On Tue, 6 Jan 2009 03:08:08 -0500, "Eisboch"
wrote:


"Tom Francis - SWSports" wrote in
message ...

On Tue, 6 Jan 2009 01:06:17 -0500, "D.Duck" wrote:


Worked for Teletype Corp that eventually morphed into Bell Labs and moved
on
out to Naperville. Many friends of mine were caught up in the Lucent
fiasco.

I ever tell you my Dad had a beast of a Teletype machine in his radio
shack? Surplus military thing - bigger than a freakin' washing
machine.

My Navy experience started out as a Radioman and I was among 3 of the first
non-rated people to attend the Navy's teletype repair school in Norfolk.
( I later converted to electronics in a Navy technical education program).

Anyway, the Navy method of teaching stuff is sometimes amazing. I had never
seen a 100 wpm teletype machine in my life. At the end of the six week
school, I (and all the other graduates) could completely disassemble the
thing and it's hundreds of parts including gears, clutches, pawls, shafts,
etc., spread out all over the place and then reassemble it, make all the
necessary adjustments and it worked. Thinking about modern computers, one
can see the direct relationship and evolution of Morse code to 8 bit
teletype machines to this new, 64 bit Vista powered computer. It's an
amazing advancement of technology to witness in 40 years or so.

I remember one time back in the early sixties, Jean Sheperd (of
"Christmas Story" fame) and my Dad completely tore the machine apart
and put it back together over a weekend.

Damn thing worked fine with the little occasional noises here and
there. :)

I agree with you though - the advances in tech have been truly
amazing. It is interesting though, how the more things change, the
more they stay the same. Watching kids text is just like watching old
time radio or rail telegraph operators - abbreviations every other
word and somehow it all makes sense. :)

To be honest though, the one thing that worries me is this reliance on
digital processing. I still say we're setting ourselves up for a
major commuications melt down and sooner rather than later.

You heard it here first.

--

"Far better it is to dare mighty things,
to win glorious triumphs even though
checkered by failure, than to rank with
those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor
suffer much because they live in the gray
twilight that knows neither victory nor
defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt