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2,100-Year-Old Antikythera Device Recreated In Working Form

Posted by timothy on from the probably-nothing-more-than-an-electrical-meter dept.

coondoggie writes "A new working model of the mysterious 2,100-year-old astronomical calculator, dubbed the Antikythera Device, has been unveiled, incorporating the most recent discoveries announced two years ago by an international team of researchers. The new model was demonstrated by its creator, former museum curator Michael Wright, who had created an earlier model based on decades of study."

14 of 258 comments (clear)

  1. Poor guy should have asked around by Skyshadow · · Score: 5, Funny
    I feel bad now, I could have saved him years of work -- I still have an original Antikythera 01 on my desk here at work.

    I keep asking my boss for a new machine, but apparently the quad-core boxes are reserved for managers with important work to do like using Powerpoint and surfing for softcore pornography.

    --
    Every year during my review, I just pray the words "slashdot.org" aren't mentioned.
    1. Re:Poor guy should have asked around by empesey · · Score: 5, Funny

      You're wasting your time. I picked mine up at the Antik Road Show.

    2. Re:Poor guy should have asked around by bursch-X · · Score: 4, Funny

      The Greek actually used the programming language Gamma which was the predecessor of "C".

      --
      There are two rules for success:
      1. Never tell everything you know.
  2. ,100-Year-Old Antikythera Device Recreated in Work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm prokythera, you insensitive clod.

  3. i am afraid by sleepy_sanchez · · Score: 5, Funny

    and so starts the story of Sylar, the villain watchmaker.

  4. Antikythera by EdZ · · Score: 5, Funny

    Thank goodness we're prepared for when the sinister Kythera device is unearthed.

  5. Failed Order by Beardo+the+Bearded · · Score: 5, Funny

    There's a good chance that it was a custom job made for Hipparchus, either for his lab or to impress the king.

    "Hi, this is Hipparchus. I placed a custom order for an Antikythera about 8 months ago."

    "Oh, we shipped that out. It looks like there was a problem with the delivery... Ah, here we go. The boat sank."

    "What? I've got to present that next week!"

    "I'm sorry, did you buy shipping insurance? It doesn't show here on the invoice that you paid for insurance."

    --

    ---
    ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
    1. Re:Failed Order by hotdiggitydawg · · Score: 5, Funny

      I see you are a Dell customer...

  6. That's crazy talk! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    I keep asking my boss for a new machine

    That's crazy talk. If you keep that up you'll soon be in charge of legacy systems. No, this is not a troll!

  7. Re:Judging by the above coments... by jollyreaper · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yes, especially as it was those religious beliefs that allowed this device to be created in the first place, or did you miss the part about the Babylonian priests? Good God, can't you people get off your Anti-Religion Flaming Horse for one thread a day?

    Tell me more about the horse. That sounds awesome.

    --
    Kwisatz Haderach
    Sell the spice to CHOAM
    This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
  8. No wireless. Less space than a nomad. by drinkypoo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Lame.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  9. Re:Why so down? by devotedlhasa · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...but enough about COBOL...

  10. Re:Why so down? by kandela · · Score: 5, Funny

    First uttered by the Librarian of Alexandra 1000 years ago, "I'll back it up tomorrow."

    --
    Conservation of angular momentum makes the world go round.
  11. Re:In that case.... by ideonode · · Score: 5, Funny

    Beowulf imagined a cluster of one of these!