You know how ancient peoples like the Vikings left communication methods that we’re still trying to figure out today? This is kind of like that, from the Cretaceous Period of computing otherwise known as the 1970s.
In fact, the ramp’s main support pillar displays a coded message in brickwork that mimics a computer programming punch card. The message, in the Fortran language, reads “John Vincent Atanasoff invented the first computer at Iowa State College in 1939.” 2/3 #cycloneseverywhere pic.twitter.com/LJJcuSxlni
— Iowa State University ITS (@iowastateits) September 25, 2019
(Iowa State Information Technology Services doesn’t know how to thread tweets?!?)