bringing the record to 29055.

    3. Re:Conceptually, it reminds me of by caseih · · Score: 2, Insightful

      On my FC6 box, I did yum install lucidlife, and found, to my surprise, that the turing machine pattern is in it, under "Math and CS." Now if only I could figure out what it is supposed to do! :)

  3. Apparently... by jazzman251 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Apparently the server uses dominoes...

  4. Domino Logic by TheSexican · · Score: 4, Informative

    This really isn't such an interesting story at all. There is, in fact, a type of CMOS logic called Domino Logic. So nothing really suprising then.

    --
    Hey, guys. Big gulps, huh? Cool. All right! Well, see ya later.
    1. Re:Domino Logic by kevinmc · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Here's another site with an explanation of domino logic using real dominos: http://www.pinkandaint.com/oldhome/comp/dominoes/i ndex.html

  5. Re:Slight problem.. by AKAImBatman · · Score: 5, Funny

    they're one use only gates

    Nonesense, they're perfectly reusable! You only need to watch out for a metastability period* of 10 minutes between clocks.

    * To reset the dominos, of course.
    --
    Javascript + Nintendo DSi = DSiCade
  6. Rebooting... by Anubis350 · · Score: 4, Funny

    No matter how fast he could ever make, rebooting is gonna be one PITA!

    --
    "goodbye and hello, as always" ~Prince Corwin, from Zelazny's Amber series
  7. From the looks of things... by Arceliar · · Score: 2, Funny

    If servers were dominoes, slashdot must be that big and slightly smelly kid who kicks down all your hard work just as you're about to show it off.

  8. Videos on YouTube by ikegami · · Score: 5, Informative

    The site might be down, but the videos are on YouTubte

    inputs = 0 & 1
    inputs = 1 & 0
    inputs = 1 & 1

    1. Re:Videos on YouTube by bidule · · Score: 4, Funny


      WTF! You slashdotted YouTube!

      --
      ID: the nose did not occur naturally, how would we wear glasses otherwise? (apologies to Voltaire)
    2. Re:Videos on YouTube by UbuntuDupe · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And now, I'm going to say something really stupid, and I don't quite understand why what I'm about to say is stupid. Here goes:

      "He didn't build a domino computer, he just has a domino setup whose results under one interpretation coincide with what a half-adder gives you. It's trivial to build any kind of mechanism that can do this."

      Now, rhetorically bitch-slap me.

      --
      Apology to Ubuntu forum.
    3. Re:Videos on YouTube by Stauf · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Not really stupid, but consider - a half-adder is trivial; and an electronic half-adder is just a few wires that when electricity is applied produces the result you would expect from a half-adder.

  9. Re:Slight problem.. by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... Domino Viagra ...

  10. It explains Notes by Ritchie70 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I didn't realize that Notes servers use real Dominoes, it explains their awful performance and quirkiness.

    --
    The preferred solution is to not have a problem.
  11. Solves for x in 30 minutes or less by Teresita · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm afraid this will open up a half-adder gap with the Deep South. In Alabama, it's illegal to play dominoes on Sunday. (www.dumblaws.com)

  12. Quantum Dot Cellular Automata by googlebear · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This kinda reminds me of Quantum Dot Cellular Automata. multivalence compounds are arranged like dominos and one of the "electrons" at one of the ends is shifted to represent the zero or one state and then the electron repulsion forces in the molecules propegate down the chain like dominos acting like adders whathave you. http://www.nd.edu/~qcahome/ -ian

  13. He Cheated! by haakondahl · · Score: 5, Informative

    Watch the 1+1 video, and you'll see that the stacked dominoes are actually glued together! No fair!


    Details: His right hand pushes over a domino chain which knocks out a link needed to complete the left-hand output. But in order to reach the chain for the left-hand output, he crosses the chain for the right-hand output, which then has a gap. This gap is bridged by GLUING a yellow domino on top of a red one, on top of a blue one.

    --
    Don't trust anyone under thirty.
    1. Re:He Cheated! by noz · · Score: 2, Funny

      And you've got too much spare time on your hands.

  14. Dominoes? by I+don't+want+to+spen · · Score: 3, Informative

    I thought most computers (or the people who run them anyway) ran on Dominoes, Pizza Hut ... (insert your country's major delivery pizza chain here)

    --
    Don't go to a brothel if you want to buy broth
    1. Re:Dominoes? by Nasarius · · Score: 2, Funny

      What geek likes bland, undersized, overpriced pizza?

      --
      LOAD "SIG",8,1
  15. Well, i know what would be fun to play with by TheCouchPotatoFamine · · Score: 2, Informative

    unfortunatly, i have a mac mini aka 4 shaders.. but this screensaver lets you use the video card to do it, so i imagine it's fun to look at.

    I just did a search, i didn't find anything about the largest. FWIW i'd LOVE to see the turing version in this screensaver :grin:

    --
    CS majors know the time/space tradeoff, but they never get taught the 3rd, crucial, tradeoff of the set: comprehension!
  16. You forgot one by TubeSteak · · Score: 5, Funny

    Let me be just get it out of the way: here are all the tired Slashdot cliche jokes done in one post (itself a tired joke! and pointing it out is tired too! come to think of it, I'm tired.)
    Rest
    Cancel or Allow?
    --
    [Fuck Beta]
    o0t!
  17. Re:.5+.5=1? by interiot · · Score: 2, Informative

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adder_(electronics)#H alf_adder

  18. VERY old news by AlgorithMan · · Score: 2, Insightful

    In computer science study (3rd semester) We have learned that the 2-dimensional infinite domino problem is indecidable

    this is because for any turing machine you can design dominos such that you can legally cover the infinite 2-dimensional plane if and only if the turing machine terminates...

    so this is nothing new - I guess... I didn't RTFA, but what I read sounds exactly like that...

    --
    The MAFIAA is a bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first up against the wall when the revolution comes
  19. alright, forget it by AlgorithMan · · Score: 2, Insightful

    okay, after I saw it as a (not slashdotted *g*) video on youtube, i have to say: this has absolutely nothing to do with what I was talking about...

    --
    The MAFIAA is a bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first up against the wall when the revolution comes
  20. Re:Slight problem.. by iamstretchypanda · · Score: 2, Funny
    Attention fellow slashdotters!

    You know you can't get laid when you:
    1. Make a 'computer' out of dominoes
    2. Start making jokes about it
    3. Realize you spend your day on a website where other people find those same jokes funny
    4. Decide a group of dominoes could use an electromagnetic surface and embedded iron to maybe run linux

    I also think it's funny when Joe /.er talks about his girlfriend Sally, we all try to pretend he isn't just talking about his right hand he named. :p

    Feel free to mod me down, but this applies to me just as much as you
  21. IBM's domino computer by simdan · · Score: 2, Interesting

    IBM actually did some research into using what amounted to molecular dominos for computing. It worked pretty fast, but they literally had to set it up on molecule at a time, and you thought dominos were a pain. They too predict that it might replace transistors. Read more about it here.

  22. Next thing you know... by discHead · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...someone will be using Tinkertoys. :-)

  23. Turing complete? by mgiuca · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I assume that Dominos aren't (and will never be) turing complete...?

    I mean, each domino can fall over only once. So while you can do an adder, I'm not sure you could really get a for loop going.

    1. Re:Turing complete? by rbarreira · · Score: 2

      You can get them up again, but of course you need energy for that. You also need energy for running an electronic computer.

      --

      The AACS key is NOT 0xF606EEFD628B1CA427BEA93A9CA9773F