National Museum of Computing

This morning we went to the National Museum of Computing!

The National Museum of Computing is located in Bletchley, alongside the famous Bletchley Park. The museum traces the development of computing technology "from the ultra-secret pioneering efforts of the 1940s through the large systems and mainframes of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and the rise of personal computing in the 1980s and beyond." The National Museum of Computing focuses primarily on the technological developments. However, the human element is not neglected; when considering the Enigma and Lorenz ciphers in WWII, human error and efficient teamwork were significant factors.

Harwell Dekatron computer (WITCH)

The National Museum of Computing features impressive technological marvels such as Colossus, which was used to solve the Lorenz cipher, and the Harwell Dekatron computer (WITCH), the oldest surviving working computer. I was fascinated by this history of technological development and the dawn of the "information age." (In addition, I was particularly delighted by our tour guide, who strongly reminded me of my English grandad! I loved him immediately and immensely.)

For more information about the National Museum of Computing, see the full website at http://www.tnmoc.org/