The World's Largest Computer in 1951

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In summary, the ENIAC was a massive machine weighing 30 tons, occupying 1,000 square feet of floor space, and containing over 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, 6,000 switches, and 18,000 vacuum tubes. It required 150 kilowatts of power to run, which was enough to light a small town. The final machine was less powerful than a $5 pocket calculator. The Russian Ekranoplan, also known as the Caspian Sea Monster, was a ground effect vehicle that could travel over 400 km/h and weighed 540 tons fully loaded. It was used as a high-speed military transport and could transport over 100 tonnes of cargo. The
  • #491
brewnog said:
Getting there...

It's got 12 masts.
A sports boat? :biggrin:
 
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  • #492
Danger said:
A sports boat? :biggrin:


Hah, no.

But it could fit an Eiffel tower inside it (if you turned the Eiffel tower on its side, and moved it a bit).
 
  • #493
brewnog said:
Hah, no.
Well, I got to go work a 10-hour shift now. I'll ponder this all day, come up with a truly brilliant solution, then come back and find out how humiliatingly wrong I am. Later, bud.
 
  • #494
The Millenium Dome? I believe the Georgia Dome in Atlanta is another fabric roof.
 
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  • #495
FredGarvin said:
The Millenium Dome? I believe the Georgia Dome in Atlanta is another fabric roof.


Correct!

The Millennium Dome in Greenwich, London, consisting of a PTFE-coated GFRP roof supported by twelve steel masts, is the largest dome in the world. Designed by the Richard Rogers partnership, it was full of crap until it was closed due to having less than a quarter the number of visitors it was supposed to have.
 
  • #496
Incidently, that was correct about the "self starter" back there. Sorry I wasn't awake to confirm it.
 
  • #497
Fred? Fred! Your go!

I fianlly got back on line and there's nothing to do here!

[tap tap tap]
 
  • #498
Here's an easy time filler till Fred gets back:

It shatters when struck, but oozes slowly into a puddle when left alone.

What is it called, and what is it made from?
 
  • #499
Ice, and water?
 
  • #500
brewnog said:
Ice, and water?
An answer that fits the clue exactly, so, you're right, but that isn't the substance I had in mind. The one I mean doesn't exist in Nature.
 
  • #501
zoobyshoe said:
Here's an easy time filler till Fred gets back:

It shatters when struck, but oozes slowly into a puddle when left alone.

What is it called, and what is it made from?

Would it be cornflour mixed with water?
 
  • #502
matthyaouw said:
Would it be cornflour mixed with water?
Cornstarch and water behaves similarly, but the stuff I'm referring to wouldn't dry out over time. Different constituents.
 
  • #503
how about silly putty? (gooey stuff designed for kids to play with). Don't know what its made of.
 
  • #504
matthyaouw said:
how about silly putty? (gooey stuff designed for kids to play with). Don't know what its made of.
That is it! It is made of boric acid and silicone oil, heated to perfection.

Your turn.
 
  • #506
Invented in the 1930s this was a new variation on something well known previously. Its new twist allowed it to be a lot louder than its predecessors. It is still commonly used today.
 
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  • #507
matthyaouw said:
Invented in the 1930s this was a new variation on something well known previously. Its new twist allowed it to be a lot louder than its predecessors. It is still commonly today.
The rolled paper jacket for firecrackers?
 
  • #508
Not what I was thinking of. You're quite cold at th moment.

And yes, that guy's hair looks uncannily familiar.
 
  • #509
matthyaouw said:
Not what I was thinking of. You're quite cold at th moment.
The paper cone in the electromagnetic loudspeaker?
 
  • #510
Nope again, but you're much much closer. It does rely on vibration.
 
  • #511
Holy crud! I actually got one (finally)...

This was first installed in 1912 at a Pennsylvania power station. It is still operating to this day with an expected lifespan of 1300 years.
 
  • #512
Come on guys...I only have an hour until I have to go off line for a while...

Here are two hints:
1) The man responsible has a hall at University of New Hampshire named after him.
2) His last name sounds close to an American brand of charcoal.
 
  • #513
Not to worry, a good question can take some time to figure out.

At the moment I have no idea...
 
  • #514
Is google cheating? if no, I know the answer :D
 
  • #515
Any way that you can find the answer is fair game.
 
  • #516
In that case it would be Dr. Albert Kingsbury's first fluid film thrust bearing.

If I'm right, whoever wants the next question can have it.
 
  • #517
Damn Matthyouw. That's correct. I must have been too gracious with my hints. Kingsbury's tilt pad thrust bearing to be precise. The bearing I mentioned in Pennsylvania was torn down for maintenance just a couple of years ago after approximately 80 years in service. There was no appreciable wear observable.
 
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  • #518
This is anisotropic, hygroscopic and is usually limited to different shades of brown. Found all over the world naturally and not so. It is commonly classified as what two types? Why is it misleading?
 
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  • #519
Mk said:
This is anisotropic, hygroscopic and is usually limited to different shades of brown. Found all over the world naturally and not so. It is commonly classified as what two types? Why is it misleading?
Wood. Classified as hardwood and softwood. Misleading because softwood can sometimes be harder than hardwood.

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Wood
 
  • #520
Ah, yes. Give it a gowhy don't cha?
 
  • #521
Yes, I deleted my post when I noticed it about 3 seconds afterwards.
 
  • #522
Mk said:
Yes, I deleted my post when I noticed it in about 3 seconds.
heheh, we're a few seconds apart in posting. :-p
 
  • #523
Moonbear said:
Misleading because softwood can sometimes be harder than hardwood.
I did not know that.

So MB, what's the next "what was it"?
 
  • #524
This invention "tamed" the American West. Who was the first U.S. patent holder for this invention?
(I'll return with more clues if this is too vague.)
 
  • #525
Moonbear said:
This invention "tamed" the American West. Who was the first U.S. patent holder for this invention?
(I'll return with more clues if this is too vague.)
The Winchester rifle? But that would be too easy for the second part of the question. Or Remington? The one with the widow that built that weird house.

"tamed" hmmm, not railroads, they made the west accessible
 
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