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Still trying to settle this…
I’m uncertain about the FTC ban on non-compete agreements. My consistent theme is STORAGE, which includes amortizing skills. If a company has paid an inventor or developer while he worked up a device or program or design for the company, the business should be able to protect the skill they paid to develop. Patents and…
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Reprint on preserving
Ran across this 2015 item when looking for something else I’d written about McBee cards. It’s not really relevant to McBee, just a thought worth preserving about thoughts worth preserving. The importance of STORAGE in all realms is among my constant themes. = = = = = Why not store reality as reality? Something called…
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Reminds us
The intensely British Abi Roberts reminded me of an aspect of the 2020 holocaust that needs to be remembered. We’ll never know the answers, but this question is pivotal. When all countries except Belarus and Tanzania began the holocaust on the same day with the same set of “measures” and “phases” and “subphases”, there was…
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Great headline but wrong.
Dan Rather fought the truth and won, and the media never recovered From the NY Post, the master of hard-hitting headlines. = = = = = START QUOTE: Yes, Rather was forced out at CBS for his disastrous reporting on George W. Bush’s National Guard service, in which he relied on fabricated documents to allege…
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Lots of buzz, no ring
The latest NewSuperstitionist has a big headline about a cure for tinnitus. I read it eagerly, but the article doesn’t live up to its billing. First, the finding is only about noise-induced tinnitus, which isn’t my problem. I first noticed the ringing around age 8, long before I was exposed to noise, and the baseline…
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Modern-sounding in 1951
Linked in previous about Mooers and information tech, worth a reprint. This was written in 2017 at the start of the FUCKTRUMP vs SUCKTRUMP era. Now the only “information” available is either FUCKTRUMP or SUCKTRUMP. You have to pick a side. You can’t be off the playing field. = = = = = START 2017…
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Old advice for “journalists”
In reading about McBee-type card systems, ran across Calvin Mooers. He was one of the more interesting characters of early computing. I’ll feature his Zatocard system later, but first want to write up his best-known observation: An information retrieval system will tend not to be used whenever it is more painful and troublesome for a…
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Sign of sanity
A new survey by Pew checks feelings about the Tech Tyrants. Not much difference between R and D on this question. = = = = = START PEW: Republicans and lean-Republicans (84%) are more likely than Democrats and lean-Democrats (74%) to think these companies have too much political power. And while Republicans’ opinions have changed…
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One frustration
One frustration of aging, for a logical type like me, is the loss of causality and correlation. In younger years, when I missed sleep or had a bad mood or various aches and pains, I knew what caused it. Fixing the cause fixed the problem, pretty consistently. If the cause was external (job situation, dentist…
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Makes sense
Pointed by Denyse as usual, a preliminary look at a major revision in our understanding of memory and intelligence. = = = = = START QUOTE: Typically, the cytoskeleton network provides mechanical support for the cell and is responsible for cell shape and movement. However, the Moffitt researchers noted that proteins from the cytoskeleton are…
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Don’t help them
Activists always have a tendency to overshoot. When rulers manipulate activists, they push hard to force the overshoot. This is well known in political and cultural and religious activism. Life always applies NEGATIVE FEEDBACK to minimize overshoots. Monsters always apply POSITIVE FEEDBACK to maximize overshoots until the system is damaged. Damaging the system is the…
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The Optophone’s daughter
Perusing more library-related journals, ran across another descendant of the Optophone. This one was developed by RCA in 1948, working with the VA to find a way to help newly blinded vets. The VA resurrected the Optophone again in the 60s with equally frustrating results. = = = = = START QUOTE: The electronic pencil…
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Hudson got there first
My latest coffeetable book mentions that Hudson had the first all-steel roof, beating GM to market by a month in late ’34. The ads on this page clarify how it was done. Hudson simply inserted a steel panel for the midsection instead of the wood and cloth that everyone but Pierce had been using all…
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Mini-notary
I’m studying more of the weird and wonderful punch card systems that flourished in specialized businesses, along the same lines as the McBee and Stanomatic. Some of the books delve into library equipment, which included a few clever gadgets along with a lot of familiar stuff. Adjustable shelves and bookends haven’t changed since 1890, but…
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Long-lived Enidites
Watching Enid’s emergency management agency live on Facebook. I noticed the hook on radar and decided to tune in. They’ve issued a sequence of tornado warnings, so far no damage or confirmed sightings. The head of emergency management is Mike Honigsberg, who has been in that office for several decades. He was also mayor for…
Polistra's Mill
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Polistra's Mill 