Hello all!  Sorry to say, I've forgotten the name of the Dutch
"lady with an egg in her hand" who constructed, among other beauties,
a strikingly handsome cryptographic machine of brass.  (Tatjana ... ?)

Viewing the crypto machine, I came to think of Winkel's Componium,
a description of which is (actually not) included in Arthur Ord-Humes
book, "Barrel Organ."

No, it is _not_ the Componium itself but a similar machine which is
described there, as it seems that not even Messrs. Ord-Hume and Haspels
have succeeded to "master the principles of the Componium" themselves
-- at least not at the time of printing of my book (1978).

Now:  How does the Componium actually work?  Did it actually work!?
Or is Mr. Winkel sitting on a cloud laughing at us right now?
(Laughing all the way to the bank, as they say in England.)

Best regards from a cloudy Stockholm
Christofer Noering

 [ She is Tatjana van Vark, visit  http://www.tatjavanvark.nl/
 [
 [ Colin Hinz and Peter Wellburn reported on the "definitive book":
 [
 [   Componium: the mechanical music improvisor, by Philippe John
 [   van Tiggelen -- published by Institut Superieur d'Archeologie
 [   et d'Histoire de l'Art, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1987.
 [
 [ Hans van Oost wrote a nice summary of Diedrich Nikolaus Winkel,
 [ "an extraordinary craftsman and inventor, but a lousy salesman!"
 [ See 980820 MMDigest.  -- Robbie