Imagesource: https://unsplash.com/

Sometimes you have to look beyond your own nose. And sometimes it helps to look back to the past to get a clearer view of the future. Likewise, every now and then we make the mistake of not ascribing knowledge and competence to generations before us to the extent that we should.

And even if the following topic is a completely analog one, and precision has to be replaced by approximation, the knowledge about it definitely makes a good addition to the tool belt of a modern software developer.

Besides, a real hoot for party nights ... or maybe not. Depends more on the audience, I guess. 🤓

Sliderules.

Scott Locklin doesn't go into detail about their functionality, but rather why sliderules still have a definite reason to exist nowadays.

And without prejudice. Skilled calculation with a sliderule can be faster than with a calculator. Depends on the application. And accuracy to several decimal places is no problem, if you know what you are doing.

Maybe a pastime for cozy evenings and weekends, and in any case useful if you don't have 1200€ to spare for a Curta.