My dad's chemistry lab had an electromechanical adding machine that was very loud.

[bradr@infosec.exchange]

My dad's chemistry lab had an electromechanical adding machine that was very loud. He showed us how it worked. It could do long division, with gears flying and the carriage moving automatically back and forth - amazing.

One day we came in and decided to see what would happen if we were to divide by zero. The machine loudly churned away, as we got more and more terrified. It wouldn't stop.

Finally, dad came in yelling at us terrified kids, and pulled the plug to make it stop.

#retrocomputing #nostalgia

[sortius@infosec.exchange]

@bradr I still remember my mum's from the service station they had. She had a few, but never let me touch them because she didn't trust me, at all... probably for good reason

[bradr@infosec.exchange]

I'm pretty sure this is it, I recognize it by that trauma-inducing sound.

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[davep@infosec.exchange]

@bradr Did he ever explain the final result of doing it?

[zl2tod@mastodon.online]

@davep

As a mechanical machine it would remember it's state through disconnection of the power and carry on where it left off when plugged back in.

@bradr

[bradr@infosec.exchange]

@davep

He did explain that, if a machine doesn't do what you want, you shouldn't be afraid to pull its plug. That lesson has stood me in good stead these many years.