Computers

Yesterday Dave and I drove over to Kansas City and picked up parts to make a new computer.  It wasn't cheap, but it was the top of the line stuff.  Late last night, Dave called me and said that one part we bought wasn't the right one.  I don't know enough to even tell you what the real problem is.  He was really sad that he could not put together my computer last night.  I reminded him that I have the old standby laptop and when he gets things right I will start using the new one.  The time spent with Dave yesterday in the car was worth any expense I have to date and when the new computer gets here, I'll use it.  I really don't expect the new computer to improve my writing or sense of humor. 

How come Chicago, California and New York have the strongest gun laws and then have the most gun deaths in the Nation?  Does it make you think that the laws are just wrong?  I don't know the correct answer but new laws doesn't seem to be the fix.  I fear that that more Government to prevent us from having guns is the reason for the Second Amendment.  Is that circular reasoning?  

A few years back, I heard a new saying that I enjoyed.  "Eat one piece of cheese and forever you are a rat."  Perhaps it is because in our family we like to tease each other about past mistakes and have seconds on laughs at our own shortcomings.  How can we not laugh at ourselves when we are the best source of things to laugh at.    I really feel sorry for those people that don't have the ability to laugh at themselves.  I think I read once that it is not feeling bad for your mistakes that gets you in the end it is the feeling guilty.   Kind of like my advice to Dave yesterday about making mistakes.  If your boss comes in and says did you screw this up, admit it and tell him that you worked hard and just screwed up.  It is the lie or coverup that will get you fired.  Then, if possible, do your best to not make that mistake again.  

Did I ever tell you how I became the first Director of Automation Management in the Kansas Army national Guard?  I was setting a staff meeting for the G-3 (POTO) who was out of town.  The Chief of Staff came in and asked us who had a computer?  I was the only person in the room who raised my hand.  He said congratulations, you are the new Director of Information Management.(DOIM)  What that meant was I was selected to form a work group and write the automation architecture for the Kansas Army Guard.   As I recall, they wrangled a special allocation of money so I could buy the first real computer for the Guard.  I had been using my Apple II C and it didn't have any memory at all.  Everything was on disks and I did have the ability to dial up a net so I could stay in touch.  It really was a bulletin board and most of the information there was so technical that I didn't understand it.   

Our First Computer an Apple II C

That first PC for the Army Guard was a WANG.  It had 10 K of memory on the hard drive and I thought there was just no way I could ever fill it up.  A couple of weeks later when I found that I could not use the color part of the word processing program because of a lack of space it was clear that some one did not know what they told us to buy.   As I recall, we had to buy the black and white (really a green screen)  one year and the color monitor the next because of the $10,000 limit on each purchase.  In the end, I think the National Guard Director of Information Management lost his job over that work around on the contracting process.  Overall we did purchase 5 or 6 or the Wang's and soon found ourselves in the IBM and IBM clone world.  The last time I checked the WANGs were a part of a secure system and were only used as long as there were spare parts from the old computers.  I am sure that it went away shortly after I retired. 

I was going to put a picture of a WANG computer here but the only picture was one torn apart to show you the parts.  

That is all for today boys and girls, Tomorrow night the NCAA semifinals are on and I sure have my fingers crossed for WSU.  They have the toughest team to beat and they can do it if they play like they have the last 4 games.  I did get to see Baylor win the NIT last night and  they looked good.  

MUD