This is astounding. In 1901 archaeologists discovered a complex device in an ancient shipwreck (dating to about 100 BC) off the coast of the Greek Island Antikythera. The purpose of the fittingly named "Antikythera Mechanism," however, remained a mystery until 2006, when--via advanced x-ray technology--scientists were able to determine that the complex system of gears had been used to calculate and predict the dates of solar eclipses(!).
If the idea of Ancient Greek Computers isn't enough to make you giddy, my fellow geeks, then this certainly will: Using 1500 LEGO Technic blocks, Apple Software Engineer (and my new hero) Andrew Carol has built a working replica of the Antikythera Mechanism.
I command you, my small but devoted band of readers, to watch the following video, all the while marveling at the ingenuity of the Ancient Greeks and squealing with delight as the mechanism is resurrected by those little plastic blocks that we all KNEW were well-worth playing with.
That, my friend, is AWESOME. Thanks for sharing!
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