mechanical calculators and analog electronics

i just heard about this beautiful mechanical calculator and it kindled the spark inside me. i connected that with the news on the radio this morning about television going digital. i have always loved the power of analog electronics which i think are not appreciated enough these days in the rush to go digital. i was amazed in college to learn of the complexity of calculations that can be constructed using analog electronics, so that the system acts out the solution instead of having to take the time to calculate it. i also fear that my children will miss the magic of taking a few simple pieces of wire and electronics to capture the invisible radio waves around them. having those signals digital makes them less directly accessible.

putting both of these things together makes me believe that perhaps i am reincarnated from some early 20th century amateur scientist (tinkerer). perhaps that helps to explain my love of dances from that era too.