Enigma

[TheCotMan]

Just for fun, you can make your own Enigma machine

Professor Benjamin Wells (University of San Francisco) gave a presentation on how a machine used to atack German ciphers of WWII (Collosus) , were actually the worlds first personal computer. He went on to theorize how multiple Collosus (Collosi?) could be linked together to have a parallel clustered supercomputer.
(Presentation title: "Colossus: OK, maybe it was a computer, but a parallel, clustered supercomputer?"

It was a pretty cool presentation offered at the first flashmob supercomputing event.

[Added content:]
Page with links to web-based Enigma encoding machine simulators (flash and java as well as host-based apps for various OS.)

[murakami]

Just for fun, you can make your own Enigma machine