Curta

[Hooke]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curta

[rektide]

Mandatory shout-out to Gibson's Pattern Recognition, where the main character Cayce Pollard gets involved with a miserable failing recluse intelligence agent who is obsessed with these mechanical calculators & the Curta specifically.

Thankfully there is a writeup available, for jogging of memories or hearing about it, https://www.google.com/amp/s/blue-ant.tumblr.com/post/315663...

[t312227]

hello,

i happen to own one of these, so i collected a few imho. useful links:

* https://curta.li/00_main/index.html

german manual

* https://curta.li/05_anleitungen/index.php

series

# https://curta.li/pict/pdf/Curta_Calculating_Techniques.pdf

# https://curta.li/pict/pdf/cct_curta_calculating_techniques.p...

articles

* https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/12/the-remarkable-histo...

cheers

[flappyeagle]

I count the passing of time by how many times this makes it to HN front page. I think this is the 5th time I’ve seen it here

[majewsky → flappyeagle]

13 years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1045002

11 years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3062925

8 years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8873306

8 years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9903984

7 years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10726059 (not Wikipedia)

5 years ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16035091 (also not Wikipedia)

2 months ago: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34093268

Several more submissions that probably did not hit the frontpage: https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que...

[dang → majewsky]

Thanks! Macroexpanded:

The hand-cranked Curta mechanical calculator (2021) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34093268 - Dec 2022 (14 comments)

3Hz Computer, Hold the Transistors - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32352902 - Aug 2022 (39 comments)

Curt Herzstark and His Pocket Calculator CURTA - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20443592 - July 2019 (1 comment)

ReCurta: Our goal is to build the first Curta calculator since 1972 - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16035091 - Dec 2017 (26 comments)

3D Printed Curta Part VIII - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11686593 - May 2016 (2 comments)

The Curta Mechanical Calculator - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10726059 - Dec 2015 (7 comments)

Curta: a mechanical calculator - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9903984 - July 2015 (6 comments)

Curta mechanical calculator - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8873306 - Jan 2015 (14 comments)

Curta calculator - hand-held, mechanical arithmetic - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3062925 - Oct 2011 (16 comments)

Curta calculator - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1045002 - Jan 2010 (17 comments)

There's also http://curtamania.com/curta/code/home.html, a site which has appeared on HN a few times but not for its Curta material.

[amelius → majewsky]

Wake me up when there is a 3d-printable version.

[wgrover → amelius]

https://www.simplify3d.com/3d-printing-the-curta-calculator-...

And a fun video of Adam Savage playing with Marcus Wu's 3D-printed Curta: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9uRckJLqLk

[spicybright → amelius]

I know two people IRL that have both made (or at least started) a 3d printed version.

You have to make it super size because the precision needed is crazy.

[holistio]

This is one of my favourite objects ever.

I have a certain admiration for really well crafted mechanical objects.

Does anyone know of a compilation of such gear? I'd love to discover new stuff of this level of care and mechanical knowledge.

[sotp]

There's gotta be a special place in hell for people that try to force a Holocaust survivor out of the company they founded that manufactured a product they invented.. It never ceases to astound me how despicable people can be

[convolvatron → sotp]

you’re mistaken. greed is the highest virtue

[matbatt38 → convolvatron]

Can't tell if this is irony lol