The DM42 and calculator musings by Tim Gray So first, why the heck do I even need a calculator? How does someone my age end up using a calculator when iPhones, Wolfram|Alpha, and Excel exist? And why would I spend a decent amount of cash on a physical calculator based on a 30-year old... islandinthenet.com

@khurtwilliams I’ve used my HP 12c my entire life. Not so often these days but I find it often much easier to use than PCalc on my iPhone or iPad. I find it really hard to use a calculator that doesn’t have RPN.

@khurtwilliams @ronguest hp 12c. Once I learned how to use it, wow. I don’t use all the buttons anymore, but it’s there when I need it, battery lasts for years and it feels solid in hand. For the true experience, buy an old one on eBay, the current version has a lot of plastic.

@walter Agree on the batteries - they last years and years and years. Unlike modern devices.

@ronguest I miss those days when I flet like a "real" engineer.

@ronguest I miss those days when I flet like a “real” engineer.

@the It does and I use it, as well as my HP.

@khurtwilliams I bought the Swiss Micros DM42 a few years back and it’s listed on my “Stuff page’. I still find it so much easier to grab a calculator with a keyboard layout I know intimately rather than Excel or an app.

@BestofTimes love the look of the NIkon FM3 you've listed on that page. I've got an Asahi Optical Co. Spotmatic II

@ronguest Of course PCalc can’t emulate those wonderful HP tactile buttons, can it?