
Curta calculator - jacquesm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curta
======
mhb
Simulator:

<http://www.vcalc.net/curta_simulator_en.htm>

------
sunkencity
It's amazing it's so small. I have a couple of FACIT calculators, it seems
that the functionality is pretty much the same to the Curta, but the curta is
so much smaller.

It's amazing it's possible to do all 4 basic arithmetic operations on these
devices.

------
andrewcooke
have you seen the poster? <http://www.vcalc.net/images2/Master21G-860x560.jpg>
from <http://www.vcalc.net/cu.htm>

------
yan
> Curta calculators contributed to the saying when describing the process of
> calculating, "Cranking out the answer."[citation needed]

------
cromulent
We bought one of these last year, for my Dad's 70th birthday (he's a math
geek). They are very special little devices.

~~~
jacquesm
Wow. That must have cost you a pretty penny.

I've been wondering if anybody in my surroundings has one, I'd love to play
with one for a bit.

Amazing little device, check out the exploded views linked at the bottom of
the page.

Here is another nice picture:

<http://home.comcast.net/~timewise1/curta/curta.html>

and another link:

<http://www.vcalc.net/cu.htm>

disassembly:

<http://www.vcalc.net/disassy/>

~~~
cromulent
There are a few of us to share the cost, fortunately. An expensive gift, but
it gives pleasure to everyone who picks it up, and will do so for a long time.

~~~
jacquesm
What a wonderful thing to do.

This is the kind of machine that I think the patent system was intended for,
what a genius design.

------
Luyt
Better not use one in public: people will think that you're trying to detonate
a handgrenade!

------
Rod
Here's a demo video of a Curta calculator:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYsOi6L_Pw4>

~~~
jacquesm
From the comments on that video:

> Are you guys serious when you say that it costs more than $1000 ???

> I just bought one at a flea market for 13 Cents!!!

Some people are just way too lucky.

~~~
Rod
I would not trust YouTube comments all that much. Buying a Curta for 13 cents
would be the arbitrage opportunity of the decade. You could sell it on eBay
for more than $1000 (there's no shortage of collectors looking for Curtas,
myself included), which is more than 7500x the price you paid for it.

~~~
jacquesm
There is a follow up with the serial number and the buyer, I think I'll
believe it.

My dad once bought a painting on a flea market that is now on display in a
museum. Weirder stuff happens.

~~~
Rod
Wow. Someone got _extremely_ lucky, then. I know people who would prowl flea
markets and antique stores, and sometimes they would find some seriously
under-valued assets. And the academics say that the markets are efficient...

~~~
eru
They can still be efficient [1]: You have to factor in the time you have to
spend at the flea market.

[1] For certain values of efficient.

~~~
Rod
My comment on efficient markets was facetious. Sure, one must consider the
time spent at the flea market, but what numerical value does one assign to 1
hour of one's time? In the end, I find that the question "are markets
efficient?" is not even well-posed, as one must provide a precise definition
of _efficient_ in order to avoid engaging in endless pseudo-philosophical
discussion.

~~~
eru
Yes, it's one of that questions that spawns a lot of interesting research, but
it's to ill-defined on its own to have a good answer. One needs to add a good
definition of `efficient' to make the question (and answers) meaningful.

