Finding a Four Leaf Clover

G4G15

Finding a Four Leaf Clover

Caroline Hardin

Puzzle,Word Play,Science

People may think computer punch cards are obsolete, but their durable form factor mean they are a fascinating snapshot into how people stored data and wrote programs over fifty years ago. I've acquired several boxes of punch cards which were used in agricultural clover research done in the late 1960s and 1970s at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, including sets which appear to be complete programs. I'm splitting up the cards of one of these programs between participants and providing reference materials and a link to an online site where we can work collaboratively to peek into the past and re-construct the program. Other curiosities discovered while exploring this collection will also be written up on an included page.

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