If you've been involved in an IT project you know the pains of going over budget and over deadline. But don't think these problems only exist for us 21st century workers. Nope. In the mid-1800s Charles Babbage designed the very first computer and was tasked with convincing the government in the Untied Kingdom to continue to fund his project. He failed and the Victorian-era computer – or analytical engine as he called it -- was never hatched.To commemorate the 150th anniversary of his death in 2021, writer John Graham-Cumming of London-based The Guardian started a charity to finish Babbage's work. Plan 28 -- named after one set of Babbage's plans – has assembled the leading technical experts on his designs and just started fundraising. The first stage of the project involves studying the thousands of pages of handwritten notes that Babbage left behind to determine what exactly needs to be built. I'm sure the second stage will involve finding a space big enough to house the computer – when complete it will be the size of a small steam locomotive engine.The best part about this project is that the fundraisers want to "create a working monument to the man who conceived the computer, and to inspire today's scientists and engineers to dream a century into their future."You can read the entire article written by Graham-Cumming.Traci PurdumSenior Digital Editor
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