Mystery Object : bbc micro

BBC Micro

The BBC Micro was established in 1981 by Acorn Computers, that was 30 years ago. They sold the BBC Micro products until 1994. Herman Hauser and Chris Curry were the founders of the Cambridge computer company on 5 December 1978. Specifications: 8 bit of microprocessor, 6502 CPU running at 2 Megahertz, 640x256 screen resolution. They sold the BBC micro machines for 1.5 million pounds. BBC Micro was designed for lessons, TV programs, computer games and especially the most important thing education. Herman Hauser and Steve Furber were workers of Acorn computer. They Joined BBC staff, hosted by the Computer Conversation Society.

Acorn Series 1

The CPU created a controller for Ace Coin Equipment’s one armed bandit. they were processing a Acorn Microcomputer named Acorn System 1. The first appearance was in March 1979.

Curry developed a next Acorn computer that was called the Atom. Hauser and Curry named the CPU as Acorn. A year later on March 1980, they introduced the Atom as the first Acorn Computers machine, made a case for it, with an integrated keyboard – with moving keys – unlike the ZX80’s flat ones – and what was essentially a System 3 motherboard within

And with the Atom’s first appearance, Acorn’s development team started to work on its successor, codenamed Proton. It’s a machine that they counted on and would be a more serious machine than the one-up-on Sinclair Atom



Advert about the Atom



Herman Hauser and Chris Curry

Curry didn’t work further for Clive Sinclair’s Science of Cambridge. Curry had created the MK14 Microcomputer kit. Sinclair was not so interested about the project. Sinclair believed that the only to the next level is to build sell a computer for home use.

Hauser was a physics researcher at Cambridge University. He was aware of young, talented computer scientist working at the university and was able to help CPU quickly tap into this resource.

The most important thing for me was that they made the BBC Micro to educate people at colleges or universities. But it was also designed for games, especially for children at that time. Hauser and Curry earned 1.5 million pounds by selling the BBC Micro. I think they did a great job!

Thomas Edison was born on the 11th of February 1847 from Ohio, USA, he was a school teacher. He had a disease called scarlet fever which makes him deaf. Then his mother took him away from school and gave him lessons at home. At the age of 12, Edison sold sweets and newspapers to the passengers on rail stations, he wanted to publish is own newspaper.

Edison's father teaches him how to operate the telegraph. Edison went to the Midwest with his new ability, experimenting both with telegraph technology and electricity. He went back home in 1868 without money only to find his mother going paranoid and his father was unemployed. After the following year, Edison moves to New York, started a full time telegraph job and did his first patent. Although, no one buys his vote recording machine but he improved to $40,000 earn as 22-year-old. Later, he quits the job as a telegrapher and began a full time job as an inventor.  One of is first clients was Jay Gould, one of the few people to out-manoeuvre Cornelius Vanderbilt.

Edison had to made 1000 of the patents but he made only 400 in eight years between 1879 and 1886. One of those machines was the phonograph, the first machine to be able to record and replay sound and the forerunner of the record player. in the year 1879, he made an advert about the Lightbulb using Direct Current and DC. But it is impractical for long-range distribution and it's one of his, Nikola Tesla, who finds the solution with Alternating Current or AC. The next couple of decades will see a clash of egos and electricity.

Mystery Object 3 : Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyan

Jabir ibn Hayyan

A Muslim scientist from Tus, Iran in CE 721. He was called as Geber in Europe while he was in Iran during the rule of Umayyed Khalifa . His father named Hayyan al Azdi was a pharmacist and supported the Abbasid revolt against the Umayyad. Jabir's father was sent to Tus, Iran by the Abbasid to gather support for their cause. He was caught and then killed by rulling Khalifa. His family moved from Tus to Yemen, where Jabir grew up. Jabir returned to Kufa, Iraq after the Umayyad Dynasty was losing, where he lived and received his education. Jabir became a student of Imam Jafer al Sadiq in Kufa, Iraq. After he finishing his course he began his career as physican under the patronage of Vizier of Khalifa Harun al Rashid. His connection to the Vizier later on cost him dearly, when the Vizier fell from grace of the Khalifa. In 803 CE Jabir ibn Hayyan was arrested and spent rest of his life under house arrest and died later in year 815 CE.

Jabir Studied alchemy

His teacher Jafar al-Sadiq inspired Jabir, because Jabir was interested in alchemy. He was a very religious person and repeatedly emphasizes in his works that alchemy is possibly only by subjugating oneself completely to the will of Allah and becoming a literal instrument of Allah on earth, since the manipulation of reality is possible only for Allah. In the book of Stones, he prescribes long and elaborate sequences of specific prayers that should be acted without error alone in the desert before one can even consider alchemical experimentations.

Jabir had interest in Alchmey because of his teacher Jafar al-Sadiq. The most wonderful thing was that the sequences of the specific prayers was acted without error. Jabir was a student of imam Jafer al Sadiq in Kufa, Iraq. Later on Jafar started a career as a physician. Unfortunately Jafar got arrested and died later in 815 CE.

Ismail Al-Jazari

Long time ago, Ismail Al-Jazari was one of the best mechanical engineers and inventors of the world.  He was one of the most important person as a mechanical engineer and a inventor of technology several decades ago. The books magnum opus book of mechanics, the famous ‘Al Jami’ bayn al’llmal-Nafi’ wa sina’at al-hiyal’, or ‘The Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices’ was the most significant treatise of the Islamic tradition of mechanical engineering and a ground breaking work in the history of mechanics. He went to the service of Atruqid rulers and served them for 25 years before writing his popular book on machines in the year 1206. He made the book on the order of his master, Nasir al-Din Mahmud. Al-Jazari finished his education of mechanical engineering before he went to the Atruqid rulers. Al-Jazari was a practical eningeer and just a theoretician. The book Kitab fi marifat al-hiyal al-handasiya is the most important book on mechanics from the ancient time to the 14th century A.D. Sadly Al-Jazari passed away in 1206, the same year that he wrote his famous book.
What very impress me was that Al-Jazari was one of the popular mechanical engineer around the world because he made a book called ‘Al Jami’ bayn al’llmal-Nafi’ wa sina’at al-hiyal which was a famous long time ago. Shocking was that Al-Jazari made his book in 1206 but died in the same year after he wrote his book.

BBC Micro references:

Author Darren Waters (n.d.) creators reunite at museumhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7303288.stm [accessed 06 October 2015]

Author Tony Smith (n.d.) The BBC Micro turns 30 http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/30/bbc_micro_model_b_30th_anniversary/[accessed 06 October 2015]

Lazy Game (n.d.) LGR BBC Microprocessor http://youtu.be/Ge2Y7AIeEVw

[accessed 06 October 2015]

Thomas Edison references:

Bruce Watson (2014) From Tesla To Bezos: The Thin Line Between Genius And Crazy https://www.google.nl/search?q=thomas+edison+lightbulb&biw=1600&bih=799&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIuI2o9sK9yAIVxlYaCh28vwlf#imgrc=1qYSdorFPiNxNM%3A [Accessed 12-10-2015]

History (2014) Biographers: Thomas Edison http://www.history.co.uk/biographies/thomas-edison [Accessed 12-10-2015]

Mark Essig (2005) Edison and the Electric Chair: A Story of Light and Death https://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1777&bih=887&q=edison+and+electric+chair&oq=edison+and+electric+chair&gs_l=img.3...1028.12693.0.13301.31.22.3.6.1.0.161.1939.15j7.22.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..7.24.1822.WbfRTcS4MOQ#imgrc=gKVEyfOqwvz0OM%3A  [Accessed 12-10-2015]

Telegraph History (2011) Thomas A. Edison - Telegraph https://www.google.nl/search?hl=nl&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=799&q=thomas+edison+telegraph+tom&oq=thomas+edison+telegraph+tom&gs_l=img.3...3022.21088.0.21488.43.37.6.0.0.0.260.4153.19j12j4.35.0.ecynfh.2..0...1.1.64.img..9.34.3381.kRRvOz0GgTk#hl=nl&tbm=isch&q=thomas+edison+telegraph+&imgrc=m9o2Tf9qK354gM%3A [Accessed 12-10-2015]

Jabir ibn Hayyan references:

AlSindagah Online (2004) Arab Contribution to the World: Jabir ibn Hayyan, the Father of Chemistry https://www.google.nl/search?q=Jabir+ibn+Hayyan+alchemy&biw=1777&bih=887&noj=1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMIxO6Do5XPyAIVRn4aCh2zHgUQ&dpr=0.9#imgrc=NDxQliF9RTwB6M%3A [Accessed 19 October 2015]

Author Stuart Sorenson (2015) Jabir ibn Hayyan (721-815) https://www.google.nl/search?q=Jabir+ibn+Hayyan+geber&biw=1777&bih=887&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMIpLKDpP3OyAIVA1YaCh0fWAD_&dpr=0.9#imgrc=pO0AXea84oChjM%3A [Accessed 19 October 2015]

Author Syed Aslam (2007) Muslim Scientists and Thinkers: Abu Musa Jabir bin Hayyan http://muslimobserver.com/muslim-scientists-and-thinkers-abu-musa-jabir-bin-hayyan/ [Accessed 19 October 2015]

Ismail Al-Jazari references: