30 Jun
1997
30 Jun
'97
2:52 p.m.
From: Ward Griffiths and/or Lisa Rogers
<gram(a)cnct.com>
Subject: Re: 'Home' computer: Definition
On Sun, 29 Jun 1997, Brett wrote:
> Which reminds me, my oldest handheld is from
Korea. It feels great on my
> feet! My uncle picked it up for me in the mid-60's tho the design has been
> around in Asia for centuries.
Yeah, got three assorted items of that nature myself
(abacuses?
abaci? Never met anybody with more than one to tell me the proper
plural!)
--
Ward Griffiths
Consulting "The Japanese Abacus; Its Use and Theory" by Takashi Kojima
(12th printing, 1960) He uses "abacuses" as the plural form. (very
interesting history that dates way back to Roman days and farther).
Unfortunately I have a somewhat incompatible model from my book, on my
wall is a chinese abacus with 5 and 2 beads per digit, where the
japanese models use 4 and 1 (which sounds more logical to me, easier to
execute a carry to the next digit.)
An interesting chapter in the book covers a contest hosted by Stars &
Stripes between a U.S. Pvt. in Macarthur's Finance Disbursing Section,
(an awarded expert operator of calculators of the tim)e and a Japanese
champion abacus operator from the Postal Ministry. As of 1946 the
Japanese Abacuses were still able to beat the latest in American
calculators.
Larry Anderson
--
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