17: Does my key fob have more computing power than the Lunar lander? episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 13, 2025 · 1H 9M

17: Does my key fob have more computing power than the Lunar lander?

from Runtime Arguments · host Jim McQuillan & Wolf

When people talk about the power of their computers, we've heard all kinds of claims:I have more power on my desktop computer than the Apollo had to put a man on the moonThe phone in my pocket has more power than the Apollo space program hadI have more power on my wrist watch than the lunar landerAnd the latest one: I have more power in my key fob than the Apollo capsule hadAre any of these true?  In this episode, we break it down and enjoy a bit of computing history along the way.Links:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAChttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_Guidance_Computerhttps://www.ibm.com/history/space-shuttlehttps://www.nordicsemi.com/Products/nRF52840Hosts:Jim McQuillan can be reached at [email protected] can be reached at [email protected] us on Mastodon: @[email protected] you have feedback for us, please send it to [email protected] our webpage at http://RuntimeArguments.fmTheme music:Dawn by nuer self, from the album Digital Sky

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Dec 13, 2025

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When people talk about the power of their computers, we've heard all kinds of claims: I have more power on my desktop computer than the Apollo had to put a man on the moonThe phone in my pocket has more power than the Apollo space program hadI have more power on my wrist watch than the lunar landerAnd the latest one: I have more power in my key fob than the Apollo capsule hadAre any of these true? In this episode, we break it down and enjoy a bit of computing history along the way. Link...

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17: Does my key fob have more computing power than the Lunar lander?

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