Computation is woven

<p>Evidence that computation is woven, and weaving is computation. The first computers were looms, and if we look closely enough, we can find the remaining legacy of this history. Here we visualise the&nbsp;contents of a Z80 processor&nbsp;register memory after each instruction as it runs&nbsp;a handful of example programs. To this day, the majority of low level machine code instructions on the computers we use are not explicitly concerned with numerical values, but rather&nbsp;in the manipulation of patterns (shifting, rotating, masking&nbsp;and composing). That these instructions&nbsp;are given priority in the allocation of&nbsp;transistors seems an appropriate but quiet&nbsp;recognition of the importance&nbsp;of weaving in contemporary digital technology.</p>