March 17 - 4 of Cups

The four of cups, Al-Jazari's Castle Clock. Discs with an eye between them, above a drawing of the castle clock with its mechanical automata musicians say Earliest programmable analog computer on the left and zodiac, solar orbit, lunar orbit, automatic doors, and five robotic musicians on the right. Below the clock is biographical information on Al-Jazari. Lived 1136 to 1206 in Mesopotamia, a Muslim inventor, engineer, artist, mathematician and astronomer.

A card of contemplation, missed opportunities, and apathy...

Al-Jazari's castle clock is an interesting bit of history, because it comes so far before other things commonly cited as predecessors to computing or programming.

Early automata were focused on the creation of novelty and illusion, so in a way they represent an alternate path, where computing and automation aren't primarily directed towards financial optimization or biopolitical management. Though, naturally, from the view of a capitalistic society then, these programmable clocks and performing automatons become less impressive than industry "disrupting" automatic looms or calculation devices.

But also, early examples of analog computation and automation force us to reconsider exceptional claims about the supposedly special capabilities or social impacts of contemporary technology. Today, the news makes you want to shoot your phone, but at the Paris Commune, they turned their guns on the clocks...