IBM Computing Cheese Cutter [Restoration]
Hand Tool Rescue1 HN recommender · recommended in 1 month, 2021–2024
demo · general · evergreen · 2021–2024 on HN
A 47-minute restoration of a 1920s IBM computing cheese cutter, a machine with parts patented between 1901 and 1907. The video covers the restoration work and explains why it is a computing cheese cutter.
HN shares it as a fun curiosity about early IBM history, with time stamps for the nameplate and the explanation.
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4 comments from Hacker News
I don't believe it. In particular, IBM was formed by amalgamating various subsidiary companies, so there's no "first product". Even if you focus on the Computing Scale Company, I think their first product was a computing scale and the cheese slicer was later. That said, the IBM cheese cutter restoration video is very cool: ▶ this video
IBM has a track record going back to automatically price calculating cheese cutters [0], but Sam does not. IBM has proven itself in various ways over the years, OpenAI hasn't. While IBM is a behemoth of a money making machine, they put money where their mouth is. OpenAI does not. So I'll trust IBM, but not OpenAI. [0]: ▶ this video
Just happened to jump to the exact point where he explains why / how it's a "computing" cheese cutter; if you're curious too you can find the explanation at the 42:30 mark: ▶ this video
Wow this is cool! It would be awesome to learn more about its history. The nameplate (visible at 11:10 [0]) says patented with a date of 1901, which is 10 years before IBM was founded [1]. This was curious to me so I looked up the patent [2], which was granted in 1905. Based on this it seems that IBM must have purchased the rights to this patent and that it was either made or refurbished after 1911. [0]: ▶ this video [1]: link [2]: link