Here's a real challenge: Have the competing teams scavenge from a salvage yard for computer parts. The challenge: build a computer from scrapped modules, semiconductors, etc.; the first team to successfully log onto the Internet is the winner!!

-- Lawrence H. Burdick (arion1@ix.netcom.com), January 25, 2001

Answers

uh....riiiiiiight

-- JunkMan (r1ddller@juno.com), January 25, 2001.

Yeah, just debugging a bodged-together system would take more than 10 hours (I'm guessing at least 10 months), nevermind getting on the internet. =)

Thomas

-- Thomas (trh1@cris.com), January 25, 2001.

pffh! forget computers getting online! i say they bulid a spy sattlilite and then build a rocket(like the ones they already did only like 5 times as big.)and send it into orbit over the earth. and then they let them have 12 hours to steal military secrets from a forgien country(like russia or china). the team that collected the most information wins! now that would be a challenge!

-- i aint tellin! (emissary_of_oblivion@yahoo.com), January 25, 2001.

yeah ,like there gonna go and find computer parts in a junk yard .give me a break

-- todd turner (turner3@txol.net), January 25, 2001.

thats bad man really bad, i mean leaving rocket engines was abd enough if thy built computers they would have to stock the yard really bad

-- --------------------------------------- (saucebag31@aol.com), January 25, 2001.

How about physical logic gates, using pulleys and belts, it's been done, centuries ago... probably not as exciting as a hovercraft though. first team to accurately complete a mathematical formula would win, though I'm not sure it's possible in the time allowed.

-- Spacer Conrad (spacer.conrad@mailcity.com), January 26, 2001.

Umm wake me up after that episode.

-- Stephen A. Binion (Stephenbinion@hotmail.com), January 26, 2001.

you haven't messed with elecronics, have you. Computers require at the least, thousands if not millions of semiconductors. I doubt a calculator could be built by hand in 10 hours. Maybe in a laboratory, but NOT in a junkyard

-- JJStriker (no@way.com), January 28, 2001.

Ummm. One word.

Abacus.

-- Eric Nelson (ericn@on-z.net), January 30, 2001.

Wake up and smell the coffie

-- hi (DSZiggyPop@AOL.com), February 10, 2001.

What about a simple mechanical computer to perform one mathematical task? Subtraction, for example, could be done with a differential from a car. Multiplication can be performed by a CVT. Trigonometric functions can be calculated using a scotch yoke. A junkyard "calculating machine" needn't be electronic, or even terribly complicated!

-- TerranFury (i_have@no_email.com), May 16, 2003.

That what I was thinking, keeping in mind that some ancient civilization in BFE somewhere had actually constructed rope and pulley logic gates. It would have to be huge to do anything useful, but we aren't looking so much for useful here.

-- Spacer Conrad (spacer.conrad@lycos.com), February 12, 2005.