I would add ALGOL PL/1 and MIX to that list of oldies. PL/1 was my first. I paid 10 dollars for a programming language manual in about 1976 and didn't eat that week, but I had the most curious week of reading... Proc Options (Main); humm the rest is blue screens and history....

Regards the "Kill an Idea" statement. I have what I consider parallel circumstance to draw. Some 60 or so years ago a shepherd in the Qumram area of Palistine unearthed some scrolls. We now know these as the Dead Sea Scrolls. After being reported as "Find of the Century" a small group of scholars started to work on them. and that was it. Few reports, no translations of the more interesting ones. Nothing. Fairly recently a second group of scholars obtained copies and "leaked" the actual scrolls to the Internet. The "Scrollary" scholars were very upset, threatened law suits copyright infringement and everything. But the data was out there now. It could be viewed by MANY people some official some not. But available. One could draw a parallel circumstance with FOIA2009.zip and the global warming argument. When Data is free, many minds can look, determine, and decide. When few know, few control. Internet is Freedom and information DEMANDS to be free. Wikileaks performed a very needful service before all this and, in spite of diplomatic egg on face STILL performs a needful service. As I said: Information DEMANDS to be free.

it would smooth out crystals in the ferrite matrix of the tape. Seriously. Data at that time was measured as 1600BPI or 1600 bits per inch of tape recorded in 8 discreet tracks or "not very much". If a spot on the ferrite coating bridged the "tracks" this caused a data check (and bridging was the usual cause of issues). Running the eraser over the tape smoothed and broke this connection, resorting in the tape drive being able to read this bad spot. We are not here talking about the femto-micron gap between bits on a modern hard drive

WAY back in the day when Mainframes ruled the land, data was written to 9 track tape. Occasionally a data check would occur when data was written to a bad spot (crystal int eh ferrite mix coating the tape, wrinkle, etc) on the tape. Old Operator trick: Pop open the Vacuum door on the tape drive, pull out the tape, Lay the spot on that tape over the top of the tape drive door, briskly rub with a big square rubber eraser kept for this purpose, put tape back and hit START on the drive. Usually the tape then works and payroll goes through with no one the wiser

I never trusted the "one Mao Jacket Fits All" paradigm in fashion, and certainly do not with my machine. Somehow the judgement of engineers who "friended" all my gmail address book is suspect. at least to me in designing a total operating system...

What she did was remove all security and allow her Bosses to do exactly what they asked for... 10 minutes later the missiles launched and all was ruin.

I do not, I do as many Persians do and ignore him. Most there believe they have no voice anyway (see last election).

Ahmadinejad's speech needs to be heard from the perspective of knowing something of Persian culture. We tend to think we understand people by what they say and in this case and, frankly in most cases we do not when Iranians speak. For example: If someone dies, it is considered not polite to just say "Shogi is dead". You break it gradually. So on the first inquiry, "Shogi is feeling unwell" is the reply, then, "Shogi took a turn for the worse" , then "Shogi has passed". Also, it is considered dishonorable for a man to admit ignorance. This makes it very hard to teach new ideas in Iran. Speak to a Persian and you are met with "Yes Yes, this I know, next thing please" The Persian culture is actually a very beautiful thing full of warm people, but they are NOT American People. They are a seperate culture. when Ahmadinejad announces ____ fill blank. we believe him, Persians think "there goes Dinner Jacket again.."

that the problem is the erratic orbital nature of Galaxy 15, and the fact that this orbit intersects weather Satellites. Would it be proper to refer to this relationship as.... NOAA's....Arc? Two by two.

Could be worse. could have been named for the son of Marcus Aurelius: Comodeus

One day long ago, a company, as part of a traveling promotion for their product, had a display of one of the original 13 copies of the Bill of Rights. In 1789, Congress had authorized hand made copies of these to be created for each of the States. This copy was in an inert Nitrogen box, inside a steel case, in a steel display kiosk built inside their semi trailer traveling display. Accompanying this display was some fellows in dark suits, ear pieces, and a distinct bulge in the under arm area. I assumed they were Secret Service. To enter this display it was required that each citizen must pass through a metal detector. I happen to always wear Redwing Boots. Redwings are very well built steel toe boots. Of course the alarm went off and I had to remove my shoes to enter the structure. I should mention this was in the early 1980s long before Homeland Scrutiny and the need to strip search 80 year old Irish Nuns at the airport to insure they are not Arab anarchists in disguise.. I dutifully, and meekly removed my boots so I could enter the display. To this day, I recall standing in my socks, looking down at the original document that stated: The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. It made me feel warm...right down to my (cold) toes....

ISP: "Your password should be at least 8 characters and include at least one special character and one number" Online Service: "Your password should be 6 to 8 characters and include at least 1 number, no special characters. Next Online service: "Your password Must begin with a number and be at least 16 characters" and so on. Consistency may be the hobgoblin of small minds but it WOULD be nice once and a while...

there is one simple alternative: DO NOT FLY. When the Airlines see massive drop off in passengers when they feel this intrusive buttinsky security in the pocket book THEY will step in to help. Need to go to a meeting? do it online, going on vacation? see the local sites. If you must go overseas, try going by liner... Freedom begins when we all stop being cattle.

Klaatu barada nikto -now doesn't that sound like clear baby talk?.

I always thought deflection was inversely related to the amount of Kryptonite the asteroid contains.