Charles Babbage (1791–1871)

Charles Babbage seems like a pretty exciting guy. 19th century scientist, mathematician, inventor, and bitter enemy of street musicians.
I was drawn to this autobiography after reading the "comic book" (it's so much more than a comic book) "The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage." It's very satisfying to make the connections between Babbage's own account of himself and the beautifully imagined drawings of Sydney Padua, the comic illustrator.

Charles Babbage (and his friend Ada Lovelace) did a lot of work on the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine, devices that we would recognize as early computers. Only, they were about 100 years before their time, so everything they worked on was mechanical, not electrical, and mostly just existed in theory. Still, pretty awesome.

But there's more to Babbage than just that. He's fascinatingly all over the place. One chapter he is DEMOLISHING the Trinity doctrine (he thinks the people who formalized it were either having a huge joke, or else drunk), the next chapter he's communing with the spirit of a block of cheese. (Literally, these are adjoining chapters.)
He has himself lowered into an Italian volcano and times how long he can poke around before the next eruption. He is kind of in love with a dancing automaton and dresses her with all the care of a young girl with her first Barbie. Etc., etc., etc.

Now, honestly, there were dull bits, and I did skim some of the machine and math talk. But overall I enjoyed this pretty well. I'd like to meet this charming madman. He lived vigorously.… (lisätietoja)

Indeholder "Introduction", "Note on the History of Punch Cards", "Bibliography", "Part I. Chapters from "Passages from the Life of a Philosopher" by Charles Babbage", " Preface", " Chapter II. Childhood", " Chapter III. Boyhood", " Chapter IV. Cambridge", " Chapter V. Difference Engine No. 1", " Chapter VIII. Of the Analytical Engine", " Chapter XIII. Recollections of Wollaston, Davy, and Rogers", " Chapter XIV. Recollections of Laplace, Biot, and Humboldt", " Chapter XV. Experience by Water", " Chapter XVI. Experience by Fire", " Chapter XVIII. Picking Locks and Deciphering", " Chapter XXV. Railways", " Chapter XXVIII. Hints for Travellers", " Chapter XXXIV. The Author's Further Contributions to Human Knowledge", "Part II. Selections from "Babbage's Calculating Engines"", " I. Babbage's Calculating Engine by Dr. Dionysius Lardner [From the Edinburgh Review, July, 1834, No, CXX.]", " II. Sketch of the Analytical Engine Invented by Charles Babbage by L. F. Menabrea, With Notes upon the Memoir by the Translator, Ada Augusta, Countess of Lovelace [From the Bibliothèque Universelle de Genève, October, 1842, No. 82.]", " III. On the Application of Machinery to the Purpose of Calculating and Printing Mathematical Tables by Charles Babbage [A Letter to Sir Humphry Davy, Bart., President of the Royal Society, July 3, 1822.]", " IV. On the Theoretical Principles of the Machinery for Calculating Tables by Charles Babbage [From a Letter dated November 6, 1822, reprinted in Brewster's Journal of Science]", " V. Observations on the Application of Machinery to the Computation of Mathematical Tables by Charles Babbage [From the Memoirs of the Astronomical Society, December 13, 1822]", " VI. On the Division of Mental Labour by Charles Babbage [Chapter XIX, Economy of Manufactures and Machinery]", " VII. Calculating Engines by Charles Babbage [Chapter XIII, The Exposition of 1851]", " VIII. The Analytical Engine by Major-General H. P. Babbage [From the Proceedings of the British Association, 1888; Paper read at Bath, September 12, 1888]", " IX. On a Method of Expressing by Signs the Action of Machinery by Charles Babbage [From the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Vol. 2, 1826]", " X. Laws of mechanical notation by Charles Babbage", "Part III. Appendix of Miscellaneous Papers", " I. On the Age of Strata, as Inferred from the Rings of Trees embedded in Them by Charles Babbage", " II. List of Mr. Babbage's printed papers [from "Passages from the Life of a Philosopher"]", " III. General Plan of Engine No. 1. Plan 25, dated August 6, 1840", " IV. Plates VII-X [From the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Vol. 2, 1826]", " V. Table of contents [from "Passages from the Life of a Philosopher"].", "Index".

"Introduction" handler om Charles Babbage og misforholdet mellem hans visioner og hvad man med rimelighed kunne lave mekanisk på den tid. I 1826 offentliggjorde han en logaritmetabel for tallene fra 1 til 108000 med stor vægt lagt på brugervenlighed.
"Note on the History of Punch Cards" handler om at Charles Babbage, John Herschel og George Peacock tidligt lavede en lille klub og tænkte at de ville forbedre verden. Det lykkedes sådan set, men Babbage blev ikke lykkelig og påstod på et tidspunkt at han aldrig havde haft bare en enkelt dag, hvor han var lykkelig.
"Bibliography" handler om ???
"Part I. Chapters from "Passages from the Life of a Philosopher" by Charles Babbage" handler om ???
" Preface" handler om ???
" Chapter II. Childhood" handler om små glimt fra barndommen, som fx at han blev væk fra sin barnepige.
" Chapter III. Boyhood" handler om ???
" Chapter IV. Cambridge" handler om ???
" Chapter V. Difference Engine No. 1" handler om ???
" Chapter VIII. Of the Analytical Engine" handler om ???
" Chapter XIII. Recollections of Wollaston, Davy, and Rogers" handler om ???
" Chapter XIV. Recollections of Laplace, Biot, and Humboldt" handler om ???
" Chapter XV. Experience by Water" handler om ???
" Chapter XVI. Experience by Fire" handler om ???
" Chapter XVIII. Picking Locks and Deciphering" handler om ???
" Chapter XXV. Railways" handler om ???
" Chapter XXVIII. Hints for Travellers" handler om ???
" Chapter XXXIV. The Author's Further Contributions to Human Knowledge" handler om ???
"Part II. Selections from "Babbage's Calculating Engines"" handler om ???
" I. Babbage's Calculating Engine by Dr. Dionysius Lardner [From the Edinburgh Review, July, 1834, No, CXX.]" handler om ???
" II. Sketch of the Analytical Engine Invented by Charles Babbage by L. F. Menabrea, With Notes upon the Memoir by the Translator, Ada Augusta, Countess of Lovelace [From the Bibliothèque Universelle de Genève, October, 1842, No. 82.]" handler om ???
" III. On the Application of Machinery to the Purpose of Calculating and Printing Mathematical Tables by Charles Babbage [A Letter to Sir Humphry Davy, Bart., President of the Royal Society, July 3, 1822.]" handler om ???
" IV. On the Theoretical Principles of the Machinery for Calculating Tables by Charles Babbage [From a Letter dated November 6, 1822, reprinted in Brewster's Journal of Science]" handler om ???
" V. Observations on the Application of Machinery to the Computation of Mathematical Tables by Charles Babbage [From the Memoirs of the Astronomical Society, December 13, 1822]" handler om ???
" VI. On the Division of Mental Labour by Charles Babbage [Chapter XIX, Economy of Manufactures and Machinery]" handler om ???
" VII. Calculating Engines by Charles Babbage [Chapter XIII, The Exposition of 1851]" handler om ???
" VIII. The Analytical Engine by Major-General H. P. Babbage [From the Proceedings of the British Association, 1888; Paper read at Bath, September 12, 1888]" handler om ???
" IX. On a Method of Expressing by Signs the Action of Machinery by Charles Babbage [From the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Vol. 2, 1826]" handler om ???
" X. Laws of mechanical notation by Charles Babbage" handler om ???
"Part III. Appendix of Miscellaneous Papers" handler om forskellige artikler fra Babbages hånd.
" I. On the Age of Strata, as Inferred from the Rings of Trees embedded in Them by Charles Babbage" handler om dendrokronologi.
" II. List of Mr. Babbage's printed papers [from "Passages from the Life of a Philosopher"]" handler om en liste over publiserede artikler fra Babbages hånd.
" III. General Plan of Engine No. 1. Plan 25, dated August 6, 1840" handler om den overordnede plan for hans Differential Engine 1.
" IV. Plates VII-X [From the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Vol. 2, 1826]" handler om nogle af de meget komplicerede dele af maskinen.
" V. Table of contents [from "Passages from the Life of a Philosopher"]." handler om indholdet af hans selvbiografi.
"Index" er et opslagsregister.

Charles Babbage (26 december 1791 - 18 oktober 1871) var tændt af en hellig ild for at automatisere tabeludregning og trykning. Han satte ikke sit lys under en skæppe men skitserede en "analytisk maskine" med dele som man genser i moderne elektroniske computere, men her altså tænkt realiseret som en mekanisk maskine med alle de problemer med præcision og holdbarhed som det vil give. Maskinen blev aldrig bygget. Regeringen ville ikke udskrive en blanco-check til ham. Han døde som en bitter mand.… (lisätietoja)