Trying to explain a computer to Ben would be pretty much futile, I'd say, as tough really as it would be to explain one to anybody who had never seen one (even from this century). It's just because the nature of the device is so broad -- it seems like computers can do anything these days.

If I wanted to explain it to Benjamin Franklin, I'd probably just start by saying, "Hey, check this out. This thing's got amazing potential. Give it a whirl and see if you can figure it out," while ushering him over to the desk and placing the mouse in his hand. I'd give him some manuals and some basic instructions on how the OS and input devices work, and leave him alone with the machine for awhile. I doubt he'd get much sleep for several days.

After that, I'd show him a list of possible uses for computers, including all the major things they are used for today and some of the minor things as well. If that piqued his interest, I'd probably try to explain specific things in more detail, how how banks use computers, how emergency dispatchers use computers, and how schools use computers. I think Old Mr. Franklin would have a special appreciation for such societal uses. Maybe I'd mention libraries too. :-)

Finally, I'd explain to him how binary works and explain the basic concept behind circuit boards and processors, though I admittedly don't know much about those myself. I might point him in the direction of some educational web sites. I'd also give him a PC to dissect so he could explore every centimeter of it.

I doubt Benjamin Franklin would ever learn all the deep-down details about modern computers. I imagine he'd learn how to use one more quickly than the average person does, because he was a very gifted individual. But I've been using computers for about 16 years and I still have a lot to learn. Depending on how much time Mr. Franklin was able to spend in the 21st century, he might never be able to grasp it all. It's hard enough for present-day people to learn everything there is to know about the machines, and I think the sudden change in technology would toss a considerable wrench in Ben's learning cycle. Whereas we just accept certain parts of computers from their predecessors (monitors derived from TVs, for example, and keyboards derived from typewriters), Ben Franklin never saw even the original incarnations of these devices, so those would form significant hurdles for him.

But I imagine his incredible appetite for knowledge might compensate. I believe that brilliant minds are brilliant always, regardless of the year, technology, and culture. An information-hungry Ben Franklin in the 1700s would probably be just as information-hungry in the 2000s. Actually, probably more so because of the excitement of seeing a totally reinvented world from what he was familiar with.

On a side note, he might be so distracted by automobiles, telephones, air conditioning, music recordings, modern medicine, digital watches, etc., etc., that figuring out the PC would take a lifetime just for him to get around to.

-useless"And modern POLITICS would kill him before he got that far"ness