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Nits to pick:<br>
Computers:<br>
mainframe -- huge, multi-million dollar dinosaurs that have 1 to few
processors but engineered to serve thousands of ($$$) terminals and
designed to centralize data and functions. Examples IBM, Unisys,
Honeywell;<br>
mini-computer -- washing machine sized computers, mostly for
engineering departments. examples DEC PDP 8, PDP 11, Wang mini's,
and so on. Cost tens of thousands of dollars and up;<br>
micro-computers -- desktop machines originally designed for
single-person computing, but boy, did it grow up! Cost around
$1,000 and up;<br>
Now, we have what I term the pico-computers (to follow the name
history) -- mostly designed as embedded device, grew into
system-on-chip capable of handling some desktop functions as long as
they are not comute-intensive. Cost $5 to a few hundred, with
peripherals covering a wide spectrum.<br>
<br>
What's next? A nano-comuter (quantum machines?) Interfaces to
humans still gonna cost the same as all tiers but the (outdated)
mainframe. Capable of enormous compute power, memory
requirements/accomodations will be phenomenally large.<br>
<br>
Meaningless historical trivia: The IBM PC was designed as a
*terminal* only, for their mainframes and the IBM engineers and
marketers had deduced it was incapable of operating as a stand-alone
computer. <br>
Follow-on trivia: in 1983, I designed and installed a network of
PC's in a department in a nuclear power plant, for purposes of
database, record-keeping, and some compute-intensive jobs. When IBM
came out and examined what I had done, they turned white as a sheet
and said, out loud and to the room, "This is impossible." And after
the PC has already established itself as a capable (sort of)
stand-alone office computer. Yet it worked for many years. My OS
of choice at that time was QNX, a variant of UNIX, of course.<br>
<br>
David Merchant<br>
Man, how I do ramble sometimes.<br>
<br>
<br>
<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 02/07/2016 06:01 PM, Chris Bero
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CAJFqZPYTAaXEeNQynJM3YqEt-vKuJM59NxkZs0JAZb6YiqL+qg@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Yes,
it's called a thrift store. Raspberry Pi sized computers are
good for things that require small space, no peripherals, and
low power, but once you kit them out like a regular desktop
then they're just as expensive as a desktop/laptop from a
local goodwill.<br>
<br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Additionally,
thrift store computers usually come prepared with a VGA output
to use with the ancient CRT (aka electron gun we point at
students' heads) monitors that local school systems seem
insistent on cluttering lower grade classrooms with.<br>
<br>
</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif">Really,
it's a win-win. But I'm speaking from the perspective of a
classroom rather than a STEM camp or the like, so there's
definitely still good opportunities around to use those mini
computers.<br>
</div>
</div>
<div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all">
<div>
<div class="gmail_signature">
<div dir="ltr">
<p>Chris Bero<br>
</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<br>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Sun, Feb 7, 2016 at 5:13 PM, david <span
dir="ltr"><<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:ainut@knology.net" target="_blank">ainut@knology.net</a>></span>
wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0
.8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> And is there a "total
system" that will come in cheaper and as rugged? Children
break things often. :)<br>
I know, 'cause I've been breaking things since forever.
<div>
<div class="h5"><br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<div>On 02/07/2016 05:06 PM, Michael Greenway wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<p dir="ltr">While Pi Zero is $5, remember, you will
need keyboard, on the go adapter, mini hdmi to
hdmi adapter, and micro sd with whatever os to
use. Costs will add up quickly in adapters etc.
Good to keep this in mind...from someone who found
out the hard way ;) </p>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Feb 7, 2016 4:45 PM,
"david" <<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:ainut@knology.net" target="_blank">ainut@knology.net</a>>
wrote:<br type="attribution">
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0
0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc
solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div text="#000000" bgcolor="#FFFFFF"> The Pi
Zero, at $5 each, seems like an obvious choice
as the basis from which to grow.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<div>On 02/07/2016 01:21 PM, Greg Brown wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite">
<div dir="ltr">Hello all!
<div><br>
</div>
<div>This weekend at the PyTennessee
conference I spoke with Amy Flatt,
Director of K-12 Initiatives for the
Nashville Technology Council. She is
looking to develop a curriculum for
introducing school-age children to
technology. She is really looking for
some hands-on type projects like a
microcontroller based Rube Goldberg
machine, Minecraft, robots, and
programming in Scratch. I shared some
of the things we had done with community
education and she was very interested in
collaborating with us.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>I am writing this to gauge the
interest in helping out with this
initiative. At some point she wants to
come visit us from Atlanta.</div>
<div><br>
</div>
<div>-Greg</div>
</div>
<br>
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