Suddenly got quiet in here, the after school kids are hoofing it home during a lull in the weather...won't miss the seemingly pointless conversations (to my old ears at least...sorry, feeling a bit curmudgeonly lately)...the kids all have cel-phones, and use them well...as one kid heads out the door, another yells out, "I'll send you the address later..." Non-Luddites they are"...
School computer....1968-70 ish....
When I was in High School I somehow ended up in a math class that was far more advanced then I was able to handle...I think someone got my transcripts mixed up with someone else... Mr. Peterson would work for weeks preparing a fairly simple math problem to enter into the schools computer....which looked something like this pic I found on the web....like clockwork....it would crash....and Peterson would say...."Oh well...maybe next week", as far as I know he was never able to get that thing to complete a program. By the time I started college...computers were even larger, and run by punched out cards...that mothers and grandmothers fashioned lovely gold spray painted wreaths....and after a brief fling as an engineering student....
Fast forward a few years....I'm on a $200.00 notebook computer that would have blown minds in the 60's, and most kids these days... would consider it a toy...I imagine....My father passed away in '95...he had a third hand IBM PC....I believe it was...the one before the 286's... it had some basic programs on it that he used to type up things he needed for the sailing class he was teaching at the Naval Post Graduate school in Monterey. How did a career Air Force photographer end up teaching a sailing class...some might ask...? Well...it's Eddie Albert's fault...yeah that Eddie Albert...the one who starred with Eva Gabor in the TV show "Green Acres".
Eddie before "Green Acres"
My father joined the Sea Scouts in the Long Beach area. The local Sea Scouts had Eddie Albert's yacht at their disposal when he wasn't using it. The troop would sail down to Mexico and back. (couldn't find a picture of his yacht...but did find this smaller craft with him at sea...)
But darling....so, you're really German?
Tender moment from Green Acres...
Random shot of a Honda 350 powered High Heel...a bike Ms. Gabor might approve of...
As it turns out Mr. Albert is a very interesting individual...worth a Wikipedia read. He was 'black listed' in Hollywood, and after heroic service in the US Navy during World War Two...he was able to resume a career in Hollywood.
Link to Wikipedia article-------------->https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Albert
How many people do you know can say that they worked as a clown and high wire artist traveling through Mexico, while simultaneously working for Army Intelligence ?
We will be back with our regular programming...
just an awesome post Larry, thank you from all at the Derbyshire Luddite League!
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