113K views · Jan 7, 2010 · 7:26 · 1 HN recommender · 3 mentions · discussed 2010–2026
A 1969 BBC Tomorrow's World segment about Nellie, a school computer used by pupils at Forest Grammar School to solve equations and play music. Students learn programming and maintenance, and act out binary arithmetic.
Why Hacker News points people here: Shared as a charming historical look at children learning computing, including kids acting as register bits.
“Kids acting as bits in a machine register and performing binary arithmetic by raising their hands if set, or not raising when cleared.”HN comment, 2010
“Kids acting as bits in a machine register and performing binary arithmetic by raising their hands if set, or not raising when cleared.”
Kids act as register bits to do binary arithmetic.
Wow, I have never seen this: human digital logic. this video Kids acting as bits in a machine register and performing binary arithmetic by raising their hands if set, or not raising when cleared. Really cute.
“One of the children wrote a language - minigol - so the younger children didn't have to use assembler.”
Or was it a product of the computers at the time? Here's a 1959 computer, donated to a school in 1965. This was filmed in 1969. One of the children wrote a language - minigol - so the younger children didn't have to use assembler. this video Just turning the machine on requires coordination between several people using intercom.
Is this close enough? it’s from 1969, I wonder what became of them: “Tomorrow's World: Nellie the School Computer 15 February 1969 - BBC” this video
