Obama Campaign Mourns the Loss of CRT Factory

[Bob K]

OK, I'm old. Stop rubbing it in.

In 1970 I bought a pair of the just introduced Colt MkIV-70s. Brand new. For $125 each.

And I'd trade them (and most of my guns) for a new digestive system, and legs without arthritis. I'm not complaining. You have to be alive to be old. And I've buried too many friends who were younger than I.

And back to computers & vacuum tubes, I once met the original ENIAC. It was designed to calculate artillery trajectories. Never completed.

I've read that your average home computer today has about 1,000,000 times the computing power of all the computers used by all the combatants to fight WWII.

[308Mike]

HTRN,

Are you old enough to remember when the corner drug store or dime store had a tube tester? Your TV or radio was acting up, you pulled the tubes, trundled down to the store, and tested them. When you found the bad one, you bought a replacement, and reinstalled everything.

I remember, there was a 5 & Dime down at the shopping center and a local FedMart that had tube testers. We used to have to take several down when the B&W console TV went out (remember the line resolving to a dot when you shut it off, and taking forever to warm up - and would still glow after it was off for a while?).

[Bob K]

Chris,

Then again, some of us grew up with carburetors, and still prefer them.

[SoupOrMan]

I remember a friend who broke his old CRT and found that the tube was an insanely thick piece of glass. We guessed as much, but it's nice to have proof. We then wondered what the proper load for bears wearing thick glass armor would be.

[308Mike]

On the other hand, it's hard to put out 400hp and still get 25mpg without fuel injection.

Going from low-lands to mountain driving (and back down again) is another great use for fuel injection, especially if you're pulling a load.

[mekender]

I've read that your average home computer today has about 1,000,000 times the computing power of all the computers used by all the combatants to fight WWII.

Hell the average cell phone has more computing power than all of the computers (combined) that were on board the shuttle Columbia on its first launch in 1981!

[moose42]

"What's a vacuum tube?" the kid asks.

Shit, I'm old.

I know the feeling. I've had kids show up at work that don't even know what DOS is...

DOS rules! I put Free DOS on a USB stick it's very handy to boot to now and again.

In my last semester of "Higher Education" (I have been going since 2000) the instructor asked for a show of hands who had used Dial-up.

I raised my hand as did two other people in a class of 35-40 students.

It's no wonder that most websites now don't care about bandwidth.

[308Mike]

He should have asked how many people had thought that 14.4 modems were the fastest thing to ever hit communications, ever since 2400 ruled the wires - or asked how many know what were X, Y, and ZModem.

[1991A1]

Vacuum tubes belong in amplifiers, not computers! HTRN

They also belong in old radios! I've got a collection of over 100 old tubies and I would be nowhere without my tube testers. I've got 2 of them.

[mekender]

raise of hands for people that have used a cradle modem!!