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Fun Fact Thread! (previously fun fact for the day, not limited to 1 per day anymore.)


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On 1/14/2024 at 4:39 AM, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

Doesn't explain why Sasquatch is blurry 

that is clearly alien stealth tech, sasquatch is from the martian ice caps. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

In 1952, 61 (74?) B-36s, two-thirds of US's intercontinental bomber fleet, were smashed up by one Texan tornado.

All but two were returned to service in under five weeks after Project FIXIT. Apparently, it was the only time the Air Force disbursed a seven-figure budget based on a contract one page long.

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On 1/24/2024 at 5:13 AM, Nuke said:

that is clearly alien stealth tech, sasquatch is from the martian ice caps. 

LOL, like my idea of an plane so ugly its stealthy as people can not stand watching it. 
Now this would be an WW 1 and 2 thing as it probably don't work against IR or radar guided missiles. 

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1 hour ago, magnemoe said:

LOL, like my idea of an plane so ugly its stealthy as people can not stand watching it. 
Now this would be an WW 1 and 2 thing as it probably don't work against IR or radar guided missiles. 

 

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One of the first laptops, the GRiD Compass, was unpopular with the businessmen it was aimed at because typing scared them:

Quote

GRiD was designed for business executives in the early 1980's, but its keyboard was perceived a threat to those same executives. They didn't have any terminal or other keyboard device in their office, and so were uncomfortable with a PC. They were afraid of typing, thought they might appear inept, and even felt it was a demotion to type (in those years, secretaries took dictation and typed memos for business executives). This contradiction slowed GRiD adoption - at least in that targeted market segment.

Of course, it then went on to be a military darling (hence why it's in Aliens: Extended Cut as the sentry gun controller) and flew on the Shuttle. So they made out alright, despite it costing over $8100 at launch.

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1 hour ago, AckSed said:

One of the first laptops, the GRiD Compass, was unpopular with the businessmen it was aimed at because typing scared them:

Of course, it then went on to be a military darling (hence why it's in Aliens: Extended Cut as the sentry gun controller) and flew on the Shuttle. So they made out alright, despite it costing over $8100 at launch.

I don't know about putting so much weight on "typing".  What practical software was actually available and a "must have" for execs in 1980 when there was no real connectivity without a great deal of hassle?  I think most execs simply didn't find them useful yet.  Their staffs and assistants did all the stuff they needed to get done.

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It came out in 1982. So, let's see:

https://oldcomputers.net/grid1101.html

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GRiD-OS is no slouch - the suite includes:

-GRiDManager - communication and utility functions that allowed it to access GRiDCentral online file storage, software download and data services

-GRiDPrint - control format and appearance of text files

-GRiDWrite - full-screen text editor

-GRiDPlan - electronic worksheets

-GRiDFile - database facilities

-GRiDPlot - converts data to graphs

-GRiDBASIC - programming language

-GRiDTerm - terminal software to allow it to connect to mainframe data services

So it was basic, but out-of-the-box it had BASIC and spreadsheet, and graphing software, and a personal database. You could autocomplete commands by using the CODE key. It could connect to GENIE over POTS thanks to its built-in 300/1200 baud modem. It had a bright EL screen, 256K bytes DRAM, 384K bytes bubble memory, an arithmetic co-processor. It was 4.6kg mass and a briefcase form-factor, when IBM's later 5155 Portable was a 13.6kg monster the size and weight of a sewing machine.

Later it would gain a DOS 3.0 ROM, and an integral floppy drive, allowing it to run Visicalc and Lotus 1-2-3.

So when the engineer who worked there and later started Palm Computing states that that was the original reason it didn't take off with businessmen, I think that was what was said to them at the time.

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One man's bad handwriting is another man's Gilly.

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On 26 January 2024, the Radiolab podcast aired an episode about the asteroid, which co-host Latif Nasser first noticed on his child's solar system poster, where it was referred to as [Venus's moon] "Zoozve", derived from the artist, Alex Foster, misreading the asteroid's provisional designation "2002VE".

 

Edited by DDE
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2 hours ago, AckSed said:

It came out in 1982. So, let's see:

https://oldcomputers.net/grid1101.html

So it was basic, but out-of-the-box it had BASIC and spreadsheet, and graphing software, and a personal database. You could autocomplete commands by using the CODE key. It could connect to GENIE over POTS thanks to its built-in 300/1200 baud modem. It had a bright EL screen, 256K bytes DRAM, 384K bytes bubble memory, an arithmetic co-processor. It was 4.6kg mass and a briefcase form-factor, when IBM's later 5155 Portable was a 13.6kg monster the size and weight of a sewing machine.

Later it would gain a DOS 3.0 ROM, and an integral floppy drive, allowing it to run Visicalc and Lotus 1-2-3.

So when the engineer who worked there and later started Palm Computing states that that was the original reason it didn't take off with businessmen, I think that was what was said to them at the time.

Ok, but connect on GENIE to who?  There wasn't a big crowd of executives hanging out on GENIE.   Very few execs used BASIC or even Visicalc or even knew what they were then.  Grid was a nerd machine that only the nerd's boss's boss could afford and he had no use for it being mostly immune to nerd cool factor

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19 hours ago, DDE said:

Now its plenty of industrial equipment who used pretty ancient computers to control them, many still use floppy discs. Now this is for internal use only controlling stuff like an CNC machine or lathe and run an custom control program running on dos. But require document on floppy is totally different. 

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7 hours ago, Superfluous J said:

The answer to that last question relies entirely on the forethought, wealth, and/or legal knowledge of the harbormaster.

Agree, Now I say he would win a legal case as its the same ship assuming its not changed changed like its lengthen and is now an trimaran :) 

Now this has actually been used by the US navy back in the 19th century, they was allowed to upgrade ships but not build new ones by congress but building an new would be cheaper so they scrapped the old and transferred some items to the new, the ship bell was an primary one.  

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1 hour ago, magnemoe said:

Agree, Now I say he would win a legal case as its the same ship assuming its not changed changed like its lengthen and is now an trimaran :) 

Now this has actually been used by the US navy back in the 19th century, they was allowed to upgrade ships but not build new ones by congress but building an new would be cheaper so they scrapped the old and transferred some items to the new, the ship bell was an primary one.  

Also for "Remodeling" projects in California (and other jurisdictions) - where so long as one wall remains, it's a remodel, not a teardown and new build.

People play funny games with the law.  It's one of the saving graces of the profession.

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14 minutes ago, JoeSchmuckatelli said:

Also for "Remodeling" projects in California (and other jurisdictions) - where so long as one wall remains, it's a remodel, not a teardown and new build.

People play funny games with the law.  It's one of the saving graces of the profession.

Now tax rules are an area where you can hire professional trolls as in tax lawyers. Tax law get weird because you can change an bad law it require people to agree on it and it can be hard to drop laws. 
Also stupid judgement like in Norway sugar free soft drinks still had to pay an soft drink sugar tax even mineral water who never has sugar while none alcoholic beer, 
Sugar free soda contains almost no calories while non alcoholic beer have half of standard ones. 
No it makes no sense but political inertia is a thing and if you agree this was wrong they also demand the other stuff you did was wrong who is ridiculous. 

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8 hours ago, magnemoe said:

Also stupid judgement like in Norway sugar free soft drinks still had to pay an soft drink sugar tax even mineral water who never has sugar while none alcoholic beer, 

Spoiler

As it isn't an alcohol, it's a sweet water for chicks and weaklings. True vikings drink beer.

Viking_feast_cheers_1_-_The_Viking_Heral


 

 

19 hours ago, DDE said:

9z5IqYuEiUQ.jpg?size=1290x1565&quality=9

All this wooden junk doesn't matter.

Only the data record in 1S (accountant software) decides, what is ship, and what is not.

Btw, what was Theseus shipping?

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3 hours ago, darthgently said:

Life finds a way.   -- Jurassic Park

In wilderness is the preservation of the world.  --  Thoreau (probably a paraphrase)

In freedom is the preservation of civilization.  -- me

 

We should uplift them, cheaper than drones over long timescales at least until they want retirement packages. 

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