What’s on your mind?

[rm5]

Alright, what about something you and I feel comfortable talking about, and that is within the bounds of the forum...

I went to a birthday party earlier and had some cake, and I was just astounded by the fact that it was 95% icing and only about 5% actual food. It made it impossible for me to actually finish it. I've never cared much for birthday cake, but I figured I should give it a try. Now I know why I don't like it!

 

[VulchR]

...

And I do have a BB in my left hand, but the doctor didn't want to take it out because of its location, nerves could have been damaged. He felt it was best to leave it alone. He seems to have been correct as it has been there for 42 years.

I bet you have fun at security gates in airports.

 

[Herdfan]

I bet you have fun at security gates in airports.

It won't set those off, but you should see it on an x-ray. LOL

 

[VisceralRealist]

Alright, what about something you and I feel comfortable talking about, and that is within the bounds of the forum...

I went to a birthday party earlier and had some cake, and I was just astounded by the fact that it was 95% icing and only about 5% actual food. It made it impossible for me to actually finish it. I've never cared much for birthday cake, but I figured I should give it a try. Now I know why I don't like it!

I feel the same way. Icing/frosting is overrated, and I've never liked birthday cake much (don't even get me started on cupcakes). For my birthday, I'd rather have a box of macarons or a slice of tiramisu with a candle in it.

 

[VulchR]

I came across this the other day -- CP/M is 50 years old

Really? REALLY???? Have I been using computers for that long?????????

I am speechless (or keyboardless?). I cannot think of anything witty to write. Other than Where did all that F****ing time go?. We got married, moved countries, changed careers, had a child, lived life. And now, HALF A CENTURY HAS GONE BY!!!!!.

I've done FORTRAN on punch cards ... yes, punch cards. I can feel the pain, frustration, and helplessness welling up inside of me every time I see one of those cursed things.

For those of you who don't know, this is how computers received input before even typing at a console was possible. Each card represented one line of code and if you made a typo, you had to retype the card. And on more than one occasion I saw people carrying boxes of hundreds if not thousands of cards, which had to be a in a particular sequence, only to trip have have the cards scatter on the floor. We learned quickly to number them manually. Ugh.

(source: here)

 

[Macky-Mac]

.... For my birthday, I'd rather have a box of macarons or a slice of tiramisu with a candle in it.

that's a good solution, although another option is to just skip those candles as they're apt to drip onto the tiramisu....candle wax never improves the taste of anything

 

[Apple fanboy]

I love birthday cake. Well I think I do. It’s been like 10 years or so since I had any….

 

[GerritV]

I came across this the other day -- CP/M is 50 years old

Really? REALLY???? Have I been using computers for that long?????????

I am speechless (or keyboardless?). I cannot think of anything witty to write. Other than Where did all that F****ing time go?. We got married, moved countries, changed careers, had a child, lived life. And now, HALF A CENTURY HAS GONE BY!!!!!.

My very first computer was a Schneider Joyce, must have been early Eighties.
The machine was advertised as a word processor (Locoscript) but basically ran on CP/M 2.

 

[diggy33]

My wife and I are thinking about moving to Tulsa, OK, so we're looking at dates for next month to go check it.

 

[rm5]

My wife and I are thinking about moving to Tulsa, OK, so we're looking at dates for next month to go check it.

Why Tulsa specifically, if you don't mind me asking?

It's a cool city, I've been a few times. But idk anything about living there, because I never have.

 

[diggy33]

Why Tulsa specifically, if you don't mind me asking?

It's a cool city, I've been a few times. But idk anything about living there, because I never have.

Looking for something a little slower. I live outside of DC and have been here for 38 years, and I'm tired of the rat race and hustle and bustle. Cost of living is better, housing is more affordable. Its just the first place on our short list for now; we'll check out a few more places as well, just havent decided ywt on where they will be

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

I've done FORTRAN on punch cards ... yes, punch cards. I can feel the pain, frustration, and helplessness welling up inside of me every time I see one of those cursed things.

For those of you who don't know, this is how computers received input before even typing at a console was possible. Each card represented one line of code and if you made a typo, you had to retype the card. And on more than one occasion I saw people carrying boxes of hundreds if not thousands of cards, which had to be a in a particular sequence, only to trip have have the cards scatter on the floor. We learned quickly to number them manually. Ugh.

(source: here)

The worst ones were those cards that just had the holes punched, with no code written along the top.
The best ones were those where the line number of the code was printed before the code.
An alternative was to draw a diagonal line in marking pen along the top of the stack, which made it easier to put the cards back in order.

I believe that in Australia, there is only one working punch card machine left in the country.

 

[Chuckeee]

I've done FORTRAN on punch cards ... yes, punch cards. I can feel the pain, frustration, and helplessness welling up inside of me every time I see one of those cursed things.

For those of you who don't know, this is how computers received input before even typing at a console was possible. Each card represented one line of code and if you made a typo, you had to retype the card. And on more than one occasion I saw people carrying boxes of hundreds if not thousands of cards, which had to be a in a particular sequence, only to trip have have the cards scatter on the floor. We learned quickly to number them manually. Ugh.

(source: here)

But punch cards were an enhancement to papertape. If you made a mistake you had to repunch the entire program. And the paper would regularly wear out and tear. Although there was a brief time we used a polyester tape “master” that was much more Resilient than paper tape.

 

[sgtaylor5]

Just put out new baits in the two yellow jacket traps out back. I’m going to have to write a training manual for this year’s batch of bugs, none of them have figured out how to enter the traps. Last year’s batch filled them both up in a half hour.

Kids these days…

 

[DaveFromCampbelltown]

Just put out new baits in the two yellow jacket traps out back. I’m going to have to write a training manual for this year’s batch of bugs, none of them have figured out how to enter the traps. Last year’s batch filled them both up in a half hour.

Kids these days…

Mebbe they have learnt to avoid the traps? Evolution at hand.

 

[sgtaylor5]

Mebbe they have learnt to avoid the traps? Evolution at hand.

You’re probably right. Figures.

 

[HDFan]

I was lucky because when they brought me into hospital a salmon was there selling them a laser scalpel system

salmon ?

 

[Herdfan]

Looking for something a little slower. I live outside of DC and have been here for 38 years, and I'm tired of the rat race and hustle and bustle. Cost of living is better, housing is more affordable. Its just the first place on our short list for now; we'll check out a few more places as well, just havent decided ywt on where they will be

Have a friend from HS who did something similar.

Wife and I moved to AZ last year. Originally planned on Sedona, but house prices were/are stupid high. For example, a 2000' house on 1/5 acre lot that hadn't been updated since it was built in the 70's with no good red rock views was $1M. Nope.

Ended up in Cottonwood about 15 miles west. Couldn't be happier.

Back to my friend. When COVID hit, he went remote. His company discovered that they had no need for a a large office, so they dropped 90% of their office space and now just lease a small office with a conference room and IT closet. They started off requiring in-house meetings once a month, now quarterly. As long as you were willing to pay your own way to the meeting, you could live wherever you wanted.

So, like you, made a list of places they might want to be and Sedona was on the list. They never made it to anyplace else on their list. After two weeks in Sedona, they bought a horse farm.

 

[Herdfan]

Just put out new baits in the two yellow jacket traps out back. I’m going to have to write a training manual for this year’s batch of bugs, none of them have figured out how to enter the traps. Last year’s batch filled them both up in a half hour.

Kids these days…

Always creeped the wife out that you put meat in them as bait. Always preferred to set their nest on fire, but in the last few years I just dump some Sevin on their holes at night. They crawl through it and die.

 

[Herdfan]

But punch cards were an enhancement to papertape.

View attachment 2403280

My dad's company had one of these. I used to go get the little punches and take them to football games as confetti. Fun for us kids, not sure the adults felt the same way. LOL

 

[rm5]

Have a friend from HS who did something similar.

Wife and I moved to AZ last year. Originally planned on Sedona, but house prices were/are stupid high. For example, a 2000' house on 1/5 acre lot that hadn't been updated since it was built in the 70's with no good red rock views was $1M. Nope.

Ended up in Cottonwood about 15 miles west. Couldn't be happier.

Back to my friend. When COVID hit, he went remote. His company discovered that they had no need for a a large office, so they dropped 90% of their office space and now just lease a small office with a conference room and IT closet. They started off requiring in-house meetings once a month, now quarterly. As long as you were willing to pay your own way to the meeting, you could live wherever you wanted.

So, like you, made a list of places they might want to be and Sedona was on the list. They never made it to anyplace else on their list. After two weeks in Sedona, they bought a horse farm.

I've never had a reason to move cities besides going to college--neither have my parents. Sure, we've moved houses, but never moved cities during my childhood. My mom grew up here, and my dad has lived here 30 years.

Thankfully I don't need to decide where I want to live yet. That's for 22-year-old me to figure out.

 

[VulchR]

The worst ones were those cards that just had the holes punched, with no code written along the top.
...

Oh my. Ouch. Thankfully never saw those.

 

[VulchR]

Just put out new baits in the two yellow jacket traps out back. I’m going to have to write a training manual for this year’s batch of bugs, none of them have figured out how to enter the traps. Last year’s batch filled them both up in a half hour.

Kids these days…

I have a grudge against yellow jackets. Suffice it to say I was stung by a swarm of those things when I was a kid. Been allergic ever since.

 

[fibercut]

salmon ?

I begin to hate autocorrect lately! It has been getting words all the time! I meant to say seller!

 

[Herdfan]

I have a grudge against yellow jackets. Suffice it to say I was stung by a swarm of those things when I was a kid. Been allergic ever since.

Not yellow jackets, but their paper nest building cousins, the bald face hornet. Learned as a kid that they can track where a BB came from a good distance away.

As for the last time I got popped by a yellow jacket, they had built a nest in my wife's raised flower bed. Went to pull some dead flowers out and my hand got lit up. I ran and one followed me and when I turned around thinking I was far enough away, he got me square on the tip of my nose. Then to ad insult to injury, when I was at the sink running cold water on my hand, one had gotten up under my shirt and popped me in my lower back. Hate them.

Why do these things even exist?