An amazing documentary on an older bit of computer technology that uses punchcards. What makes this more amazing too, is that this is a VERY old form of programming that dates back to the 1700s. Before we had these types of electric punchcard computers, Paper punchcards were used to make weaving patterns for things like dobbies when making jacquard fabric and lace patterns for big looms, automatons, and in a lot of ways works like the drum on a music box. It's a way to have mechanical programming instead of coding electronics. Electronics are smaller, load faster, and can hold much much more data, but Punch card equipment has it's own benefits as well. I'm actually old enough and fortunate enough to have handled old punch card and mag striped equipment when helping my mom in her classroom, it was a very outdated tech then. But it's not just charming, fun to use, and fairly simple to pickup, it's practical, and at least for me I can understand it better than I can with coding now due to my issues with losing my memory. Honestly it's a fascinating rabbithole to go down, because it leads you to analog technology and how simple it really is. From the fact that a speaker is just something that can vibrate a pattern like a piece of cardboard or rubber attached to a needle being cranked over a record like this:
You'd be surprised what you can do mechanically. And a solid mechanical build combined with simple electronics like an arduino if you're able to learn can make amazing things.