John von Neumann’s epoch-making computer weighed 1,000 pounds (about 453 kilogrammes), which is not surprising, since it contained approximately 3,000 vacuum tubes alone. Its average uptime without failure was between four and eight hours. The notoriously bohemian Neumann celebrated the release of this highly innovative machine with a party. The guests were guaranteed to have an everlasting memory when, as the highlight of the evening, a model of the machine made of ice was brought to the party.