three distinctions:

- electronic vs. mechanical
- general purpose vs. special purpose
- digital vs. analog

electronic: built from transistors and electrical circuits and uses electricity (some type of electronic current)

mechanical: built from mechanical devices such as springs and levers

general: computer with broad usage

special: computer designed to be used in a limited or specific way

digital: specific or discreet measurement intervals

analog: continuous flow

binary - electric current
- 0 = off
- 1 = on
- binary can only be on or off, there are no other options

the first project that we had was to make a computer. being extremely lazy and not all that creative, i made a pencil sharpener (and yes, by the above standards, a pencil sharpener is a computer, no matter what anyone says).





i made this handy little pencil sharpener by hot-gluing a pencil sharpener (the razor blade part) into a matchbox, then gluing another matchbox on top (or in this picture on bottom) of that matchbox. i left the little box inside that matchbox to use as a shavings dispenser type thing. i then duct taped the whole thing, because i love duct tape. no one should ever be without duct tape.

i would've used real razor blades for the sharpener, but parents tend to get a little freaked when you start playing with a bunch of razor blades.

posted 28 April 2003
updated 21 July 2003