Posted on 12/26/2011 5:30:15 AM PST by Daffynition
DANBURY, Conn. – For more than a decade they toiled in the strange, boxy-looking building on the hill above the municipal airport, the building with no windows (except in the cafeteria), the building filled with secrets.
They wore protective white jumpsuits, and had to walk through air-shower chambers before entering the sanitized "cleanroom" where the equipment was stored.
They spoke in code.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Interesting. I’m always whining that they don’t make anything in CT anymore.
Merry Christmas darling! Much love to your family. Blessings of the season and for the new year!
I thought that’s what *tail hookers* did!
WOW!
:D
And all the durn thing could do was add, subtract, multiply and divide!
Personally, I like to think I was more talented.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
Did they have an Affirmative Action hiring program?
If you were in the community, you would have gotten the joke.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
I beg to differ, both by date and company. In February of 1972, Hewlett-Packard (HP) introduced the HP-35 ($395), the first practical, general production, hand-held, scientific calculator. In November of that same year, Texas Instruments (TI) introduced its SR10 ($149) "Slide Rule" Calculator. In 1975, the Keuffel and Esser company ceased its manufacture of its formerly very popular Deci-Lon lines, the ten-inch "regular" (Deci-Lon 10) and five-inch "pocket" (Deci-Lon 5).
My first calculator was a $100+ 4-banger brick of un-recallable name but I moved to the first HP-25 in '75 and updated as new models came along until my last and still best HP-200LX. I still use this jewel on a frequent basis even though I have an iPod Touch and other gadgets. It had the near-ultimate PIM (Personal Information Manager) that I have yet to see the equal let alone superior.
[Sorry TI fans, I could not resist. And for the HP Management IDIOTS who bowed to Microsoft and killed the great HP Calculator Division, eternal shame!]
Unfortunately, today in this country, promoting political correctness and advancing "diversity" command much higher priorities than maintaining national security.
I went to college in 1973 and most of the chemistry students I was with had SR10’s. A few of the Electrical Engineers had HP-35’s. I was stuck with a Texas Instruments TI-2500, a four-banger that cost me $79.99 and can’t do a tenth of what my $3 Casio wristwatch can today.
Yes, my Dad was an engineer and brought one home from work. I took it to my HS Physics class and wowed the teacher.
I remember scientific calculators in 1972, made by ti and others.
Fair enough, but it was the hand held scientific calculator that was a milestone in engineering.
TI was one of the leaders in that field.
In 1970 a fellow student brought in a hand-held calculator to our calculus class. The professor looked at it a few minutes then promptly banned it from his class! As I recall it only did basic math to 6 places, used 4 D cell batteries, and cost over $300!
TI Still is - try finding an HP 'Scientific' calculator in the stores - slim pickings but there are still lots of good TI ones at excellent prices! I root for TI but like HP they have found it hard to stay at the forefront.
The one current HP that I still find worthy of its heritage is the near-immortal HP-12c Financial which celebrated its 30th birthday this year. I remember teaching evening classes to realtors and brokers on how to use this gem 20 years ago. Like the DC-3 and C-130, there are some items that are the acme of practicality and design and just keep going!
Later
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