Bletchley Park is one of the main sites of computer history. The site now contains not just a lot of fascinating historical artifacts (many relating to Alan Turing), it is also the home of The National Museum of Computing, containing a wide variety of home and business computer systems, and a rebuild of the original Colossus computer that helped to crack German codes during World War 2. I urge every geek to support this trek, and raise money to help Bletchley Park!

You're right, but I think Eddington was using poetic licence to illustrate a point. And at least Icarus was trying out his novel theory on himself! :-)

This is the inspiration for the name, from a book by Arthur Eddington: "In ancient days two aviators procured to themselves wings. Daedalus flew safely through the middle air and was duly honoured on his landing. Icarus soared upwards to the sun till the wax melted which bound his wings and his flight ended in fiasco. In weighing their achievements, there is something to be said for Icarus. The classical authorities tell us that he was only “doing a stunt”, but I prefer to think of him as the man who brought to light a serious constructional defect in the flying-machines of his day. So, too, in Science. Cautious Daedalus will apply his theories where he feels confident they will safely go; but by his excess of caution their hidden weaknesses remain undiscovered. Icarus will strain his theories to the breaking-point till the weak joints gape. For the mere adventure? Perhaps partly; this is human nature. But if he is destined not yet to reach the sun and solve finally the riddle of its constitution, we may at least hope to learn from his journey some hints to build a better machine."

And if you read Ludwig von Mises' Human Action, that's almost exactly the point he is making.

A lot of people here are talking about the amount of math needed in economics - and they're right as far as mainstream econ goes. But Mises took the a priori approach. His work reads like a philosophy text, not a math book.

Like it or loathe it (and I happen to like his approach - even if I don't agree with all his conclusions), Mises' economics has little in common with the mainstream stuff.