Imagine This Monster Computer On Your Desk

You probably know that electronics have a tendency to get smaller [remember that big honking cell phone Zach carried on Saved By The Bell ?]. But I don't think anything has shrunk so dramatically as computers.

The modern era of computers started after World War II, and the early models were rather large [the size of a room] and heavy [two tons or more], and very few of them exist today.

England's Harwell Dekatron is believed to be the oldest of the so-called "modern" computers still operating. Built in 1951, it's about the size and weight of an SUV. It had the reputation of being slow but reliable [it took almost ten seconds to multiply two numbers. But it was always right.].

While it's only fair to note that your cell phone today has more computing power than this machine, show some respect. It's the great-great-great-great-grandfather of the devices we use today. And it's fun to watch. Here's some video of the just-restored computer being booted up:
tnmoc/YouTube