OK, this seems like an old Live Journal (or even CompuServe, possibly FIDOnet) meme, so Ill go along. 1. My first telecommunication device was an acoustic coupler that I pushed the phone into and then used a teletype-like device to interact. A year later, I bought a 400-baud modem. 2. The computer I ever used had 16 KILObytes of memory. It occupied the better part of a fairly large room, read cards (not even paper tape), and was a Scientific Mainframe — the IBM 1620. 3. When I bought my first personal computer, I had to use it on the kitchen counter because that was the only place in the house that had a three-prong plug. (House built in the mid-1920s; electrified during Rural Electrification in the mid- to late-1930s.) After locating a three-prong plug, I had to drive down to K-Mart to buy a TV. The TRS-80 Color Computer used your TV as a monitor. 4. During my high school career, the only association I had with the acronym NFL was National Forensic League, a debate and public speaking association. 5. I have kept track of every book I have finished reading since June 1, 1969. How many of you were born before that date? 6. When I was 35, I frequently fell asleep in a bed littered with COBOL manuals. Eleven years later, my bed was littered with IRS updates to the retirement requirements (nearly a rhyme). 7. I met my current wife when I was 19 years old; she was 16. Her mother gave us the summer, but when it was time for her to return to high school, she broke it off. On Labor Day weekend, 1966. On Labor Day weekend, 2006, we met again — some say by coincidence; but we believe by Divine Design. We were married in 2009. 8. My first car was a 1946 Chevrolet. When I first entered the car, I knew where the key went. I turned the key to no effect. I was told that the starter was to the right of the gas pedal; I needed to press that to get things going. I pressed it. There was some noise, but nothing useful. I was told that I needed to pull out the choke. Choke? Under the dashboard to the right of the steering wheel. OK. I pulled it out, stepped on the starter, and — lo and behold! — the engine started. But only for a few seconds. I was told that, once the engine started, I needed to push in the choke. I did. Tried again. Now its flooded. Smoke if youve got em. Tried again. All went well. Drove 20-some miles home, from a very rural setting through the capital city of the Empire State, including a stop at a red light in the middle of a hill — with a standard transmission. A discrete curtain is drawn over the details of that event.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 02:41:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015