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This is so cute, love the animation and idea behind it. Just yesterday I listened to Planet Money talk about how Bill Phillips got a position at the London Sch

This is so cute, love the animation and idea behind it. Just yesterday I listened to Planet Money talk about how Bill Phillips got a position at the London School of Economics on the strength of his hydraulic computer simulating the economy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MONIAC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MONIAC

Terr_ 3y ago
MONIAC was also featured/satirized in the Terry Pratchett book "Making Money": __________________ > "Mr. Hubert believes that this... device is a sort of crystal ball for showing the future," said Bent, and rolled his eyes. > "Possible futures. Would Mr Lipstick like to see it in operation?" said Hubert, vibrating with enthusiasm and eagerness. Only a man with a heart of stone would have said no, so Moist made a wonderful attempt at indicating that all his dreams were coming true. > "I'd love to," he said, "but what does it actually do?" > Too late, he saw the signs. Hubert grasped the lapels of his jacket, as if addressing a meeting, and swelled with the urge to communicate, or at least talk at length in the belief that it was the same thing. > "The Glooper, as it is affectionately known, is what I call a quote analogy machine unquote. It solves problems not by considering them as a numerical exercise but by actually duplicating them in a form we can manipulate: in this case, the flow of money and its effects within our society become water flowing through a glass matrix--the Glooper. The geometrical shape of certain vessels, the operation of valves and, although I say so myself, ingenious tipping buckets and flow-rate propellers enable the Glooper to simulate quite complex transactions. We can change the starting conditions, too, to learn the rules inherent in the system. For example, we can find out what happens if you halve the labour force in the city by the adjustment of a few valves, rather than by going out into the streets and killing people." > "A big improvement! Bravo!" said Moist desperately, and started to clap.

Terr_ 3y ago

MONIAC was also featured/satirized in the Terry Pratchett book "Making Money": __________________ > "Mr. Hubert believes that this... device is a sort of crystal ball for showing the future," said Bent, and rolled his eyes. > "Possible futures. Would Mr Lipstick like to see it in operation?" said Hubert, vibrating with enthusiasm and eagerness. Only a man with a heart of stone would have said no, so Moist made a wonderful attempt at indicating that all his dreams were coming true. > "I'd love to," he said, "but what does it actually do?" > Too late, he saw the signs. Hubert grasped the lapels of his jacket, as if addressing a meeting, and swelled with the urge to communicate, or at least talk at length in the belief that it was the same thing. > "The Glooper, as it is affectionately known, is what I call a quote analogy machine unquote. It solves problems not by considering them as a numerical exercise but by actually duplicating them in a form we can manipulate: in this case, the flow of money and its effects within our society become water flowing through a glass matrix--the Glooper. The geometrical shape of certain vessels, the operation of valves and, although I say so myself, ingenious tipping buckets and flow-rate propellers enable the Glooper to simulate quite complex transactions. We can change the starting conditions, too, to learn the rules inherent in the system. For example, we can find out what happens if you halve the labour force in the city by the adjustment of a few valves, rather than by going out into the streets and killing people." > "A big improvement! Bravo!" said Moist desperately, and started to clap.