#sliderules — Public Fediverse posts

🚀 Ah, the good ol' days when engineers wielded slide rules like wizards with wands. Now, the only magic trick left is making a "403 Forbidden" message appear with the wave of a 🖱️. Maybe they should've used a slide rule to remember the access code! 🤦‍♂️🔒
https://unmitigatedrisk.com/?p=1227 #slideRules #nostalgia #engineering #humor #techHumor #403Forbidden #HackerNews #ngated

We Built It with Slide Rules. Then We Forgot How

https://unmitigatedrisk.com/?p=1227

#HackerNews #WeBuiltItWithSlideRules #SlideRules #HistoryTechInnovation #LostSkills

@inaction_figure @VintageProject @concretedog
I'm past midlife, but that doesn't mean I'm past the midlife attractions.

I've a predilection for the #Linux and #SlideRules myself, and an even bigger interest in #Telescopes . But there is something to be said for Italian motorcycles.

Hackaday: Sliderule Simulator Teaches You How To Do Calculations The Old Fashioned Way. “Ever wanted to know how engineers made their calculations before digital calculators were on every workbench? [Richard Carpenter] and [Robert Wolf] have just the thing—a sliderule simulator that can teach you how to do a whole bunch of complex calculations the old fashioned way!”

Hackaday: How To Use That Slide Rule. “You have that slide rule in the back of the closet. Maybe it was from your college days. Maybe it was your Dad’s. Honestly. Do you know how to use it? Really? All the scales? That’s what we thought. [Amen Zwa, Esq.] not only tells you how slide rules came about, but also how to use many of the common scales.”

https://rbfirehose.com/2025/11/22/hackaday-how-to-use-that-slide-rule/

🚨BREAKING: Humanity owes its #survival to slide rules? 🤔🎓 Who knew that waving around a stick with numbers could plant crops and store grains? 🌾 Clearly, if only we had slide rules sooner, we'd all be living in a futuristic utopia by now! 🛸📏
https://amenzwa.github.io/stem/ComputingHistory/HowSlideRulesWork/ #slideRules #agriculture #innovation #futurism #HackerNews #ngated

How Slide Rules Work

https://amenzwa.github.io/stem/ComputingHistory/HowSlideRulesWork/

#HackerNews #HowSlideRulesWork #SlideRules #STEM #ComputingHistory #Education

I found my father's crib notes engraved in the base of a slide rule. I managed to decipher one of them, an application of the rule of proportion for calculating temperature dependent resistance of metals. The others I really don't understand. I believe that he was never very good at math - he was good at understanding complex things, knew how to make them organizable - a silent leader.
#generations #cheating #parents #sliderules

#Accounting, #SlideRules, #penmanship, #shorthand, #typing, #telegraphy, and #carpentry were taught to school children in Burma, well into the 1980s. I think it would be socially beneficial to teach these skills to young American kids, today.

Basic accounting and personal finance are useful skills for adults, and indispensable for college kids wielding credit cards.

The slide rule endows the student with a keener understanding of various functions and, more importantly, always to check one's results, mentally.

Being able to write in a beautiful, cursive script with a fountain pen may now be but a party trick, but it still is an important social skill.

Shorthand offers a massive advantage in note taking. Given that every child learns to type social media posts well before they first learn to speak, proper typing technique should be taught to children, for efficiency, for preventing repetitive stress injuries, etc.

Telegraphy is valuable in aviation: VOR and NDB navigation aids transmit their identifiers in Morse code. And Morse code is still a thing in the amateur radio scene.

Teaching kids basic carpentry, like making a rough table, is of limited utility, but they will never forget that experience of making something out of raw materials.

Above all, these old skills are cool, at least in some circles. And if nothing else, these activities will surely keep them off social media.

#Accounting, #SlideRules, #penmanship, #shorthand, #typing, #telegraphy, and #carpentry were taught to school children in Burma, well into the 1980s. I think it would be socially beneficial to teach these skills to young American kids, today.

Basic accounting and personal finance are useful skills for adults, and indispensable for college kids wielding credit cards.

The slide rule endows the student with a keener understanding of various functions and, more importantly, always to check one's results, mentally.

Being able to write in a beautiful, cursive script with a fountain pen may now be but a party trick, but it still is an important social skill.

Shorthand offers a massive advantage in note taking. Given that every child learns to type social media posts well before they first learn to speak, proper typing technique should be taught to children, for efficiency, for preventing repetitive stress injuries, etc.

Telegraphy is valuable in aviation: VOR and NDB navigation aids transmit their identifiers in Morse code. And Morse code is still a thing in the amateur radio scene.

Teaching kids basic carpentry, like making a rough table, is of limited utility, but they will never forget that experience of making something out of raw materials.

Above all, these old skills are cool, at least in some circles. And if nothing else, these activities will surely keep them off social media.

#Accounting, #SlideRules, #penmanship, #shorthand, #typing, #telegraphy, and #carpentry were taught to school children in Burma, well into the 1980s. I think it would be socially beneficial to teach these skills to young American kids, today.

Basic accounting and personal finance are useful skills for adults, and indispensable for college kids wielding credit cards.

The slide rule endows the student with a keener understanding of various functions and, more importantly, always to check one's results, mentally.

Being able to write in a beautiful, cursive script with a fountain pen may now be but a party trick, but it still is an important social skill.

Shorthand offers a massive advantage in note taking. Given that every child learns to type social media posts well before they first learn to speak, proper typing technique should be taught to children, for efficiency, for preventing repetitive stress injuries, etc.

Telegraphy is valuable in aviation: VOR and NDB navigation aids transmit their identifiers in Morse code. And Morse code is still a thing in the amateur radio scene.

Teaching kids basic carpentry, like making a rough table, is of limited utility, but they will never forget that experience of making something out of raw materials.

Above all, these old skills are cool, at least in some circles. And if nothing else, these activities will surely keep them off social media.

#Accounting, #SlideRules, #penmanship, #shorthand, #typing, #telegraphy, and #carpentry were taught to school children in Burma, well into the 1980s. I think it would be socially beneficial to teach these skills to young American kids, today.

Basic accounting and personal finance are useful skills for adults, and indispensable for college kids wielding credit cards.

The slide rule endows the student with a keener understanding of various functions and, more importantly, always to check one's results, mentally.

Being able to write in a beautiful, cursive script with a fountain pen may now be but a party trick, but it still is an important social skill.

Shorthand offers a massive advantage in note taking. Given that every child learns to type social media posts well before they first learn to speak, proper typing technique should be taught to children, for efficiency, for preventing repetitive stress injuries, etc.

Telegraphy is valuable in aviation: VOR and NDB navigation aids transmit their identifiers in Morse code. And Morse code is still a thing in the amateur radio scene.

Teaching kids basic carpentry, like making a rough table, is of limited utility, but they will never forget that experience of making something out of raw materials.

Above all, these old skills are cool, at least in some circles. And if nothing else, these activities will surely keep them off social media.

#Accounting, #SlideRules, #penmanship, #shorthand, #typing, #telegraphy, and #carpentry were taught to school children in Burma, well into the 1980s. I think it would be socially beneficial to teach these skills to young American kids, today.

Basic accounting and personal finance are useful skills for adults, and indispensable for college kids wielding credit cards.

The slide rule endows the student with a keener understanding of various functions and, more importantly, always to check one's results, mentally.

Being able to write in a beautiful, cursive script with a fountain pen may now be but a party trick, but it still is an important social skill.

Shorthand offers a massive advantage in note taking. Given that every child learns to type social media posts well before they first learn to speak, proper typing technique should be taught to children, for efficiency, for preventing repetitive stress injuries, etc.

Telegraphy is valuable in aviation: VOR and NDB navigation aids transmit their identifiers in Morse code. And Morse code is still a thing in the amateur radio scene.

Teaching kids basic carpentry, like making a rough table, is of limited utility, but they will never forget that experience of making something out of raw materials.

Above all, these old skills are cool, at least in some circles. And if nothing else, these activities will surely keep them off social media.

Neil deGrasse Tyson on #SlideRules—the interviewer has never heard of the slide rule.

I'm proud to say that mine was the last batch of students who used the slide rule in our #engineering school in Burma, way back in the early 1980s.

I used the government-issued Aristo 0968 log-log duplex engineering straight rule and the hand-me-down Faber-Castell 8/10 circular rule. But my all-time favourite has always been the Hemmi 130W advanced Darmstadt—simple, elegant, compact, powerful.

https://youtube.com/shorts/uy99Jnnfi88?si=65DhbMXMIdB-SBU9

https://amenzwa.github.io/stem/ComputingHistory/HowSlideRulesWork/

#sliderules

1/

What I found at the back of a drawer last night. Here it's lined up (more or less) to multiply by 2.

I love Slide Rules (and other ways I’ve alienated friends).

#subtoot #SlideRules

In our second session of the day, we heard from Jørn Hafver who trained an AI in audio recognition right in front of us - so it could tell how loud we were clapping at the end. Ben Ashforth spoke about a journey he went on, inspired by a talk from the last gathering, to visit roads named after every day of the year (details at http://benguin.co.uk/roads). @alisonkiddle talked about the maths behind the games Guess Who and Which One Doesn't Belong, and has a pleasing binary chop device made from card with pins and holes. Phil Ramsen followed up on his talk from three years ago and discussed slide rules and Kolmogorov. Daniel Johnson explored the possibly surprising link between Numberblocks and Polyominoes (https://youtu.be/htnZGHjX8p4?si=YzAXxPP7lT2-_Do5&t=522)- and @Tarim said what we've all been thinking and pointed out some illogical song lyrics - lions don't really live in the mighty jungle, and Kilimanjaro is nowhere near the Serengeti! #mathsjam #maths #ai #travelling #guesswho #wwdb #sliderules #means #averaging #kolmogorov #numberblocks #polyominoes #songs #logic #lyrics

In our second session of the day, we heard from Jørn Hafver who trained an AI in audio recognition right in front of us - so it could tell how loud we were clapping at the end. Ben Ashforth spoke about a journey he went on, inspired by a talk from the last gathering, to visit roads named after every day of the year (details at http://benguin.co.uk/roads). @alisonkiddle talked about the maths behind the games Guess Who and Which One Doesn't Belong, and has a pleasing binary chop device made from card with pins and holes. Phil Ramsen followed up on his talk from three years ago and discussed slide rules and Kolmogorov. Daniel Johnson explored the possibly surprising link between Numberblocks and Polyominoes (https://youtu.be/htnZGHjX8p4?si=YzAXxPP7lT2-_Do5&t=522)- and @Tarim said what we've all been thinking and pointed out some illogical song lyrics - lions don't really live in the mighty jungle, and Kilimanjaro is nowhere near the Serengeti! #mathsjam #maths #ai #travelling #guesswho #wwdb #sliderules #means #averaging #kolmogorov #numberblocks #polyominoes #songs #logic #lyrics

In our second session of the day, we heard from Jørn Hafver who trained an AI in audio recognition right in front of us - so it could tell how loud we were clapping at the end. Ben Ashforth spoke about a journey he went on, inspired by a talk from the last gathering, to visit roads named after every day of the year (details at http://benguin.co.uk/roads). @alisonkiddle talked about the maths behind the games Guess Who and Which One Doesn't Belong, and has a pleasing binary chop device made from card with pins and holes. Phil Ramsen followed up on his talk from three years ago and discussed slide rules and Kolmogorov. Daniel Johnson explored the possibly surprising link between Numberblocks and Polyominoes (https://youtu.be/htnZGHjX8p4?si=YzAXxPP7lT2-_Do5&t=522)- and @Tarim said what we've all been thinking and pointed out some illogical song lyrics - lions don't really live in the mighty jungle, and Kilimanjaro is nowhere near the Serengeti! #mathsjam #maths #ai #travelling #guesswho #wwdb #sliderules #means #averaging #kolmogorov #numberblocks #polyominoes #songs #logic #lyrics

In our second session of the day, we heard from Jørn Hafver who trained an AI in audio recognition right in front of us - so it could tell how loud we were clapping at the end. Ben Ashforth spoke about a journey he went on, inspired by a talk from the last gathering, to visit roads named after every day of the year (details at http://benguin.co.uk/roads). @alisonkiddle talked about the maths behind the games Guess Who and Which One Doesn't Belong, and has a pleasing binary chop device made from card with pins and holes. Phil Ramsen followed up on his talk from three years ago and discussed slide rules and Kolmogorov. Daniel Johnson explored the possibly surprising link between Numberblocks and Polyominoes (https://youtu.be/htnZGHjX8p4?si=YzAXxPP7lT2-_Do5&t=522)- and @Tarim said what we've all been thinking and pointed out some illogical song lyrics - lions don't really live in the mighty jungle, and Kilimanjaro is nowhere near the Serengeti! #mathsjam #maths #ai #travelling #guesswho #wwdb #sliderules #means #averaging #kolmogorov #numberblocks #polyominoes #songs #logic #lyrics

In our second session of the day, we heard from Jørn Hafver who trained an AI in audio recognition right in front of us - so it could tell how loud we were clapping at the end. Ben Ashforth spoke about a journey he went on, inspired by a talk from the last gathering, to visit roads named after every day of the year (details at http://benguin.co.uk/roads). @alisonkiddle talked about the maths behind the games Guess Who and Which One Doesn't Belong, and has a pleasing binary chop device made from card with pins and holes. Phil Ramsen followed up on his talk from three years ago and discussed slide rules and Kolmogorov. Daniel Johnson explored the possibly surprising link between Numberblocks and Polyominoes (https://youtu.be/htnZGHjX8p4?si=YzAXxPP7lT2-_Do5&t=522)- and @Tarim said what we've all been thinking and pointed out some illogical song lyrics - lions don't really live in the mighty jungle, and Kilimanjaro is nowhere near the Serengeti! #mathsjam #maths #ai #travelling #guesswho #wwdb #sliderules #means #averaging #kolmogorov #numberblocks #polyominoes #songs #logic #lyrics

Here is my obligatory #introduction.

I’ve worked in the fields of #science and #engineering for over two decades. My degrees are in mechanical engineering, but I’ve spent many years both professionally and recreationally crossing over into the computer science realm when it intersects with my interests and projects.

I’ve been a #Linux user since the mid-90s, and I’ve been paid to admin Linux and Unix number-crunching boxes, including Irix, HP-UX, AIX, and other fun OSes that either don’t exist anymore or you probably haven’t heard of.

I enjoy programming, especially #Python, #Golang, and #Julia, although I’ve used another dozen or so languages along the way, everything from FORTRAN to Perl and TCL to Haskell (and lots in between). I’m an electronic hobbyist, and you may find me tinkering with #RaspberryPi and #Arduino boards.

My technical interests also include #woodscience, #mathematics, #numbertheory/#numericalmethods, #statistics, #datascience, #sliderules, and #TeX.

I like making things, so my hobbies include #watercolor, #drawing, #woodworking and #blacksmithing. I also love #books and reading, with a proclivity towards #history, #art, #religion, #BiblicalCriticism, #scifi, #fantasy, and classical #literature.

I like to listen to and play #music. I play #guitar and dabble in lots of other instruments. My favorite styles of music are #folk, #celtic, and #Americana, but I enjoy a diverse mix of genres, so you might catch me listening to Cat Stevens and Tom Lehrer one day and Johnny Cash and Eminem the next.

I love #nature, mountains and oceans, #hiking, and #birding. I like to #travel to new places, see new things, and experience the local food and culture. Speaking of #food, I like to #cook.

I also like gaming, especially on my #Nintendo #Switch and #Steamdeck.

Here is my obligatory #introduction.

I’ve worked in the fields of #science and #engineering for over two decades. My degrees are in mechanical engineering, but I’ve spent many years both professionally and recreationally crossing over into the computer science realm when it intersects with my interests and projects.

I’ve been a #Linux user since the mid-90s, and I’ve been paid to admin Linux and Unix number-crunching boxes, including Irix, HP-UX, AIX, and other fun OSes that either don’t exist anymore or you probably haven’t heard of.

I enjoy programming, especially #Python, #Golang, and #Julia, although I’ve used another dozen or so languages along the way, everything from FORTRAN to Perl and TCL to Haskell (and lots in between). I’m an electronic hobbyist, and you may find me tinkering with #RaspberryPi and #Arduino boards.

My technical interests also include #woodscience, #mathematics, #numbertheory/#numericalmethods, #statistics, #datascience, #sliderules, and #TeX.

I like making things, so my hobbies include #watercolor, #drawing, #woodworking and #blacksmithing. I also love #books and reading, with a proclivity towards #history, #art, #religion, #BiblicalCriticism, #scifi, #fantasy, and classical #literature.

I like to listen to and play #music. I play #guitar and dabble in lots of other instruments. My favorite styles of music are #folk, #celtic, and #Americana, but I enjoy a diverse mix of genres, so you might catch me listening to Cat Stevens and Tom Lehrer one day and Johnny Cash and Eminem the next.

I love #nature, mountains and oceans, #hiking, and #birding. I like to #travel to new places, see new things, and experience the local food and culture. Speaking of #food, I like to #cook.

I also like gaming, especially on my #Nintendo #Switch and #Steamdeck.

Here is my obligatory #introduction.

I’ve worked in the fields of #science and #engineering for over two decades. My degrees are in mechanical engineering, but I’ve spent many years both professionally and recreationally crossing over into the computer science realm when it intersects with my interests and projects.

I’ve been a #Linux user since the mid-90s, and I’ve been paid to admin Linux and Unix number-crunching boxes, including Irix, HP-UX, AIX, and other fun OSes that either don’t exist anymore or you probably haven’t heard of.

I enjoy programming, especially #Python, #Golang, and #Julia, although I’ve used another dozen or so languages along the way, everything from FORTRAN to Perl and TCL to Haskell (and lots in between). I’m an electronic hobbyist, and you may find me tinkering with #RaspberryPi and #Arduino boards.

My technical interests also include #woodscience, #mathematics, #numbertheory/#numericalmethods, #statistics, #datascience, #sliderules, and #TeX.

I like making things, so my hobbies include #watercolor, #drawing, #woodworking and #blacksmithing. I also love #books and reading, with a proclivity towards #history, #art, #religion, #BiblicalCriticism, #scifi, #fantasy, and classical #literature.

I like to listen to and play #music. I play #guitar and dabble in lots of other instruments. My favorite styles of music are #folk, #celtic, and #Americana, but I enjoy a diverse mix of genres, so you might catch me listening to Cat Stevens and Tom Lehrer one day and Johnny Cash and Eminem the next.

I love #nature, mountains and oceans, #hiking, and #birding. I like to #travel to new places, see new things, and experience the local food and culture. Speaking of #food, I like to #cook.

I also like gaming, especially on my #Nintendo #Switch and #Steamdeck.

Here is my obligatory #introduction.

I’ve worked in the fields of #science and #engineering for over two decades. My degrees are in mechanical engineering, but I’ve spent many years both professionally and recreationally crossing over into the computer science realm when it intersects with my interests and projects.

I’ve been a #Linux user since the mid-90s, and I’ve been paid to admin Linux and Unix number-crunching boxes, including Irix, HP-UX, AIX, and other fun OSes that either don’t exist anymore or you probably haven’t heard of.

I enjoy programming, especially #Python, #Golang, and #Julia, although I’ve used another dozen or so languages along the way, everything from FORTRAN to Perl and TCL to Haskell (and lots in between). I’m an electronic hobbyist, and you may find me tinkering with #RaspberryPi and #Arduino boards.

My technical interests also include #woodscience, #mathematics, #numbertheory/#numericalmethods, #statistics, #datascience, #sliderules, and #TeX.

I like making things, so my hobbies include #watercolor, #drawing, #woodworking and #blacksmithing. I also love #books and reading, with a proclivity towards #history, #art, #religion, #BiblicalCriticism, #scifi, #fantasy, and classical #literature.

I like to listen to and play #music. I play #guitar and dabble in lots of other instruments. My favorite styles of music are #folk, #celtic, and #Americana, but I enjoy a diverse mix of genres, so you might catch me listening to Cat Stevens and Tom Lehrer one day and Johnny Cash and Eminem the next.

I love #nature, mountains and oceans, #hiking, and #birding. I like to #travel to new places, see new things, and experience the local food and culture. Speaking of #food, I like to #cook.

I also like gaming, especially on my #Nintendo #Switch and #Steamdeck.