For math and science geeks it was a badge of honor, nestled neatly into a plastic pocket protector along with a handful of stubby pencils.
And then, one dark day in 1972, with the advent of the pocket calculator, the slide rule went the way of the abacus. Why fiddle around with the arcane log scales and indexes required to use a slide rule when an inexpensive calculator required nothing more of its owner than the ability to push a few buttons? —Michelle Delio
—Slide Rule Still Rules (Wired)
The exhibit features “celebrity slide rules,” such as one donated by astronaut Neil Armstrong.
In the mid-70s, I had a metric-to-English conversion slide ruler that I loved. I wonder if I still have it… I remember after watching the first Star Wars movie, I used it as a light sabre (extending the middle portion while making a dramatic “schloommmvvvvvvv” noise)… until I nicked it in battle with one of my siblings, and it wouldn’t slide so easily anymore.
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What a pointlessly clever hack! Excellent.
Try out this Java Slide Rule
http://www.taswegian.com/SRTP/javaslide/javaslide.html
If you strike me down, my blog shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine!
"....in half! No, in square root of four! No, you turned my 200 pounds into 5000 milliliters! Gargle......Arhghghghhghgh!" (torso slips off hips and glops onto the floor)
Your blog has finally "jumped the shark." You truly are a geek, Dennis Jerz. Shame on you, sirrah. Shame. :-)
So... En garde! ("schloooommmvvvvvv....vorrrtsshshh, vortssshshsh...arrrgh, you sliced me......")
I actually used my slide rule in class today! I was talking about the need to know how your tools work, and if you don't you should at least have the manual. I took out my slide rule, and there in the back of the plastic case, is the folded up instruction sheet!
"There is no try... Only do!"