Charles Babbage comic

Mark from the BBC sez, "Hello, we've got a fabulous short comic strip about Victorian genius and computer pioneer Charles Babbage. It was drawn by ace animator Sydney Padua. It's so good I thought it deserved a much bigger audience."

Tech Lab: Sydney Padua (Thanks, Mark!)

[#1 posted by Timothy Hutton, July 9, 2009 6:40 AM]

Reminds me of the old Radio Shack Comic book "The Story of Electronics" that they used to give out (back in the '70s, IIRC)...

(Sorry, I couldn't find a link to share)

[#2 posted by Cowtown2, July 9, 2009 7:03 AM]

Bah! Everybody knows that Charles Babbage is really famous for inventing the classier of the two computer game stores at the mall.

[#3 posted by Anonymous, July 9, 2009 7:24 AM]

And if you liked that you should check out the continuing story on the artists own site at
http://sydneypadua.com/2dgoggles/lovelace-the-origin-2/

Definitely one of my favourite websites.

[#4 posted by Anonymous, July 9, 2009 11:09 AM]

Doron Swade's "The Difference Engine" (UK title "The Cogwheel Brain) is an excellent read, about the Babbage's plans and the modern attempt to build a portion of the Analytical Engine.

Though, for humor I'd suggest Arthur C. Clarke's steampunky story "The Steam-powered Word Processor".

JamesPadraicR

[#5 posted by Anonymous, July 9, 2009 1:56 PM]

But the Ada Lovelace meets Babbage piece is so much better! Love it!

[#6 posted by Diamond Jim, July 9, 2009 8:20 PM]

Cool, but what I'd really like to see illustrated is the meeting between Babbage and C.L. Dodgson. Dodgson wanted a Difference Engine; Babbage politely informed him that none were available, and otherwise, just as one would expect, they got on famously.

[#7 posted by hijukal, July 9, 2009 9:31 PM]

Hang on, so Sydney is from the UK, and the BBC is in the UK. So why does the second panel there say "unrealized" and not "unrealised"?

I know it's a small, petty point, but c'mon!

[#8 posted by Anonymous, July 9, 2009 10:52 PM]

Great little series, it is definitely worth following the progress of this thing.

[#9 posted by Anonymous, July 11, 2009 10:43 AM]

Charles Babbage, he hated musicians.