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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-GB link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>HI Brian<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Many thanks for your kind words and your warming encouragement all these years.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Best wishes<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Doron<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:12.0pt;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span lang=EN-US>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US> Brian Randell <brian.randell@newcastle.ac.uk> <br><b>Sent:</b> Saturday, December 2, 2023 3:31 PM<br><b>To:</b> doron.swade@blueyonder.co.uk<br><b>Cc:</b> members@lists.sigcis.org<br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [SIGCIS-Members] Babbage Engine - Full Technical Description on Open Access<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Hi Doron:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Many thanks – and congratulations, on a truly wonderful project, and now this splendid documentation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Cheers<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>Brian<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black'>—<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black'>School of Computing, Newcastle University, 1 Science Square, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5TG<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black'>EMAIL = <a href="mailto:Brian.Randell@ncl.ac.uk">Brian.Randell@ncl.ac.uk</a> PHONE = +44 191 208 7923<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif;color:black'>URL = <a href="https://www.ncl.ac.uk/computing/staff/profile/brianrandell.html">https://www.ncl.ac.uk/computing/staff/profile/brianrandell.html</a></span><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:0cm;margin-right:0cm;margin-bottom:12.0pt;margin-left:36.0pt'>On 02/12/2023, 15:01, "Members" <<a href="mailto:members-bounces@lists.sigcis.org">members-bounces@lists.sigcis.org</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Dear All <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>I am pleased to report that the full technical description of Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine No. 2 has recently been made available online on open access by the Science Museum (London). <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>The Engine was built to Babbage’s original drawings (1847-1849) and completed in 2002. It has 8,000 parts, weighs 5 tonnes, and works as Babbage intended. It is the first of Babbage’s calculating engines to be built in its entirety. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Over the decades-long life of the project I documented the interpretation of the 19th-century drawings, the design decisions made in its construction, its assembly, operational debugging, and what was learned from running the Engine for countless live public demonstrations. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>A full description of the Engine is presented in two works available online: <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Difference Engine No.2 Technical Description <<a href="https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-09/DE2_Technical_Description.pdf%3e">https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-09/DE2_Technical_Description.pdf></a> (232 pages, 131 illustrations) <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Provides a detailed interpretation of Babbage’s design, and documents the technical understanding that informed the successful construction of the working machine. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Difference Engine No.2 User Manual <<a href="https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-08/User_Manual_PDF_Vsn_1.1_Final_SEC1.pdf%3e">https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-08/User_Manual_PDF_Vsn_1.1_Final_SEC1.pdf></a> (147 pages, 199 illustrations) <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Documents the practical procedures for operating the Engine safely, setting up a calculation, testing, trouble-shooting, fault-finding, and maintenance including lubrication. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>The two documents are free-standing i.e. relevant drawing-excerpts are embedded in the text so that understanding does not, for the most part, rely on reference to the full 19th-century design drawings. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Direct Browser Links: <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Technical Description: <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><a href="https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-09/DE2_Technical_Description.pdf">https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-09/DE2_Technical_Description.pdf</a> <<a href="https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-09/DE2_Technical_Description.pdf%3e">https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-09/DE2_Technical_Description.pdf></a> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>User Manual: <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><a href="https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-08/User_Manual_PDF_Vsn_1.1_Final_SEC1.pdf">https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-08/User_Manual_PDF_Vsn_1.1_Final_SEC1.pdf</a> <<a href="https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-08/User_Manual_PDF_Vsn_1.1_Final_SEC1.pdf%3e">https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-08/User_Manual_PDF_Vsn_1.1_Final_SEC1.pdf></a> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Additional Material <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>The Babbage Papers at the Science Museum: <<a href="https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/documents/aa110000003/the-babbage-papers%3e">https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/documents/aa110000003/the-babbage-papers></a> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>* Digitised archive of Babbage papers including full technical archive and Notebooks. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><a href="https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/documents/aa110000003/the-babbage-papers">https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/documents/aa110000003/the-babbage-papers</a> <<a href="https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/documents/aa110000003/the-babbage-papers%3e">https://collection.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/documents/aa110000003/the-babbage-papers></a> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Charles Babbage’s Difference Engines and the Science Museum | Science Museum <<a href="https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/charles-babbages-difference-engines-and-science-museum%3e">https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/charles-babbages-difference-engines-and-science-museum></a> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>* Short contextual and historical summary. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>* Links to the Technical Description and User Manual are in Further Reading. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><a href="https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/charles-babbages-difference-engines-and-science-museum">https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/charles-babbages-difference-engines-and-science-museum</a> <<a href="https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/charles-babbages-difference-engines-and-science-museum%3e">https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/objects-and-stories/charles-babbages-difference-engines-and-science-museum></a> <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Citation: <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Swade, Doron, Charles Babbage's Difference Engine No. 2: Technical Description. Science Museum, 2023. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Swade Doron, Charles Babbage's Difference Engine No. 2: User Manual. Science Museum, 2023. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Best wishes <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Doron Swade <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></body></html>