Curta, the Mona Lisa of engineering

The Curta handheld calculator could add, subtract, multiply and divide. That's not too impressive in today's world where we look at our phones and laugh when we remember our teachers said, "you won't always have a calculator on you."

But what is so amazing about this handheld calculator is that it was mechanical. No batteries. No electric plug. And its history is stunning!

And one might think on a battery blog this would be the antithesis of a subject for a blog post.

But what it really highlights is the power of even just a little bit of energy.

This is an amazing machine. It's still useful today. Anyone that knows what these are would never throw one away. They sell for more than $1000. And some people still actually use them as a tool of their trade or in their hobby.

Could it be made any better? Could a mechanical calculator be any smaller and do more functions? Possibly, but the brain power and precision to do so wouldn't be just a little more, but a great deal more.

And that's the point. If we need a machine that does what the Curta does, and not only does it well and with the exquisite artistry this machine really is, then we've arrived. But we need more. We need to add, subtract, multiply and divide with greater precision for less money. We need more functions, we need it smaller, we need it faster, we need it to share its results. And we need that and more while being intuitive and easy to use by anyone.

What has made us do even better than the truly astounding Curta is the transistor powered by a simple battery. Even in a state that is useful, but we know is far below what is possible, batteries are an essential part of making our lives so much better.

Would I consider having a Curta a waste? By no means. We are in deep debt to Curt Herzstark not only for the device but for the way of life he displayed, not even counting surviving a Nazi death camp.