Benjamin RhodesMath is Hard: Thomas’ ArithmometerMath is hard! Those late nights of homework are probably memories you’d rather forget, especially now that you can just pull out your iPhoneAug 15, 2020Aug 15, 2020
Benjamin RhodesImagination Inspires Innovation: Edgar Allen Poe’s The Gold-BugWe often overlook the importance of imagination and creativity in technical innovation.Aug 8, 2020Aug 8, 2020
Benjamin RhodesWhen Fax was the Future: A Brief History of the Fax MachineIn the twenty-first century, fax seems to have become a cliche or a pithy synonym for the outdated, mundane, and antiquated.Aug 1, 20201Aug 1, 20201
Benjamin RhodesThe Empress of Number: Ada LovelaceComputer programs are now a way of life. But who is responsible for this revolution?Jul 25, 2020Jul 25, 2020
Benjamin RhodesSOS Doesn’t Mean Anything: The Electrical TelegraphThe Electrical Telegraph has become a staple of American Old West history.Jul 18, 2020Jul 18, 2020
Benjamin RhodesBuilding the Modern Computer: Babbage’s Analytical EngineA couple of weeks ago, I wrote on the first automatic calculating machine, Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine. Although never completed…Jul 11, 2020Jul 11, 2020
Benjamin RhodesHappy Independence Day!It’s the Fourth of July, the day we celebrate America’s birth and independence!Jul 4, 2020Jul 4, 2020
Benjamin RhodesCalculating to Perfection: The Difference EngineMath is often prone to error, but one invention sought to elimante human error all together.Jun 27, 2020Jun 27, 2020
Benjamin RhodesMechanizing Repetition: The Jacquard LoomThe Jacquard Loom, an antiquated device that has shaped modern technology.Jun 20, 2020Jun 20, 2020
Benjamin RhodesOn the Road to the Internet: The Optical TelegraphThe Internet is only the latest version of long-range communication.Jun 13, 2020Jun 13, 2020