downstream on the Skagit River
- Inside a vintage aerospace navigation computer of uncertain purpose (righto.com)
I recently obtained an aerospace computer from the early 1970s, apparently part of a navigation system. Aerospace computers are an interesting but mostly neglected area of computer hardware, so I’m always delighted to examine one up close. In an era when most computers were large mainframes, aerospace computers packed dense electronics into a small package, using technologies such as surface-mounted components and multi-layer printed circuit boards, technologies that wouldn’t reach the mainstream for another decade. This blog post examines the circuitry and components inside this computer, including an unusual electromechanical display. Although I was unable to determine who manufactured this system or even its exact function, this system illustrates how hundreds of integrated circuits and a core memory stack can be crammed into a compact package.
- E. C. Manning Provincial Park (Wikipedia)
E.C. Manning Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is usually referred to as Manning Park, although that nomenclature is also used to refer to the resort and ski area at the park’s core. The park covers 83,671 hectares (323 mi2) and was the second most visited provincial park in 2017-18 after Cypress Provincial Park. The park lies along British Columbia Highway 3, and occupies a large amount of land between Hope and Princeton along the Canada-United States border.