ISSN 1466-3570 October 2009 No. 33 NEWSLETTER of the UK SLIDE RULE CIRCLE Editor: Colin Barnes, 189 Mildenhall Road, Fordham, Ely, Cambs. CB7 5NW England Tel: 01638 720317 e-mail: [email protected] Editorial despite that, all credit to Bob and the others of the JOS publication team, that following the My attention was caught by an item in birth of the Oughtred Society, they created, a critical article in the Daily Telegraph of June developed, expanded and produced a pre- 6th on Gordon Brown during his troubles. In eminent slide rule publication for 18 years! the second paragraph of this half-page article This is an unparalleled record that anyone by Neil Tweedie and Andrew Pierce they should be proud of. Bob’s encyclopaedic remark, probably with Brown’s appearance on knowledge of slide rules and allied U-tube, “Tony Blair was forever flashing his mathematical subjects resulted in the JOS pearly whites – but not his successor. Mr carrying wide ranging articles that have led the Brown uses a slide-rule (sic) to calculate how way and set the standards for those of us rivals many smiles he should use in a speech, and (not really!) such as the UKSRC Gazette to always rounds down”. [See also Peter Hopp’s follow. I do not envy those who will follow; comments in this issue!] they have a hard act to match, let alone to try and surpass. But that presents new ideas and Autumn Meeting. Don’t forget our challenges which ultimately should produce Autumn Meeting on October 4th at Bletchley new limits for the rest of us to match. I’m sure Park. Come and participate with a congenial everyone will join with me in thanking Bob for group of enthusiasts and take the opportunity his incredible efforts to date and the legacy he to visit the comprehensive exhibition of has created, and in wishing him all the very artefacts in the National Museum of best in the future. I hope that we continue to Computing and the wider complex of Bletchley see his articles appearing in all the slide rule Park. During the course of our meeting we publications. expect to have an ENIGMA Simulator Peter Hopp Programme which will be most appropriate in view of our venue. We hope as many members as possible will attend and we look forward to a record turnout. If you have not yet indicated your intention to join us please don’t delay, give me a call today on 01638 720317 or email me at [email protected] A big thank you to all who have contributed so generously to our appeal for funds for the display cabinet. We plan to pass a cheque to TNMOC at our meeting there but it is not too late to subscribe if you wish. Bob Otnes … an appreciation The recent news that Bob Otnes has relinquished editorship of the JOS for personal reasons brings us to the end of an era, and what an era it has been. It has not always been obvious as to why the JOS followed the strategy for publishable material that it did, but 1 Skid Stick Issue 33 October 2009 New Members & Directory Each display panel is illustrated in full colour on the right hand pages with a brief Changes description of the numbered slide rules on the left. A table of contents provides the location The UKSRC is pleased to welcome the of panels by manufacturer or by speciality. following new members: The total number of slide rules and discs Graham R. Smith illustrated is in excess of 2000. 66 Humberstone Road Luton LU4 9 SS This collection will amaze and awe [email protected] the average collector and well illustrates the diversity of slide rules manufactured. Bruce Sandie 25 Moselle Street The cost of the book is about €73.00 Mont Albert North including postage within Europe and the USA Victoria 3129 for the paperback version. The hardback Australia edition is also about €73.00 in the USA but [email protected] higher for Europe. To preview the contents and for full details of costs please search for Trevor Catlow keyword “schuitema” in the BUY section of 117 Ramsgate Road Lulu’s website: Broadstairs http://lulu.com Kent CT10 2ER Because of its size this book is [email protected] relatively expensive, a free download of the complete book at print quality (a 400 MB pdf- New email file) is available by request at Lulu’s check out. Ian Lodge [email protected] Slide Rules – A W Faber/A W Faber-Castell Models, Types, Scales. Peter Hopp Peter Holland [email protected] Bookworm The Schuitema Collection – a Gallery of Panels with Slide Rules and Discs. IJzebrand Schuitem and Otto van Poelje. ISBN 978-90-805701-9-1 (paperback) ISBN 978-90-805701-8-4 (hardback) Published by lulu.com With IJebrand’s slide rule collection having been donated to the Arithmeum This 128 page A5 book could equally Museum in Bonn, the authors decided that a be called the Faber/Faber-Castell pictorial record of the original collection Encyclopaedia, and as such it would meet its should be made. The result is this book of target – it really does cover in detail all models almost 400 pages of illustrations of 188 display that one would normally expect to meet if panels on 55 themes. specialising in this particular maker. The catalogue presentation is sensible and logical, the information is laid out clearly in both German and English without being fiddly or difficult and it does cover all aspects of “Models, Types and Scales” as the book’s sub-title declares. It clarified quickly and simplified doubts I had about a number of examples within my own collection. I must also compliment the author and his team; there are few (if any) typos or grammatical nonsense which makes using it an added pleasure. 2 Skid Stick Issue 33 October 2009 Specifically excluded are the Faber- What Would be Your Reaction Castell war production slide rules (labelled “hel”) which is a shame, and possibly the “Early Examples” could have been expanded to cover the obvious variants with gold lettering and so on. Peter also sensibly makes no attempt to cover any “mysterious” F-C slide rules that are known to exist, such as the Hemmi’s in F-C boxes with F-C back papers and cursor. Nor does he try and resolve any of the other un-resolved “weirdies” such as the claim for the 1/60/360 in an F-C instruction book that “This slide rule which is made in five sizes 4”, 5”, 6”, 10” and 20” ….”. These points are minor and really picky and in no way detract from a very fine piece of work. This is an excellent reference work which I can absolutely and unhesitatingly recommend as the definitive guide to these Makers and should be part of any slide rule collector’s library. Go and buy it tomorrow! “Great news, the burglars only took your This book is modestly priced at €15 stupid slide rules” (Europe), €20 (Worldwide) Peter Hopp Heaven forbid that this situation should happen to any member of the UKSRC, Gazette 10, Autumn 2009 but what would be your reaction should your better half come up with such pearls of wisdom? Answers to Hon Ed or PMH please! The Slide Rule Museum http://www.sliderulemuseum.com Mike Konshak’s on-line International Slide Rule Museum has been mentioned before in Skid Stick, and I would strongly recommend another look. It has obviously been growing over the recent past, not least in the ‘Historical Photos, People with SRs’ gallery which has Our 10th Anniversary Issue of the over 200 pictures of People and Slide Rules, Gazette is now available, with as, usual over but also in the ‘SR Who’s Who, Past and one hundred pages of interesting and diverse Present’ gallery where brief biographies and articles too numerous to mention. Copies pictures of slide rule luminaries are presented. available from the Hon. Ed. or via the 2010 membership subscription form (enclosed) I was especially delighted to find two Price inc. p&p £13.00 (UK), £16.00 images I have been hunting for a long time. (Europe), £18.00 (rest of world). Firstly, a picture of someone actually wearing a slide rule, (see Skid Stick 26, “Holstered slide Joint Slide Rules rules” Fact or fantasy?) the 1962 painting of Peter M Hopp, C. Eng., M.B.C.S. Frederick Emmons Terman, (1900–1986) complete with slide rule at waist. Terman is credited with being the father of Silicon Valley, any dude who wears a slide rule like that has to be worth knowing! Secondly, a picture of Sergei Korolev, (1906–1965) the father of the Soviet Space industry which I have been aware of but have never seen. There are a multitude of other interesting pictures of “People and Slide Rules”, I hope to be working with Mike rather than competing in this area. 3 Skid Stick Issue 33 October 2009 Further Mysteries solved - perhaps! “Hale’s Slide Rule” “Barron’s Calculating Rule” Peter Hopp C.N. Pickworth’s “The Indicator Handbook” part II (2nd edn. 1904), (being used for my ongoing search for planimeter and related data), has a description of Hale’s Slide Rule for indicator diagrams (see SS27, October 2007, page 5). The original Skid Stick article should have given us a clue. It noted that the price of the rule from the 1898 Stanley catalogue, in a case, was 4/- compared with other slide rules at anything between £1/- and £2/18/- for a 50cm Gravet rule.