[r-t] Writing method display software

[Mark Davies]

Alan Burlison writes,

> An aside: as a new ringer I've been astonished by the level of IT
> knowledge, and use, in what seemed from the outside to be a pastime
> involving noisy, dusty old relics (and that's just the ringers ;-)
> It's been the most surprising thing so far :-)

You've put your finger on one of the (several) things I love about 
ringing! I would recommend getting hold of one of the excellent 
facsimile copies of Campanalogia that are available. Read the 
350-year-old description of his eponymous method by Fabian Stedman, a 
man who lived through the Civil War. Then read "Stedman", by Rev C D P 
Davies, to get a feel for how the method captivated both ordinary 
ringers and composers/mathematicians through the centuries. Finally, if 
you've not already done so, read the story of how the ancient bobs-only 
conundrum was solved by a combination of genius and late 20th Century 
technology. (Although Colin Wyld was the first here, I believe Andrew 
Johnson has the best documentation of this breakthrough).

I love the depth of this story through the ages. Computers travel back 
in time to solve problems from the Restoration. (Sort of).

MBD