I’ve mentioned once or twice my mild fascination with the Curta mechanical calculator. I’m still angry with myself for not picking one up when I first became aware of them back in 1992 or ’93 – at that time you could get one for under $100. At the time it was a lot of money to me and I never went for it. Now you’re lucky if you can get one for under $1,000. Anyway today I happened across an interactive flash simulation of a Curta. Check it out if you’re curious. And a note for the family – the Curta is very high on my personal fetish list. They’re exorbitantly expensive, but if someone wins the lottery or happens across a way to acquire one on the cheap, this is the absolutely perfect gift for me.