TColossus Mk3 (17 min; AP)
; Tom Jennings 10 March 1999

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AColossus Mk3
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AA Colossus Mk 3 found, still running, 
PA Colossus Mark 3, found, still running, abandoned or forgotten on an upper floor, 
Aabandoned or forgotten on an upper floor, 
Ainterconnected in some still-classified or forgotten way. 
Pinterconnected in some still classified and forgotten way. 
A

AVast rows of floor to ceiling metal racks, equipment on carts, 
PVast rows of floor to ceiling metal racks, equipment on carts, rivers of cables,
Acontaining thousands of electron tubes, mounted sideways, 
Atheir dull-orange reduced-voltage filament glow
Pthousands of electron tubes, mounted sideways with the tops pointing out, 
Avisible to long-gone operators;\
Ptheir dull orange reduced-voltage fillament-glow visible to long-gone operators; some were dark. 
A many were dark.
A

AThe ventilation had failed, the room fainting hot,
PThe ventilation had failed, the room fainting hot. 
Prat shit and newspaper nests were lodged between chassis'z. 
Arat shit and newspaper nests were lodged between chassis,
Pthe loose and lumpy linoleum tiles slippery with dust,
Athe loose, lumpy linoleum tiles slippery with dust,
Aan unread Times on a nearby desk dated 1948, 
Pan unread Times on a nearby desk dated 1948, 
Aand on the now-cold radiator next to it was chained a coffee mug\
Pand on the now-cold radiator next to it was chained a coffee mug, brown stain an inch below the rim.
A, empty.
A

ADecades of airborne dust long ago congealed into a thick woolly crust 
PDecades of airborne dust long ago congealed into a thick woolly film on the floor,
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Pturning everything a fuzzy yellow grey. 
Aon the floor, turning everything a fuzzy yellow-grey. 
AThe only sounds were \
PThe only sounds were
A50Hz \
Ppower supply hum and buzz, and 
Apower supply hum and buzz, and 
Pand a muffled sparse clatter of relays, a vague pattern barely discernable. 
Aa muffled sparse clatter of relays, a vague pattern barely discernable. 
A

PThe "bedstead", the apparatus upon which human operators would mount 
Plong paper loops containing punched-hole data,
AThe "bedstead", a tall aluminum frame like an up-ended bedspring,
Athe apparatus upon which human operators would mount long paper loops
Awith punched-hole data, was loop-less, 
Ainstead wired to a stack of electron-tube filled chassis,
Pwas loop-less, instead wired to a stack of electron-tube filled chassis'z, these in turn wired to 
Athese in turn wired to rows of thin glass containers
Aof shiny mercury metal. 
Prows of thin glass containers of shiny mercury metal. 
A

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PColossus still had a teletypewriter connected, 
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Pon top the usual roll of low-grade
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Pwar time yellow turned grey paper
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Pa dozen feet or so hanging in back. 
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;       LOVE            NOT         POSSIBLE    07 JUNE   GOODBYE  1954
Aflkhw4 L  F^*^  &^ 001. O uuu   h  P0  1F F  # 0  'U, ^u    D   -   5 \r\
A      *  V  !   D  110-N T-  T- T-   8   L (*  O  J  -   600 B E -l  4\r\
A   $#(   VE- 3434 4 43, OT ////////P SS   - ?cd 7/.UNF 2%G  DFY-/  9 4\r\o\
Pshlishlishlushlushlkshortutututititeteteekrikrikrikrist'kristofkristoferkristofereeee
A$#@#   L0     ee e e   N     eeeee  O SIBLE --  7-JU E feG    YF <19  \r\
Pmeemeeyayawhywhyummummbuttbutteyewaneyewuneyewantfeeyahfeelah'feeyalp'lowlown'leelee
Pengungingangengoonngyiwiwesseesseekseekseekreteyeeyeyfifeifelife'lifekretseekret
Plwelwelwerlwerlwerlrtylrtyltyuilyuiluyilyiulsdflsdfksdfkerwerwerewrpwerpwerpwerpeeee
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A 
PThe teletypewriter ribbon had long dried out, 
Phence the last few lines on the yellow roll paper were completely unreadable. 
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PHOLY SHIT!, 
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PI jumped, 
Athe previously-inert teletypewriter howled and screeched 
PI jumped as the previously inert teletypewriter howled and screeched, as it's carriage motor started. straining,
Aas it's motor started, straining to melt the years-congealed lubricant
Pstraining to melt the years-congealed lube'rikkant through sheer force of will, and 
Athrough sheer force of will,\
Pand after a short delay banged
A and banged \
Pout one more
A#\r\
;through sheer force of will, and banged # onto the paper.
Punreadable
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Pcharacter
A onto the paper. 
Ponto the paper. 
PA minute later
Pthe teletypewriter went
AThe teletypewriter went silent.
Psilent
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;
PIt was impossible to tell if any of this was intentional, 
Pthe entire room apparently abandoned and left for dead, 
Ppossibly never having produced any output in a human-scale moment of time, 
Pthe designers having either grossly miss'understood the slowness of the computing process; or 
Pthe output on the teletypewriter merely some sort of error mode, 
Pthe machine's life's useful work, if any, long since past.
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TTHE END