Kyle Rankin @kyle@librem.one

I fixed the timing but this is as clean as I dare to make it right now. It got wet in storage some time in the past and rust worked its way under the black paint and through part of a screw. The rest of the paint is very flaky. I removed as much surface rust as much as I dared.

Round 2. This time with a Gem portable adding machine from 1941 (I have the original box, receipt, and warranty card) that's rusty *and* has two digits out of time with the rest of the register.

Done! One reason I cleaned it is I smelled that "old appliance" smell and wanted to ensure the motor wasn't strained. I ran it with the cover off and saw flashes in the back. The mechanism disconnects the motor when it's not needed, and that makes it arc. I was smelling ozone!

Time to clean and oil (and this time not have to repair) a National Cash Register 11-EN electro-mechanical adding machine from the early 1950s.

Facebook's rebrand to Meta finally answers the long-standing question of whether Zuckerberg uses VI or Emacs.

@yaelwrites I force myself to read one book at a time but I do often have a stack underneath it. The only exception is taking breaks in the middle of a Durant volume. Currently I'm reading The Turn of The Screw to get in the Halloween spirit.

@joao Heh, if I wouldn't have to go through and blur out identifying details I could, but my video editing skills are pretty weak and I fear it'd take me forever to get it right.

I just sent and received calls between my SIP account and landline phone using my #Librem5 and the native Calls application, and it was pretty exciting.

The heavy rain revealed a leaky exhaust pipe for my tankless hot water heater right before my morning shower. A few rainy trips on the roof, a trip to the hardware store, and some soaked-through clothes later, and I finally got my hot shower.

While it's hard to beat the aesthetic appeal of the Burroughs Class 1 and 3, they are big, heavy, and slow. If you don't need a paper record you'd be better served by its 1919 competitors the Comptometer Model F or Monroe Model G I featured here earlier.

Division is possible by repeated subtraction. Like with the Comptometer you have to watch the register before it underflows. To print a subtotal pull the lever once, hold the subtotal key and pull it again--a 2 handed operation. Total works the same but also clears the register.

You multiply by repeated addition in the ones column, then shift left and repeat for each digit in the multiplicand. Normally the keys reset when you pull the lever, but by pressing the repeat key they stay down until you press the Total key. Here is 12 x 12.

This is an adding machine--it only adds. To subtract, you have to use the complements method. For instance, to subtract 42 from 31342, I convert 42 to its complement (99999958) and add it. The carries shift off the left of the register and the difference remains.

To add, enter the first number in the keyboard and then pull the lever to add it to the register and print it on the tape. The enter the second number and pull the lever again. The lever provides the force necessary to print. Here's 31337 + 5.

The Class 3 is a rather different design from the Class 1. Like tech companies today, Burroughs expanded by buying competitors. This machine was originally made by the Pike company in 1909 which Burroughs bought in 1911 and it became a core part of a larger product line.

This is a Burroughs Class 3 adding machine from 1919. Where the Class 1 I featured here earlier has fancy beveled glass and a full carriage on the back to accept ledgers, this later Class 3 has a simple paper spool and was used for general accounting.

"It is manufactured by our "special process" which leaves the *individual molecules unscathed*, retaining the "rubber-ball" springiness of the oil."

@yaelwrites Sounds fun!

@yaelwrites I know that some folks only post about tech/security/etc on social media but avoiding cliques/echo chambers is one reason I post about my wide range of interests, including non-tech ones, and encourage other tech folks to do the same.

Whenever Apple says it's doing something for privacy or security, it's actually about control. It uses its control of hardware and software to beat its competition. https://www.ft.com/content/074b881f-a931-4986-888e-2ac53e286b9d?sharetype=blocked