[Very Interesting Tech Trivia Question]

Well, I guess no one found this bit of trivia as interesting as I did. Anyway, here is the answer:

1804 - Joseph-Marie Jacquard invents an automated loom which uses punched cards to reproduce complex patterns.

However, I guess the very first forerunner to computer technology was the abacus, which was invented in about 3000 B.C.

http://www.warbaby.com/FG_test/Timeline.html

[Very Interesting Tech Trivia Question]

heard a very interesting tidbit about the origins of Computer Technology on the History Channel the other day.

Now, don't google to find the answer! I would be really interested to know if techie type people readily know the answer to this question:

What Industrial Revolution Era Machine was the forerunner to Computer Technology (basically, because it was the first Machine to use a form of binary code)?

I'll comeback later today and give the answer. I am really curious to see how many of us techies know the answer to this question (I didn't know). Again, please don't look the answer up, as I want honest feedback. Honor system.

Thanks.