Older Folks and Vaping Back Porch - Part Four

[MikeE3]

I sure miss the mental challenges of all those jobs.

I don't! Well the 1st 25 years I look back fondly on ... lot's of innovation and breakthrough technology ... actually some fulfilling and exciting times. The last 20 years I could do without. Just bring it to the customer faster, cheaper and with less people. Then when the workforce was at it lowest ... I was charged w/ moving their work offshore and eliminating their jobs. Nope ... didn't enjoy the results of the last days of my career.

 

[MikeE3]

During a final exam in a machine code class I took - we had to write our name and address in binary - a full page later - I was done...

So after college I was hired by one of the leading mainframe manufacturers. We were put through a training / orientation for 6 weeks. Almost like being back in school. My 1st assignment was to flowchart "How to Change a Flat Tire". Really ... I spent all that time in college for this? Hey, you want to pay me a decent salary to do it, fine I'll do it.

Actually though it was fitting. Only a couple schools in the nation even had a computer science program/degree. New hires were hired based on their aptitude not their degree program. I recall one of the woman hired in w/ me along w/ a couple dozen other people had her degree in Art History. She never saw a computer or wrote a program just scored well on the 'aptitude' test to get hired.

 

[Semiretired]

Then when the workforce was at it lowest ... I was charged w/ moving their work offshore and eliminating their jobs.

Over one reduction - we eliminated 83 jobs (out of an area that had about 300 employees) - bragged about the savings - then used the savings to renovate the bathrooms and install new lights and ceiling tiles - then bragged about the job creations...

 

[Iffy]

I've never seen the new one, so just looked it up and set it to record. Here it started at 7pm for tonite. Thanks.

One of da more entertaining 'recent' phun philms. Actually, I watched it twice just to catch some subtle elements I missed da first time. Might have to catch it again...

- it's a chore to bend over to tie laces
- I gotta figure out how to make food without calories
- but it's too hot in the summer
- and too cold in the winter
- and it's been raining for the past couple weeks so we're inside more than outside

Guess we're gonna have to do this.

Phugetaboutit!

 

[Robert Cromwell]

During a final exam in a machine code class I took - we had to write our name and address in binary - a full page later - I was done...

I assume a binary representation of the CHR$ values?

Use Hex if is Funner DEAD, DEAF, and F00D are numbers.

 

[DavidOck]

So's DADA, but not MAMA

 

[Robert Cromwell]

So's DADA, but not MAMA

No but if you used base 36....

 

[Fuzzy Thunderbear]

I don't! Well the 1st 25 years I look back fondly on ... lot's of innovation and breakthrough technology ... actually some fulfilling and exciting times. The last 20 years I could do without. Just bring it to the customer faster, cheaper and with less people. Then when the workforce was at it lowest ... I was charged w/ moving their work offshore and eliminating their jobs. Nope ... didn't enjoy the results of the last days of my career.

Yeah, it was the older times I look back on fondly, not the crap today. When I started at Tektronix, we had 23,000+ employees worldwide (95% in Oregon) and about 20% profit share twice a year. Everyone busted their butts to do the very best job they could. I left during the time they were selling off whole divisions, laying off thousands of people, and all the crap you were talking about in the final years with your company. Today I think there are less than 1,000 employees in this country and all the manufacturing is done in India and China. Tek stuff is no longer the fine American product it used to be. Once upon a time, I was proud to have been a part of designing and building "the best," but today, if you gave me a Tek product, I wouldn't use it. It's now cheap Chinese Junk. The Founders rolled over in their graves long ago.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

imho the "Golden Age" of the USA has peaked.

 

[MikeE3]

Over one reduction - we eliminated 83 jobs (out of an area that had about 300 employees) - bragged about the savings - then used the savings to renovate the bathrooms and install new lights and ceiling tiles - then bragged about the job creations...

In the late 1980's the company employed about 80,000 people world wide. When I left about 7 years ago, it was about 23,000. The corporate IT 'resources' (hated that term, they were people) was about 3,000 worldwide. I was on staff at the home office. When I left it was around 800. Last fall I heard it was less than 100 due to continuing layoffs and outsourcing. What a joke in the end ... people were offered a.) voluntarily resign (*) or b.) be transitioned to the outsourcing company. Then for those that went to the outsourcing company about 6 month's later the majority were let go.

(*) If they didn't accept the transition "it will be assumed you have voluntarily resigned" the letter went. Me thinks there could have/should have been some lawsuits over it.

 

[Semiretired]

Me thinks there could have/should have been some lawsuits over it.

There were a couple of class action suits with one of the companies I used to work for - I got about $800 from one - I wonder how much the lawyers got...

 

[CasketWeaver]

First line would have sufficed!


told y'all he loves gettin whacked wiff dat skillet, maybe I need to get a rock!!

A rock? RETIRED! RUNFERYERLIFE!

 

[MikeE3]

The Founders rolled over in their graves long ago.

How often what we went through played out ... a real decline in USA business/industry. At one point along my path the company was bought out. It was played out as a merger but underneath it was a hostile takeover. There was a bloodbath that followed. The CEO was a Morman and when he lost his position went back to Utah. I guess he felt responsible for so many people losing their jobs because he couldn't fight off the take over, he committed suicide.

 

[DavidOck]

No but if you used base 36....

But who does? Heck, that would require a total redesign for that bittedness! Now, base 32, 64, and so on would work....

 

[Nermal]

Computers?
It is all done with ones or nuthins.

Yep, that's how it's done.

Permanent memory is where the ones and nothins are saved, like to disk.
Volatile memory is where everything goes away when you cut the power.
Semi-volatile memory is where the ones go away but the nuthins are still there.

 

[Robert Cromwell]

Employees are a valued resource. Look how the stock price goes up when a bunch are fired.

Short sighted fools.

 

[MikeE3]

I assume a binary representation of the CHR$ values?

Use Hex if is Funner DEAD, DEAF, and F00D are numbers.

So's DADA, but not MAMA

Good ones gentleman ... thanks for the light side ... I was getting maudlin thinking back on my work world.

 

[MikeE3]

No but if you used base 36....

But who does? Heck, that would require a total redesign for that bittedness! Now, base 32, 64, and so on would work....

I did! I did! I cut my teeth on mainframes w/ a 36 bit word. Yes I did. UNIVAC 1100 Series mainframes running EXEC 8 for their OS. I may still have a machine language code card around for it.

 

[DavidOck]

Happy to help!

Don't forget
FEED F1D0

 

[DavidOck]

I did! I did! I cut my teeth on mainframes w/ a 36 bit word. Yes I did. UNIVAC 1100 Series mainframes running EXEC 8 for their OS. I may still have a machine language code card around for it.

Ah, but was it BASE 36?

Word can be a rather arbitrary length, yes?