Ian Abel Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Computers....RIGHT....(scenes from the Four Yorkshiremen sketch...), of course I had it tough... When I started out, I learned to program on a Ferranti Pegasus (google and be amazed!!!) and programmed in assembler and also Fortran on a computer we were allowed to use at VIckers while I was in college. Pegasus input and output was via punched paper-tape, and the output was then fed into a teletype printer to produce printed output! The first Pegasus was used at Vickers in Weybridge and there is one now/still at the Science Museum From there I went on to work at Shell at Waterloo on Univac 1108s and subsequently, the becoming quickly more popular IBM 360 series. My first personal computer was a "Fat Mac" 512K Mac and I'd held out so I could get the 800K disk drive machine! I also owned a 20MB hard drive that cost some idiotic sum like $400. Was a lot when the Mac cost jsut over $1100! I was a Mac developer for several years in the 80's "in my spare time" whilst still working on mainframe and then super-mini machines. After that many and varied computers for work and home... written more miles of code than I care to imagine <sigh> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
34theletterbetweenB&D Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 ...Bracing myself for one day hearing "I've met a boy and we're going to herd sheep in NZ. You can come and visit if you like!" That's not the gut wrenching bit. Before that there's quite a likelihood she will have produced a fair selection, some of whom will have had you despairing of her taste. But apparently this thing about kissing frogs is true, they have to do it to find their prince... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 .. As children used to steal mouse balls most teachers soon learned the keyboard equivalents! IIRC Mac mouse balls used to come in packs of two. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smiffy2 Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 I also remember having to take the balls out and clean the rollers... In the end we superglued the ball covers on, it stopped the thefts but drastically shortened the life of the mouse. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium New Haven Neil Posted November 25, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 25, 2014 I've no need to Google a Ferranti Pegasus, Ian - we had one at my Grammar School! Given to the school by a local industry when they upgraded. 5 hole tape...yeah! Little neon indicator tubes....oh, the memories! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 That's not the gut wrenching bit. Before that there's quite a likelihood she will have produced a fair selection, some of whom will have had you despairing of her taste. But apparently this thing about kissing frogs is true, they have to do it to find their prince... Where's the "Tear my hair out button in fear" button when you need it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NGT6 1315 Posted November 25, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 25, 2014 IIRC Mac mouse balls used to come in packs of two. Erm... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Good evening all and a big thank you to Tim for posting the order of service. My thoughts will be with you and yours tomorrow. I hope that the service goes as well as these things ever can. Once again it certainly puts things into perspective. I am tired right now as I type this. Sarah has been ill for three weeks with a nasty bout of flu which has followed the flu jab. Amber has now caught it too so both the girls are not well. This has led to me running around helping them before and after work and much less sleep. These three weeks include the Weston model railway show (which I organise) and the latest days for my leadership course. With students in school I have the task of sorting them out. This is all in addition to the usual teaching commitments. Today I have been off on an interview for a moderator's position. This would see me seconded out of school for a couple of weeks in the summer to visit other schools to check on the assessments of the children reaching the end of their time in infant education. The interview was at 9am in Matlock and after being woken at 5am by my ill daughter. I was not exactly at my most awake for a journey in thick fog. Sadly it was not worth the effort. The interview did not go well although I think I answered some questions well, the unexpected ones caught me out and, being so tired, I was not quite so adept at thinking on my feet. I have been promised the result by email later this evening. Sadly having not heard anything thus far I think my fears are well founded. One small positive from the day was a little bit of free time in the morning between finishing the interview and needing to be back at school. This allowed me to drop into Masson Mills at Cromford for a relaxing coffee and a cooked breakfast as well as picking up a couple of Christmas gifts for Sarah. She had spotted them during our weekend visit. Just a shame I arrived back to find the class had misbehaved for the supply teacher. I will deal with them tomorrow! RIP Don Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
108 Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Thanks to Tim for the Order of Service. I spent some time in Cape Town around 1995. Will be thinking of Don, Tim and the family and friends. Wish I could be there with you. Many thanks again to Tim for keeping us up to date. RIP Don. A true gentleman, sadly missed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jamie92208 Posted November 25, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 25, 2014 I've no need to Google a Ferranti Pegasus, Ian - we had one at my Grammar School! Given to the school by a local industry when they upgraded. 5 hole tape...yeah! Little neon indicator tubes....oh, the memories! My introduction to computing at Huddersfield Poly in 1972 we had to write our code in basic then post it outside the door of the computer suite. the next morning we would find a little bag with a reel of punched tape with a note attached , usually saying something like " failed due to coding error at line 150". It could take you several days to get a short programme to work and we were never allowed through the door to see the machines. As to Ferranti computers. Our command and control system used to run on an Argus. Our head of IT said it was well obsolete but spares were still available due to the fact that the early Nuclear power stations were controlled on the same machines. Jamie 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium PhilJ W Posted November 25, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 25, 2014 IIRC Mac mouse balls used to come in packs of two. Even the female ones? Hat... coat... gone...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purley Oaks Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Good evening all and a big thank you to Tim for posting the order of service. My thoughts will be with you and yours tomorrow. I hope that the service goes as well as these things ever can. Once again it certainly puts things into perspective. I am tired right now as I type this. Sarah has been ill for three weeks with a nasty bout of flu which has followed the flu jab. Amber has now caught it too so both the girls are not well. This has led to me running around helping them before and after work and much less sleep. These three weeks include the Weston model railway show (which I organise) and the latest days for my leadership course. RIP Don Thanks to Tim, really appreciate seeing the order of service for DonBrad. Andy, I'm so sorry that Sarah has been brought so low with the flu jag - I had a day or two of 'flu' around three days after my jag, so I hope that she gets well very soon - for the sake of Amber and the Weston show. Hope you've seen your doc/pharmacist about this - the manufacturers of the vaccine need to know. Get some rest! Mal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyram Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Just seen the Sainsburys Christmas advert which was shown on Googlebox. Not sure whether I find it poignant remembrance of a historic event from World War One or a cynical rip off to try and sell a few more goods. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Two_sugars Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Probably the latter. . . . . . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jock67B Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Good morning all, Just looked in very late and catching up has been so wearing I've started nodding off, probably best to post some drivel later in the morning in that case! Hope you all enjoy the hump, Kind regards, Jock. And of course, G'night Pete! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trisonic Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 G’night, Jock........... Best, Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelintrev Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Morning all, better night sleep last night , until some ars*ole rang the door bell at 5am! - my fellow apartment dwellers driver - he was of to the airport an early flight.... still it's hump day so let us hope it goes well? Trev. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium NGT6 1315 Posted November 26, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 26, 2014 Morning all. Still too dark to see much outside. I have an appointment with my GP over a phased return scheme this morning and am hopeful that this programme will be what I need. Try to make the best of today, guys... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Barry O Posted November 26, 2014 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 26, 2014 (edited) Its the middle of the week....what happened to Monday and Tuesday? Will be thinking of Don today..hope it all goes well. Fighting with Ebay's global postal system which looks good but seems to favour them making yet more dosh! Baz Edited November 26, 2014 by Barry O Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Robert Posted November 26, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted November 26, 2014 (edited) Morning All, Thank you for posting details of Don's Requiem Mass, Tim. It looks like it is going to be a lovely service. Good choice of hymns! I will be thinking of you all today. On the subject of computers, my Father built a ZX81 from a kit when they first came out, and that was my first experience of computers. He also worked for a very progressive company who realised that there would be a computer on everyone's desk in the future - so they bought examples of most home computers and then let the employees take them home at weekends to try out. That way, I got experience of many different computers - most of which nobody has heard of these days! Anyway, here are a few pictures from our trip to Castle Frankenstein at the weekend. I didn't take them, my wife is a better photographer! Have a good day everyone... Edited November 26, 2014 by Robert 23 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 So here we are in the Delta Airport hotel in Calgary. Very nice ... except we were supposed to be in our own home in Vancouver. Would you believe - they couldn't get enough gas on the plane to get from Houston to Calgary (jetstream flowing almost directly north to south against the aircraft). So we stopped in Denver to refuel, and got to Calgary after the day's last flight to Vancouver had left. And ... the first flight with three seats on it tomorrow is at 13:15! Nothing against Calgary (except the general Vancouver disdain for Cowtown) but a morning in Calgary airport does not really appeal. (And just in case anyone remembers my status update on the weekend, and puts it together with this post - no, we really did have a great week in Houston.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold roundhouse Posted November 26, 2014 RMweb Gold Share Posted November 26, 2014 (edited) So here we are in the Delta Airport hotel in Calgary. Very nice ... except we were supposed to be in our own home in Vancouver. Would you believe - they couldn't get enough gas on the plane to get from Houston to Calgary (jetstream flowing almost directly north to south against the aircraft). So we stopped in Denver to refuel, and got to Calgary after the day's last flight to Vancouver had left. And ... the first flight with three seats on it tomorrow is at 13:15! Nothing against Calgary (except the general Vancouver disdain for Cowtown) but a morning in Calgary airport does not really appeal. (And just in case anyone remembers my status update on the weekend, and puts it together with this post - no, we really did have a great week in Houston.) We changed planes there last year on our way home from Portland. It was a very disjointed airport in our opinion compared to many. I still think that Portland Oregon is one of the best though. Oh the joys of travel. Trains all a bit delayed this morning. Our Thameslink train came in to a different platform and it stops in a slightly different place so we were last on and the bloke I sat next to had been asleep so he was obviously not happy having some one sit next to him and kept spreading his legs and arms and shoving me so I got up. He wasn't happy that I did do we had a few words with each other. He called me a fat bastard despite he was over on my seat and that I should lose some weight. OK he might have a point there so couldn't really argue with him! Any way that's set the mood for the day and no doubt I will have one of my directors at me to place an order despite we will lose money on it that the other director won't like. Getting back to commuting, there was a meeting with Southern last night in Redhill theatre with Southern and Thameslink. I would love to have gone but having to get ready for our trip to Wakefield on Friday we just didn't have time. Looking on the Facebook page they had to turn people away due to health and safety because of overcrowding which is quite ironic when the whole meeting was exactly about that with the proposed cuts to services to London Bridge!! Edited November 26, 2014 by roundhouse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyB Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Morning all, Nice photos, Robert. Think the B&W treatment works particularly well - very spoooookkkkkyyyyyy. Both children back to almost full health today and off to school. Day preparing for tomorrow's science club then a planning meeting in the evening for next term's activities. Yahoo email seems to be down at the moment and the brief glimpse of it that I got before it announced it was having "technical problems" suggests someone has tinkered with the format again. Leave it alone and stop fiddling! Grrr. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewC Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Morning all from the monsoon borough. Ian, PH, there are far worse airports than yyc. Trouble with that place is it was originally built in the 70s and was modular. Designed to be unified and expanded into an almost full circle around the central hub. Unfortunately by the time they needed the expansion that was no longer practical so it has grown like Topsy over the past 15 years. Disjointed is an understatement. The customs hall has been rebuilt/moved every time we go back. Blame a rather powerful taxi cartel for the lack of light rail to the terminal as well. One of the best bits was when they ripped out the concourse wall between the A and B gates. That gives a great view of the tarmac. Then they ruined it by having to build a segregated walk way along the front so people could stay airside when transferring from domestic arrivals to international departures. Meh. I hate airports in general. PH if you have the time maybe hop a hotel bus downtown and wander there for a bit. Great views from the Calgary Tower, Devonian Gardens is worth visiting. <thus endeth the Calgary Tourist Authority shameless plug> Other than that all soaking wet quiet here. Have a great day everyone. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martin1 Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 morning all,wet here though thankfully no frost ! all the best to Don,and Andy with you mate,missis had the jab and me and we are wrough to say the least ! have a good day all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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