The Moose Factory (virtual Bar & Grill)

[Fred_Ginger 1]

Date: 10/28/2005 1:28:10 PM Author: Voar Tok

Date: 10/27/2005 11:17:20 PM Author: MsD

Date: 10/27/2005 7:07:08 PM Author: N_O_Body Hi folks.  Good discussion today, too.  Let's keep it going.  Current topic seems to be BATs and history of *.bat (remember those?).

@MsD:  Shhhh, Deb, you'll date us both.  Do you remember type 77 sorters?

quote>

Well, let's see...................., you're talking about the IBM punch card sorter or collaters, right???  Know about them, not much, seen them in action but never worked with them.

[shhhh, Deb, you'll date us both] I think I should buy you a drink.

quote>

Whoa, that would make you guys pretty old.  Then again, I know what you are talking about.  Does that make me old?

quote>

Yikes, I know what you're talking about too - use to work with 'em (do not fold, bend, spindle or mutilate) oh, how I loved folding bending . . . .  Oh, by the way, I'll never be old because I still play!  FanG

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Page 58

Wow! The interest in the history of business computation is quite strong. It seems that at least four of us are pre-computer types. Guess what my first systems job was? I was the guy who worked with the printing trade to get the correct MICR (Magnitic-Ink Character Recognition) coding on the bottoms of cheques in Canada. I was working for a chartered bank at the time. I gather that most document handlers read the E13B font optically these days, but the same old font is still in use. And, yes, in those days, most of the data processing in the bank was done by EAM equipment including card-sorters, collators, and tabulating machines. We did have an IBM604 electronic calculator that leached over by a huge cable to one of the 407 tabulators as a printer. It was used to compute mortgage payments, interest and balances. Gasp! It had tubes! Transistors were newer than new then. We did have a minicomputer in the clearing department that did the cheque sort and print for the clearing house. It had a Pitney-Bowes (remember them?) document handler. The actual computer was an SCC655 in disguise as an NCR310. We still had a lot of clearing/proof machines that did a lot of the work mechanically with a keyboard operator at each one. This phased out as readable cheques phased in. The operators moved upstairs to the data capture group.

@zmveliger: Yes, allegory is the same in both languages. Allegorical writing is very good, and often increases the wit and humour in an otherwise dull passage. I haven't been to the STEX much lately, since I have the disk, which suits my purposes for now. I think some of the people who comment in the STEX might very well need some of their corners forcibly removed.

@Voar Tok: You are only old if you agree to be old.

@Fred_Ginger: Agreed. Old is in the mind of the beholder. I think someone is about to give me CIV IV today. If the reviews are right, I'll be a goner for a few days.

[MsD 0]

@Fred_Ginger & N_O_Body:  Wow! I guess we got somthing started on this history thing, didn't we? Don't want to give a life history here, but I will say that I am only 45 (not quite that old) and yes I am retired.  Thanks to some good investments and a heck of a lot of luck in my carreer, I have managed to retire way before my time.  I am, on occasions, invited to give safty lectures dealing with the trucking industry.  I have to say that I am proud and yet regretfull at the same time, that I managed to do this with out a collage degree.  My Computer knowledge comes mainly from trial and error, starting in 1983 when I bought my first computer.  There are quite a few things that I am aware of and have seen people operate just out of the intrest of educating myself.  However, I must say that there are even more subjects that I am completly ignorant about, like what N_O_Body was talking about in his last post.  Most of that went over my head.  That just tells me that I still have plenty of growing up to do and more to learn.  For those that are still in school keep it up and go on to collage if at all possible, the more you learn the better off you are.  Although a real world education is great scholastic is better.

 

@zmveliger & N_O_Body:  I got a replie from the BSC team.  I must say that it wasn't that encourging.  However, they did give me some good advise.  I may use this as a first post for a thread in the BAT discussion section to get even more ideas before I actually post my lot.

 

Thanks to all and again, drinks all around on me.

Some brandy please.

 

@N_O_Body:  I hope you're alright?

[zmveliger 16]

@MsD: It does't surprise me at all that your contact with BSC proved to be disappointing. They don't tend to mix a lot with others easily. If you're looking for ideas, there's a lot of them in the official BAT request here . 60 pages of please do that with some pictures (unfortunately some are really poor quality ones). Personally, I don't like like it. With a little imagination, it's quite easy to find something original. If you need to discuss, I'm available. For now, I'll just say that it's better to begin with a project dealing with 2-3 challenges, not more (it's too easy to get discouraged). Making a small replicate of a real life building is certainly something to avoid at this time (even afterward if you want to keep creativity as the main focus of your work).

You're lucky to be retired at 45. Enjoy it for me. I finished my masters degree 2 years ago and if my career continues the way it started, I won't be until 90-95! Well, instead of choosing engineering, I did ecology and international volunteering. That might explain why. But even if I could turn back time, I think that nothing would be changed.

Thanks for the drink...

@N_O_Body: I'll take a Brandy too, even if I prefer Cognac (its great cousin). Thank you for visiting my poll. The bad news is that the Fishing club cottage is lot leading at all... So it looks that my next BAT won't be that, sorry. Knowing that you would like it might change its rank on my list however . I always consider the source...

A few minutes ago, I saw your computer desk... Coca-Cola, even diet, is not good for you... You should take care of you a little bit more.

A long time ago, I used A+ at the end of a post. It's an old habit since in French, we're used to say

[hym 358]

Date: 10/28/2005 1:28:10 PM Author: Voar Tok

Date: 10/27/2005 11:17:20 PM Author: MsD

Date: 10/27/2005 7:07:08 PM Author: N_O_Body Hi folks.  Good discussion today, too.  Let's keep it going.  Current topic seems to be BATs and history of *.bat (remember those?).

@MsD:  Shhhh, Deb, you'll date us both.  Do you remember type 77 sorters?

quote>

Well, let's see...................., you're talking about the IBM punch card sorter or collaters, right???  Know about them, not much, seen them in action but never worked with them.

[shhhh, Deb, you'll date us both] I think I should buy you a drink.

quote>

Whoa, that would make you guys pretty old.  Then again, I know what you are talking about.  Does that make me old?

quote>

Then I guess the Moose Factory ought to be a retirement community since I vividly remember Win95 and I have memories of Win 3.1 and of Lotus 1-2-3 too.

[MsD 0]

@zmveliger:  Hopefully, by Monday I will have posted a thread about the first Lot I have already made.  With the idea of getting comments and suggestions from the entire community not just a handfull of people.  I think I might have better luck with this route.  I'll give you a shout here on the factory when I get it accomplished.

 

@Hym:  If you have memories of windows 3.1, then you should have memories of of MS-DOS.  DOS was still going strong when Win 3.1 was out.  About Win 95, I thought it was a terrible system win 3.1 was 10 times better.  Although, Win98 took care of that and pretty much wiped out the general use of DOS.  Now DOS is still a part of Window XP, I have found that most people don'w know this, but it is still there and quitetly working in the far background.

[zmveliger 16]

@MsD: fine, I'll surely have a look on this next week. I don't want to sound pessimistic but having comments and suggestions from the entire community was what I had in mind with my actual poll... 50 persons is not that bad but disappointing nonetheless for a poll (where people may justclick and go). Many of the comments I have are from my ST friends like N_O_Body. I encourage to do it but do not expect too much. I wish you more succes than I have.

 

@hym & MsD: [shhhh, Deb, you'll date us both] is completely unfamilar to me, but I can tell a lot about the DOS era... My first OS has been MS-DOS 3.2 in French on my XT. I remember well thatsall.exe, the little Looney tune music (a fantastic pc speaker version) and text appearing. On a XT, the speed was OK... But on a 486... The last time I tried that stupid thing was on a P-I 133. The whole song lasted less than 0.2 sec. When I moved last year, I discovered a original box of MS-DOS 6 (update), the one supposed to 2x the HDD capacity... Funny, no?

 

Bye!

[MsD 0]

@zmveliger:  Thank you so much, you and John have been very kind and helpful towards me and very encouraging.  I really do appreciate it.

If you are talking about the poll you posted concerning what your next BAT should be I think I voted.  I believe you had a choice of a scuba-diving shop which I voted for.  If that is not the poll please refer me to the one you mean.  I enjoy sharing my opinion when asked.  Although, as we say here, we all know what opinions are like and they all stink, except mine.  LOL'); height=15 alt=Insert smilie src=https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/3.gif width=15 border=0>

 

(Pleas take that like I mean it)

 

HEY, LOOK!! I'm a local now.  I love these tags.

[zmveliger 16]

@MsD: Congradulation for your promotion! Since the owner seems to be away for a short period of time (shortest as possible I hope), I'll jump over the bar and ask you what you want to drink for that special occasion. I hope he'll pardon me...

 

The poll is the right one. It passed the 50 mark today, YEEEEEEEAH! I'll drink with you.. To the community. Cheers!

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Now let's be clear on this old fogey stuff. I really am 68 and thoroughly retired and on old age pension. I didn't volunteer for this and would still be working if there was any work for me anymore. People just don't realize what happens when they stop employing people when they are 65+. The truth is that they usually get rid of their most experienced people and wind up with the young tigers who haven't even had a kill as yet (and may not). Furthermore, since we are established, we are also not likely to jump ship for money or advancement if we have a good job. Job satisfaction for us usually counts more than a few bucks (unless, as some have found out, it is slave wages). When the mainframe business was finally killed by the PC networking stuff, I was a casualty. I got tossed out in 1990 witih 8,000 other people in the company on the same day. Downsizing can be pretty brutal. After that, I became a college teacher, and no matter what they say in their employment brochures, if you are over 65, there will be no more contracts.

@MsD: Sorry about the brandy, I am afraid you'll have to settle for a 3.3 cl balloon of Remy Martin VSOP. We really don't stock Spanish brandies because there is no call for it. So, enjoy. Aha! You've become a Local Yokel?

@ zmveliger: Enjoy your Remy, too. I am diabetic, so I am constrained to sugarless soft drinks. I far prefer Diet Coke to Diet Pepsi (reminds me of the stuff in the bottom of a urinal). Have you considered going on for a Doctorate? If nothing else, you could probably teach somewhere. (Yes, I know, blecch!) On the old music issue, I used to have a Trash-80 and used the three part music programming that was available then. Neat for doing hurdy gurdy music, but that version of the O/S was peculiar to Tandy. Alas, now gone. Now, remember, the automated system doesn't require a bartender or a server. I don't know what you found behind that bar, but I haven't looked there for several weeks.

@ hym: Why should you feel old? I'll be you are young enough to be my son. He is 27. About MS-DOS: Yep, it is still there doing its thing. Microshaft has stated that there will be no DOS support in VISTA. If that is so, they had better do a better job of explaining scripting. My first small O/S was CP/M. Sorry, but I do pre-date a lot of IT people who are around now.


Re: CIV IV. My acquisition has been delayed for technical reasons. Some drivers have to be updated. Also, I am busy recovering my SC plugins because I accidently deleted one of my directories (I had a recent backup, but not complete).

[MsD 0]

A VERY GOOD MORNING TO EVERYONE!

@N_O_Body:  Sorry about that perverbile ax.  And no, I really am not 45, not anymore anyway just turned 46 today. Yeah, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME'); height=30 alt=Insert smilie src=https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/39.gif width=20 border=0>'); height=30 alt=Insert smilie src=https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/39.gif width=20 border=0>'); height=30 alt=Insert smilie src=https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/39.gif width=20 border=0>'); height=30 alt=Insert smilie src=https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/39.gif width=20 border=0>

 

I consider myself fortunate that I was able to do what I have been able to do.  Plus, it does help to have a partner that is still working.  And maybe I am not fully retired since I do still take invites to give lectures but I can refuse these invites if I chose to do so.

 

Thanks for the drink by the way.

[gggg 9]

Hi Joan...

 

This round is on me again.

 

couse its my 2000th POST

[zmveliger 16]

Hi everyone! It's party time for some of you...

@N_O_Body: You are only old if you agree to be old. Obviously, your not! It's nice to have people with more experience for enthusiast recruits. It's a balance needed in a working environment... and ST. Me I'm actually 29 (almost 30). I think that I was older 4-5 years ago... Fortunately, Africa changed that!

 

Diet Pepsi, Diet Coke... almost the same (even if I never tasted them!). I was thinking about green tea. I drink that from time to time and I enjoy it. It's supposed to be very good for health too. Like Guiness (that's what's written on the bottles of Foreign stout in Gambia).

 

PhD... I had several occasions to think about it. At least 4 times. It might sound stupid but 4 different professors asked me to begin a PhD in their lab and I turned down the offer each time. So many reasons why... One thing I enjoy very much in ecology is being on the field, doing experiments, playing with electronics, create an experimental design... I like very practical stuff. What the PhD does most of the time is reducing that a lot and replace it by paperwork and grant hunting. That's not for me now. I'll add that research is very stimulating and it's easy to get addicted from an intellectual point of view. It's a enclosed world and I realised that it was an ivory tower. Adding to the mix extreme competition (and uncivilized behaviour from time to time), political strings, people falsifying data... I have to admit that I'm idealist and a little naive. Disillusion has not been happy. So when I was finishing my masters degree, I decided to land my feet in the real world, doing real things with real human people. Then I volunteered for Africa... Like I said to zelgadis lately, taking the right decision is important but taking it for the right reason is much more. It would be stupid to say something and not applying it in my own life... So I'm happy even if I'm underemployed and I wouldn't change anything if I could turn back time. And it's always possible to begin a PhD if I want to. Undoing it, no.

 

The brandy issue turned out a very interesting way. VSOP Cognac is much better! BTW, I was searching among the bottles on the shelf when a big droid hand took my throat and toss my over the bar. The serial number is still imprinted on my skin. You should feed your automated system a less aggressive command lines...

 

@MsD: Happy birthday! I'm offering you a drink. No, it won't be brandy...

 

@gggg: Congradultaion for you 2000th post. It's a very nice idea to do it hereand I hope you'll come back more often. Maybe N_O_Body has a special vodka for you (if you're 18+). Thanks for the drink. Who's Joan?

 

Bye!

[tungston 19]

I still have 3 working computers that use 8 inch floppies, 2 CPT's, 8525a, and b, one IBM external floppy drive the size of the IBM Personal Computer, how old it that?

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Happy Birthday, Debra.

2000 posts is a lot considering the time you've been around. Congratulations, gggg, how about a shot of
Absolut?

Africa? What did you do in Africa, zmveliger? Sounds fascinating. You said something about ecology. Is that your field? Macro or micro?

tungston: Three? I haven't seen an 8-inch floppy since we ran diagnosics on a DataNet 355 back in the bad old days at Honeywell.

By the way, did you hear that Honeywell and Fairchild Semi-conductor were going to merge? The name of the new company will be Fairwell Honeychild.

[djrules5454 5]

Fairwell Honeychild sounds quite boring.

 

*Pokes the radio at his booth, only to discover that is a shapeshifting goose*

 

Ouch!

 

My computers are both in no condition to play SC4 on, so I let someone else borrow my cds.  That means I'll have to revert back to The Sims and SC2K.  I may have 400 posts by the end of my Thanksgiving break.  Yipee!

[SYM Productions 7]

Hey Moose!  Wow I remember this thing from 2 years ago on Simcity.com... incredible... saw you're signature and came straight over!

Oh yeah I'll have Llama Milk Hot Chocolate, lotsa whipped cream, choclate sprinkles... and The Moose Factory's Classic Coffee Cake... please and thank you!

 

Long hard day juggling BATting and homework... working on the Winnipeg Re-creation Project as usual.

 

@MsD: Happy Birthday!  Coming up to Local too...

 

@gggg: Congradulations, even if you now have more than 2000 posts.

 

@zmveliger: Salut mon bonhomme, f

[gggg 9]

ANOTHER ROUND FOR EVERYONE

 

couse I just got a custom label

 

Joan: thanx... great choise.... though I prefer `Finlandia`.

I wont be drinking this one though.... dont want to get to drunk....cyber drunk that is

 

zmveliger: Joan is N_O_Bodys name.... isnt it??...... btw this sentens sounds very funny

 

 

 

 

 

[SYM Productions 7]

Congrats gggg on your custom label... who presented to you and why... just curious

Moose's name is John, as in John...

 

- CDI_spy

[Lyhoko Leaci 770]

I remember having Windows 3.1 on my fist computer, then I switched to 98, then I has ME for a short time, and now I use Windows XP. Some of my grandpa's computers still run on DOS, and they are mostly for running the GWBASIC programs that my grandpa created on them. (I think there are also some that I made on there as well)

*The zukes roam around before going into the back room and falling asleep.*

[zmveliger 16]

@gggg: congratulations for your custom member label and thanks for the drink. N_O_Body's name is N_O_Body on Simtropolis... and not Joan in real life. Ask him...

I wonder what your custom label means...

 

@CDI_spy: Nice pictures. I have plenty of Quebec City photos and I should do a virtual exhibition one day...

 

@N_O_Body: About ecology, I did my MSc on micro but I can do macro as well. My main speciality is limnology but I worked a lot with terrestrial plants and ecosystems, especially in Africa...  On that that, I have so much to tell. I've been there twice, Senegal both times. I'm speaking enough the most popular language (Wolof) to have a basic conversation. The second time, I learned a little bit the Serer language. That ethnic group is very small, found only in Senegal and gradually assimilated by Wolof language-culture (there's a debate going on actually the it's not a ethnic group but a melting pot). I learned Serer well enough to be more fluent than most of Serer people living in Dakar... The first time (2003), I stayed there for 3 months working in a school, planting trees and giving biology class. The second time (2004-2005), my 6 month mission was to help a small community to combat desertification. That time, there was no electricity, no running water... and not a single white person 100kms around! I did a lot of things: working on a dyke (small dam) around an island, nonformal teaching to villagers, evaluate their local initiatives and sharing my perspective. Finally, I took a lot of data to make a small ecological atlas of the area. I'm still working on that from time to time. The most important aspect of my 2 stays there is that I lived in a Senegalese family. I shared with them everyday life. They included me in their own familiy and gave me so much. I consider them as part of my real family too and we are still in touch. I'm looking forward my next stay in my second home. Maybe I'll buy a small piece of land to build a small shack. Since I don't want to write a whole book on your thread, I stop right now. If you ask questions, I'll be happy to answer them.

 

I can call that place home!

 

Wolof: Bo jaffi lakas!

Serer: Bo tanke!                  He he!

[Voar Tok 4]

Date: 10/30/2005 1:25:23 PM Author: tungston I still have 3 working computers that use 8 inch floppies, 2 CPT's, 8525a, and b, one IBM external floppy drive the size of the IBM Personal Computer, how old it that?

quote>

DUDE!  8 in. floppies!  That is old school.

 

I remember hearing about tubes and that kind of stuff, but the last stuff that I vividly remember was AT&T computers and Lotus 1-2-3.

 

I had an old recylced 386 for my PC for many years, but it got too slow to continue using.  Oddly, though, I used it up till around 2003.

 

I like being young, but all this reminiscing is making me feel like and senior citizen.

[Eastwinn 6]

http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/888/happyhalloween0vi.gif align=middle vspace=10>                                  

    Happy Halloween everyone! Me and my sister are going Trick or Treating this year for the last time but at least we can buy candy at any store after halloween for half the price! This year I am going as some guy with a pencil through his chest. Everybody at my shcool's Halloween dance loved it. Also, do you serve anything pumpkin flavored here? If so, I would like some Pumpkin Juice, Scrambled Pumpkins and a side of Bacon Pumpkin. Oh, and I want that plate over there with that awsome pumpkin face on it for 2 year olds!

 

[hym 358]

First off, congrats to MsD on for her birthday; only woman I've seen who will tell everyone her age.

Second, congrats to gggg on his custom member label.

 

Third, I don't know why, but I have a good feeling about this week.

[MsD 0]

@EVERYONE:  Thanks for all the birthday wishes'); height=15 alt=Insert smilie src=https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/2.gif width=15 border=0>

@gggg:  Congrats on post number 2000.'); height=30 alt=Insert smilie src=https://www.simtropolis.com/idealbb/images/smilies/39.gif width=20 border=0> and the custom lable.

 

@tungston:  My first computer had 2 8in. flopies, and the keyboard was attached to the cpu.  Its long gone now.  I should have kept it just for the history.

 

@hym:  Something special this week......    Are you going to surprise us with somthing sweet.

 

@zmveliger:  Unexpected company this weekend, so I might not make my BAT post until tomarrow.

 

Happy Haloween to everyone!

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

@djrules5454_simtropolisedition: Chuckle. You didn't get my 2/3 of a pun, I take it. Be careful. Things are only lost by loaning are those you most want to keep.

@SYM Productions: Service completed. Ah, I see the coffee cake has green and orange icing tonight. Neat pix. My sister lives a few miles north of you in Pinawa, and my niece lives in the 'Peg. I left the Toronto area over 15 years ago. I now live here. .

@gggg: You really should improve your spelling. My name is John (Ivan if you prefer). Congrats on your label. I wonder about Finlandia. Are you a Finn or a Russian? I should think a Russian would prefer Meadowlands as being more representative of the Rodina.

@ Leech10: Gee, I haven't used GWBASIC since I used it on my nephew's VIC 20, lo these many years ago. He is married with his own son now. GW = Gee Whiz in case anyone cares. It must have been quite a blow going from '98 decor to XP in one jump.

@ zmveliger: Senegal, eh? I believe that is in the Francophone area, so it is understandable. Sounds like you had great experiences there. Were those CUSO or CIDA projects?

@Voar Tok: When I was a young adult, tubes were just about at the end of their life cycle. In 1963, though, we had a set of balanced thyratrons (gas filled tubes) running the hammer modules in our drum line-printer. There are so many old tube stories, I hesitate to continue this subject. I might fall into a Dirac hole.

@ Eastwinn: Why, thank you. That orange font takes a real beating on a white background, however. I had to select the text to read it. Tonight, just for you, we have pumpkin pie with fresh whipped cream, orange ice-cream with green mint sauce (sweet), and orange cura

[Fred_Ginger 1]

The first computer program I ever wrote was on IBM punch cards (for a class I was taking) and I worked with punch cards (people would write warehouse (storage) locations on them, I would have to key punch the location and if correct (after run thru checker) feed the cards to a card reader.  Our computers were in a huge old building and had tape reels.  Later (and a more advanced job) we got machines that you could type a presentation on and it would print it on transparencies and what a day it was when we got our own computers!   And then things like PowerPoint came along and we emailed our presentations - whoooeeee.  I'm retired civil servant - worked for the US Air Force at McClellan AFB for 34 years -was what we called a Program Manager  sort of a orchestra leader, trying to get the AF requirements lined up with the money and time, etc.   (You want it to do what by when????  ) I wouldn't have retired at the time but didn't want to move either, so . . .

Oh, happy birthday MsD

[vidioman 21]

I'M BACK!!

Wheeeeeee!

Welcome me with a pie!

[hym 358]

*Get back-up flares and yells Set her down Charlie*  That was a bunch of candy for everyone in the Moose Factory.  Leech, I got special zuke treats for the zukes.

 

Well, the good feeling is related to homework.  That reminds me, I have to thank SkiGeek for some help she gave me.

[Fred_Ginger 1]

Date: 10/31/2005 6:51:00 PM Author: vidioman I'M BACK!! Wheeeeeee! Welcome me with a pie!

quote>

Hmmmm.... pumpkin pie, not a half bad idea . . .  now where did I put that knife????