[X] My Assistant

[dvandorn]

Here are two nearly identical images. One of these was used by Sergei Korolyev, the other by Wherner von Braun. Can you tell which is which?





And here's a more interesting question -- how many of us here on UMSF have actually *used* a slide rule in their lives? I know I used a slide rule, even in a completely non-engineering field -- I'd use it to do basic scaling functions when doing layout on newspapers and such.

Since both Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their own personal slide rules to the Moon, people were obviously using them only 35 or so years ago. So, how many of us have ever used one?

-the other Doug

[jamescanvin]

And here's a more interesting question -- how many of us here on UMSF have actually *used* a slide rule in their lives?

Surprisingly (being only 28), I have used one. One was found one in my office a few years back*, googled for instructions and then wasted a few days of my PhD trying to get the hang of it. A really fasinating bit of kit, really worth getting your hands on one if your from the 'pocket calculator age' like me.

*Stuff NEVER gets thrown out of academic offices, all sorts of historical stuff turns up. Only last week my office mate came across the manual for our departments first computer. Informing you how to start the machine - by manually coding the startup program by toggling switches!

James