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A Thread for Random Musings


Old Man

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Reading back numbers of Aviation from the fall of 1943, I learn that Struthers & Dunn of Philadelphia makes electric relays that have "memory." No matter how complicated the circuit is,the points on Struthers & Dunn relays "remember" which was the last to have current applied to it. I guess that's important if you're an electrical circuit designer.

 

"Honeywell of Minneapolis" has learned a lot about "control" working with the United States Army Air Force. So, when peace comes, bring your control problems to Honeywell!

 

Sperry reminds us of "Elmer, the man who never sleeps." Elmer isn't a man. He's a "gyroscopic autopilot." But he's as good as a man!

 

Ducol, the armour maker, has a new sideline, building rolodex-thingies the size of a desk. "Spare a girl for other work!" With the Ducol rotating filing systems, one file girl can do the work of 3!

 

Control is important, South Bend Lathes reminds us. Why, their new lathe has a central control position, where the lathe operator can set all the conditions for a complex machining operation. It's just like the cockpit of a C-54. (Which also has a lot of controls.)

 

Dowty liveline carburettors (now 100% American owned!) "think for themselves."

 

Guys. I think I have an explanation for why the productivity gains of the information revolution haven't been more dramatic. (Allowing that that is actually true.) You're looking for them about 70 years too late.

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I don't know if  you've ever bought facial cream, but FYI, it comes in tiny little jars that we retail at $30 per. We sell a lot of that stuff. It's always out on the shelf, and there are always people browsing in the aisles. Now, I know what you're thinking. Wouldn't your typical "How old do you think she is" lady be a bit embarrassed being seen lingering over the Oil of Olay Total Effects? But that's the wonder of it. The shoppers are all unshaven, skinny, agitated men just on the seedy side of 40, with black baseball caps jammed tight down over their faces. They tend to wear backpacks, and carry shopping baskets with light but bulky items that cover the bottom of the basket. Curiously, we often find the baskets later, in out-of-sight nooks and crannies, with the bulky items still in them. Oh, well, time to reorder the Oil of Olay.  And the $30 power toothbrushes, and the packs of steaks and the Monster energy drinks....

 

And tomorrow I am going to launch my own business opportunity. I'm going to cut to the chase and sell money. $20 bills, $50, $100, and maybe combo packs, all small and loose and easily concealed. We'll sell the bills to the stores at, say, $55, and the stores will sell them at $60. We'll have to pay the company a good chunk of our profits to fit them into the schematic, but once we're done that, they'll count against the Out of Stock audit, so that the stores will have to re-order them when they sell out. Er, "sell out."

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The local Game Stop (video game chain store) was having a release-night party tonight with a costume contest. One of the entries was a guy in drag.

 

I have no idea if he was cosplaying Dr. Frankenfurter or just a guy in drag... but I'm pretty sure he should have at least shaved if not waxed as he looked like a friggin grizzly in a corset and stockings.

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For death tribble and maybe lemming too

 

If one were to start listening to Siouxsie & the Banshees, where is the best place to start? I'm thinking their debut album The Scream and maybe a compilation album for an overview. I have heard Hong Kong Garden a few times now and find it catchy. 

 

Cordially, Baz

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"Look, I'm really sorry. What happened to you and your people is horrific, and in particular I'm sorry your wife died. If I had arranged for someone to check on you on a regular basis, then we'd have known about what happened to your planet and maybe saved many of you. But you did try to hijack my ship, and we consider you extremely dangerous, which is why you were left on Ceti Alpha V to begin with. How about if I arrange safe passage for you and the survivors to another planet, and we call it even?"

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