#76 June 14th, 2005 03:07 AM

Belgareth

Member

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

Yep, Belgareth, I started as a keypunch operator, entering all sorts of data for my high school, at an off-site location downtown in a room full of keypunch machines. Quite a long stretch of data management evolution since then, eh?

Indeed but with the rate of current development, I wonder where we will be in another thirty years time? No keyboards, or monitors, just direct plumbing eh?

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Manring

Member

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

Yeah. . . Moore's Law says something along the lines that the power of a computer chip doubles approximately every 18 months. Though some say that rapid rate has to slow at some point, most seem to agree it is not within the next decade or two.

I used to tell my computer classes that the laptops they use have more computing power than it took to put the first man on the moon. Not the programs and software, no, but the power...which used to take up room upon room, now portable and easy to carry. (An older oft-used comparison of advance in technology was the huge rooms of water-cooled radio tubes used to power stations like WLW that now is accomplished with tiny circuit boards and transistors.)

Science is already talking about smart chips in fingertips with which one can pay the grocer, buy items from a vending machine, withdraw funds, ID yourself to your home or vehicle, etc.

The book I mentioned in another thread, Marge Piercy's He, She, and It,
presents a very plausible future in which the house is the computer, greeting you as you arrive home, telling you what your messages and mail are, controlling light and heat as you enter or leave rooms, sensing intruders and disabling them with a certain wavelength, etc. Far more than that is described...very cool read.

All fine with me as far as humans keep their wits about them and personalities intact. Of course, there are always those who will find some nefarious use for it all. That's when I slide further underground. . .

Yep, Belgareth, I started as a keypunch operator, entering all sorts of data for my high school, at an off-site location downtown in a room full of keypunch machines. Quite a long stretch of data management evolution since then, eh?

Indeed but with the rate of current development, I wonder where we will be in another thirty years time? No keyboards, or monitors, just direct plumbing eh?

Head

Administrator

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

I have come across some strange aphrodisiacs in my time but never this subject. I can't remember a single instance of becoming "hot and bothered" by an old computer.

A girlfriend once told me that one of the most romantic nights of her life was the one when, in bed after sex,  I explained the binary number system and why computers use it.  Chicks dig clever guys you see, and binary arithmetic sounds mysterious and like you'd need a pumpkin sized brain to get it, but we all know it's easy really.  Warning: kids, don't try this on your first date, it's powerful stuff which must be used with caution - maybe start with something like the Dewey Decimal System and work on from there.  And if you get stuck, just give your uncle Head a buzz.

liz

Member

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

Chicks dig clever guys you see, and binary arithmetic sounds mysterious and like you'd need a pumpkin sized brain to get it, but we all know it's easy really.  Warning: kids, don't try this on your firstt date, it's powerful stuff which must be used with caution - maybe start with something like Dewey Decimal System and work on from there.  And if you get stuck, just give your uncle Head a buzz.

It's so true - talk nerdy to me, baby!

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Belgareth

Member

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

A girlfriend once told me that one of the most romantic nights of her life was the one when, in bed after sex,  I explained the binary number system and why computers use it.  Chicks dig clever guys you see, and binary arithmetic sounds mysterious and like you'd need a pumpkin sized brain to get it, but we all know it's easy really.  Warning: kids, don't try this on your first date, it's powerful stuff which must be used with caution - maybe start with something like the Dewey Decimal System and work on from there.  And if you get stuck, just give your uncle Head a buzz.

Really Head, I'm surprised at you! All of this geek stuff to con the ladies. Every geek knows that all number systems work in the same way. With the binary system being the basis, followed by the tertiary, quadernary, through to octal, decimal, duo-decimal and hexa-decimal.

I find it's a lot more effective to start by counting fingers and toes.

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Head

Administrator

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

Really Head, I'm surprised at you! All of this geek stuff to con the ladies. Every geek knows that all number systems work in the same way. With the binary system being the basis, followed by the tertiary, quadernary, through to octal, decimal, duo-decimal and hexa-decimal.

I find it's a lot more effective to start by counting fingers and toes.

So that's how you learned duo-decimal?

I used to write my PIN number on my ATM cards in Octal.  The thief is guaranteed to try it forwards, backwards, add 1 and subtract 1 - and by that time the machine swallows the card.

zille

Member

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

I am so glad my post has turned into the geekiest on-going post in the forums!  That is just perfectly appropriate!

Geeks are hot.  I'm a bookworm-turned-computer-geekette who adores old school computer geeks, science-nerds (Esp. physics!), and really, anyone who has spent vast time stuffing their heads with fascinating knowledge.  I like people with a passsion for learning.

At some point a few years ago I actually decided that I would only sleep with geeks from now on.  I have not regretted this decision!

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~See more of me at http://zilledefeu.com

voyeur2

Member

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

I am so glad my post has turned into the geekiest on-going post in the forums!  That is just perfectly appropriate!

Geeks are hot.  I'm a bookworm-turned-computer-geekette who adores old school computer geeks, science-nerds (Esp. physics!), and really, anyone who has spent vast time stuffing their heads with fascinating knowledge.  I like people with a passsion for learning.

At some point a few years ago I actually decided that I would only sleep with geeks from now on.  I have not regretted this decision!

 

I AM A GEEK, I AM A GEEK!  Where do I send the plane ticket?  I used to do great in physics in High School too.

Drool drool drool.

No emticons for this geek, he's way too cool fer that.

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Have I ever lied to you before?

trebora

Member

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

So that's how you learned duo-decimal?

I used to write my PIN number on my ATM cards in Octal.  The thief is guaranteed to try it forwards, backwards, add 1 and subtract 1 - and by that time the machine swallows the card.

Damn, you learn something new everyday.  I never thought of doing that.  God (or insert diety of your choice) bless the internet.

Though I can't convert octal and hex in my head without going to binary first.

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voyeur2

Member

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

Damn, you learn something new everyday.  I never thought of doing that.  God (or insert diety of your choice) bless the internet.

Though I can't convert octal and hex in my head without going to binary first.

Great idea.  Next time I find a loose card, I;; try the octal transcription of any markings on it first.  In France its 3 strikes you're out.  Octal is a great Idea.  hee hee

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Have I ever lied to you before?

Belgareth

Member

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

Great idea.  Next time I find a loose card, I;; try the octal transcription of any markings on it first.  In France its 3 strikes you're out.  Octal is a great Idea.  hee hee

I've just caught up on this thread after three days away in techie meetings and I don't think I could even count in decimal at the moment, so the only comment I can make is - don't let anyone discover your real names 'cos both yourself and Head just risked having your cards skimmed!

Oh, while I remember, I'm not telling you what I use to diguise my PIN.

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wantingscott

Member

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

Belgareth,
in a moment of paranoia, i just Googled "wantingscott" and got 17 PAGES of Google results. 17 PAGES!!!!

the internet is a scary place.

Scott

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that's the way it goes. but don't forget, it goes the other way too.

zille

Member

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

Hehehe, I just goggled "Zille Defeu" and got 1,940 listings!!!

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Belgareth

Member

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

Belgareth,
in a moment of paranoia, i just Googled "wantingscott" and got 17 PAGES of Google results. 17 PAGES!!!!

the internet is a scary place.

Scott

I know it's a scary place and I only I run a tiny corner of it. Around 35 servers, 50 web sites and the same in email server and name servers. I see the attempted attacks that are made on those systems every few seconds 24/7/365 (not counting leap years!) and that just the bad guys.

The Internet is the largest natural community the world has ever seen and, just like any other community, you will find about the same statistical mix of nice helpful people and downright nasty individuals. To make things worse, sitting on top of this we have the World Wide Web; the largest library of encyclopaedia, facts, fiction, movies, pornography and basic trash. It's one hell of a collation.

I appear in the search engines, more than once and I don't mean a reference to someone with an identical name, I mean ME. I didn't ask for it, I didn't expect it but I got it all the same and I am famous for precisely nothing.

Just a a useless statistic, in very approximate but growing numbers, there are 45,000,000 servers out there and around 65,000,000 registered domain names and the Web is barely ten years old.

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trebora

Member

Re: Thank you, thank you!!!

I google my name every once in a while to see what comes up.  The thing that amazes me is that there is nothing on my real name that I've been able to find yet.  Under my various nicks there is minimal stuff that comes up, most of it relatively harmless.  Though a lot of harmless information added up together can lead to problems.  I did find my old diary with a few degrees of seperation.  And that my name is listed as a female baby name. 

One thing to remeber is that most not so nice people are just looking for the easy way.  Without a big incentive they aren't going to go to the trouble to add up all the little information to get the big picture on you.  And the person with incentive and knowhow will get what they want nine out of ten times.

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