Finale: Why the Curta? 12 Days of Curtsmas 12

12 Days of Curtsmas Chapter 12: Why the Curta?
This is a Curta Type I, built in 1952. Thanks as always to the person who gave me the Curta.
End song inspired by "Hotter than a Molotov" by The Coup. • The Coup: Hotter Than ...
Jingle bells sound from www.freesoundsl..., CC-BY-4.0
Alpina photo on white background from this auction listing: www.liveauctio...
Steven Freeborn's Alpina video:
• Alpina Universal Calcu...
"Gibson's Book" is "Pattern Recognition", 2003.

[@BROTRRer]

The Alpina needed some knurled knobs for sure. No wonder it faded into obscurity

[@jogloran]

This series, and your work, deserves to be seen by many. I feel lucky that you have decided to share your collection and your sense of humour with us. Merry Christmas.

[@Ravlen1]

Wow, what a wonderful conclusion to the series! One of your best videos ever❤

[@gabedamien]

I think you're right that the story of Curt Herzstark is a major part of the value of the Curta, and perhaps prices wouldn't be quite so high otherwise. However, I do think its desirability is tremendously enhanced by its very high build quality, great feel in operation, tiny size, shockingly timeless design (as you point out, it's hard to place in history), and overall beauty. A lot of other adding machines are beautiful in a vintage-y way. A Curta feels beautiful in the same way an Olympus OM-1N is beautiful: it seems like it could have been released yesterday, yet it is entirely mechanical (well, the OM-1N has an electronic light meter, but in all other respects it's a device of cogs and springs). And both are an expression of miniaturization without compromise; of passion poured into every tiny detail.

[@johnnzboy]

Curta - also, superb and touching end to a magnificent series, I didn't think you could squeeze 12 episodes out of one (admittedly very striking-looking) machine but you surpassed my expectations, and drew rich meat from this bad metaphor. Loved the Gibson quotes and your sly, wry humour, and most of all love your poignant paeans to refined yet obsolete technologies, bravo!!

[@TheBookDoctor]

Underneath the often glib delivery, the clever jokes, you have such an eloquence about these machines, such a clear love and admiration for both the artifacts and the minds that conceived them. This, I think, is what keeps me coming back to this channel more than anything else. I mean, I never thought I would find myself getting choked up over a video about an old adding machine, but here we are.

[@collintmay]

Damn. This was beautiful. Subscribing to this channel has paid dividends constantly for over a year now. Thank you for making this content; I think that this channel is subtly one of the most important history channels on the KZbin platform. I can only hope that your audience grows with time. The thesis of this whole project, that of important object being important because of the stories they embody, is beautiful and righteous in a way that I had not considered or seen before. Overall, well done. This series was a masterpiece.

[@ChrisStaecker]

Thanks Collin- you understood exactly what I was going for.

[@getjaketospace]

Merry Curstmas to all, and to all an ORIGINAL night

[@thecoffeeblog]

We all (your audience) share your passion and appreciation for this old technology.

[@OldManBOMBIN]

"Nobody would ever make a mechanical calculator today" The hipster in me says this is wrong but I can't prove it. Merry Christaeckermas

[@jdmr4815]

The Alpina failed because it has no doink to pop.

[@edwinolson1127]

For me, it's the physical sensation of turning the crank on the Curta. Thousands of gear teeth meshing together-- fitting well and turning smoothly, but with the almost imperceptible vibration of work being done. It's not that the answer "appears", you can feel the answer whirring through the mechanism.

[@jacob6386]

Christmas morning I opened up a Gerber Variable Scale, and I just wanted to share with you because it was super cool and I love your videos. Thanks for sharing all that you share and happy new year.

[@pierQRzt180]

Order of actions for such videos: 1. load the video 2. press like 3. watch it in a loop.

[@jamiekawabata7101]

Fantastic! I loved the series!

[@ChrisStaecker]

Thanks so much Jamie! It was really great for me to be able to do it.

[@clhaley]

Congrats on completing Twelve Days of Curtsmas!

[@ltva8781]

I personally think that Curta is what defines the real engineering genius. The history context highlights it even more, of course, but for me Curta stands as the most brilliant example of mechanical perfection. Each time I see it in action I remember 3D animations that showcase the inner logic. You need a brilliant mind to implement in metal what is just a few lines of code from programmer's perspective. I hope that one day people will understand this art and will try to get closer in their fields. To make simple yet effective solutions. Coding history has many great examples too, but not everybody will understand them. Here, though, almost all the viewers will appreciate the charm of Curta.

[@ColtonRMagby]

The Curta may not be as useful for complicated math as an app on a phone, but it can get the job done when called upon. The story is incradible, and it makes me want one even more than the cool design and practicality. If I find one at a yard sale for a reasonable price, I'm leaving with it before someone else does. Merry Christmas.

[@bksl09]

This has been an absolute joy! I am now in the process or 3D printing a Curta. I shall report back in a month

[@CheaddakerT.Snodgrass]

Nice job on this series! Maybe next year you can do 8 crazy nights of exponents

[@shayne87]

Thank you so much for this series although you lost me for a bit there with the square roots lol. I have a Facit pinwheel on my desk that I got from a coworkers uncle that is fun to use, but it lacks its fidgetyness. And while it's a mechanical marvel in its own right, it's not on the same level. One day I'll get one 🤑

[@MattMcIrvin]

The Facit is one of the few that I find almost as beautiful as the Curta--it's got a real refinement of industrial design to it. There seems to be someone on Etsy who is reconditioning Facits, painting the cases in attractive candy colors (which I don't think originally existed in the product line) and reselling them at volume. Interesting business.

[@MichaelGriffin_]

Best Christmas Present.

[@someonespadre]

I use my Monroes, they deserve to be used. My Model K is 101 years old, still works perfectly.

[@haramanggapuja]

Beautiful, Chris. You managed to put the art in mathematic and mathematic in art. Thankee big time! Stay well & sane, amigo! 6:36

[@Laundry_Hamper]

Will we have to wait until next Curtsmas for the GraphAnalogue video? Like how have the zigzag springs held up over the years?? CURIOUS MINDS DEMAND ANSWERS! Thanks for the whole series, they've been great. I've learned lots about this obsolete calculating pepper mill with mystical cultural nexus features

[@ChrisStaecker]

Gunna take me a while to figure out what all those scales are!

[@ClausB252]

IMHO you have repaid the gifter with these videos, and the rest of us benefit too. Curtsmas in July!

[@tiredtait9660]

I want a curta, but it is only because that looks like the greatest fidget toy ever, crank it, slide it, shift it and rub the KNURLS.

[@el_bob.]

Great series! Remember me when you get famous!

[@kelleysimonds5945]

Excellent series, thank you.

[@josephmarrow5598]

Merry Christmas :-)

[@StephenRansom47]

It’s all about legacy … I remember reading about the limited number of actual Roman Texts on the subject of Memory Palaces. It made me cry. They weren’t talking about numbers of books, they were talking about numbers of pages still in existence, or even translated. The irony 🤦- we don’t remember how to build or use a memory palace. King Thamus was right to argue with Thoth. 🤔

[@getjaketospace]

Curta

[@johnsrabe]

2:19 i used to collect portable typewriters. Tell me about it. Now I collect watches. Much smarter.

[@someonespadre]

I have 10 typewriters which is a minuscule collection in the typosphere. I just like to type words on to paper, looks are not important to me.

[@johnsrabe]

“I have a bad back.” (What I would say when you called me and said, “I’m moving. Can you help?”) ;-)

[@homomorphichomosexual]

merry curtsmas! love your videos

[@Weyteg2]

I just want to fiddle with it sooo baaad

[@johnsrabe]

Coming soon, Chris has an Epiphany about the Curta!

[@someonespadre]

The Gerber Graph Analog…is that a big slide rule? There were large elaborate slide rules that could do 5 significant figures.

[@ChrisStaecker]

It’s a deluxe version of the Gerber Variable Scale. It looks like a slide rule but really it’s totally different.

[@someonespadre]

@@ChrisStaecker I think I “need” one now LOL

[@Hunar1997]

Did you make a video about that (Gerber Graphanalogue)? or it's planned for future?

[@ChrisStaecker]

Still haven’t gotten to it yet- someday I will!

[@LeoStaley]

Where would you have gone to buy one of these back in the day?

[@ChrisStaecker]

Many of the ads I looked at weren’t from Contina directly, but various third-party adding machine and office equipment dealers.

[@ntorix599]

You gonna make a video on the gerber graphanalogue?

[@supergub]

I was promised filler. And those bones look like paint stirrers from the hardware store.

[@LuisRodriguez-vh6fg]

Hola