Atomic computing

Technological progress comes from pushing hard at the limitsof what is currently possible, not from merely following trendsothers have set. In computing a good illustration of this principleis the life and work of the 19th century computer pioneer CharlesBabbage (1791-1870), who spent most of his adult life tryingto build a digital computer. Babbage first invented such a machinein 1834. He called it the Analytical Engine.