Randy Yates wrote:> r.lyons@_BOGUS_ieee.org (Rick Lyons) writes: > >>[...] >>* "We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." >> --Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962. > > > Ouch! That had to hurt!So they blew it re guitars. Were right on re Beatles. Now Elvis could actually sing, But he chose lousy tunes/lyrics. Shall I duck now or later ;]
How things change
Started by ●March 3, 2005
Reply by ●March 8, 20052005-03-08
Reply by ●March 8, 20052005-03-08
Jerry Avins wrote:> Rick Lyons wrote: > >> On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 14:42:39 -0700, Kevin Neilson >> <kevin_neilson@removethiscomcast.net> wrote: >> >> >>> When I was a youngster (in the 80's) I had a book I bought from Radio >>> Shack that described the concept of digital electronics. It then >>> went through a calculation to show how television could never be >>> digital because it would take too much bandwidth. >>> -Kevin >> >> >> >> Ha ha. Neat story Kevin. >> >> Speaking of poor predictions, check out the following. >> >> [-Rick-] >> -------------------- > > > I'd like to add one more. > > John von Neuman to Jan Rajchman (once, my boss) upon being shown his 8 > kiloword memory in a cabinet the size of a large refrigerator and being > told that twice that in the same volume was possible: "That's wonderful > Jan, but what would anybody use that much memory /for/? > > JerryWould that have been "Whirlwind" project. That resembles my memory of subsystem which was in "Model Shop" at DEC in 70's being cleaned up for donating to Smithsonian.
Reply by ●March 8, 20052005-03-08
Richard Owlett wrote:> Jerry Avins wrote: > >> Rick Lyons wrote: >> >>> On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 14:42:39 -0700, Kevin Neilson >>> <kevin_neilson@removethiscomcast.net> wrote: >>> >>> >>>> When I was a youngster (in the 80's) I had a book I bought from >>>> Radio Shack that described the concept of digital electronics. It >>>> then went through a calculation to show how television could never >>>> be digital because it would take too much bandwidth. >>>> -Kevin >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Ha ha. Neat story Kevin. >>> >>> Speaking of poor predictions, check out the following. >>> >>> [-Rick-] >>> -------------------- >> >> >> >> I'd like to add one more. >> >> John von Neuman to Jan Rajchman (once, my boss) upon being shown his 8 >> kiloword memory in a cabinet the size of a large refrigerator and >> being told that twice that in the same volume was possible: "That's >> wonderful Jan, but what would anybody use that much memory /for/? >> >> Jerry > > > Would that have been "Whirlwind" project. > That resembles my memory of subsystem which was in "Model Shop" at DEC > in 70's being cleaned up for donating to Smithsonian.I don't remember the date, but it was at the second of what turned out to be annual computer conferences, organized by von Neumann at a time when computer memory was mercury-column acoustic delay line, rotating magnetic drum (equivalent to a tape loop). and other such kludges. Rajchman, a specialist in electron optics (he had vastly raised the gain limit in photomultipliers) made a no-phosphor CRT memory that used secondary emission from glass to write. Some practitioners, including brought show-and-tell, the beginning of today's exhibit floor. (Having gotten into computer memories via his thesis specialty, he whet on to patent core memory.) Jerry -- Engineering is the art of making what you want from things you can get. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
Reply by ●March 8, 20052005-03-08
Randy Yates wrote:> r.lyons@_BOGUS_ieee.org (Rick Lyons) writes: > >>[...] >>* "We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out." >> --Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962. > > > Ouch! That had to hurt!Probably much less than some of the other things Rick quoted, since this just was miscalculation in a long chain. In the 60s Decca screwed up at every turn with their pop music activities. They didn't become a label predominately know for its classical recordings because they wanted to be. :-) Regards, Steve
Reply by ●March 8, 20052005-03-08
Jerry Avins wrote:> Richard Owlett wrote: > >> Jerry Avins wrote: >> >>> Rick Lyons wrote: >>> >>>> On Mon, 07 Mar 2005 14:42:39 -0700, Kevin Neilson >>>> <kevin_neilson@removethiscomcast.net> wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>>> When I was a youngster (in the 80's) I had a book I bought from >>>>> Radio Shack that described the concept of digital electronics. It >>>>> then went through a calculation to show how television could never >>>>> be digital because it would take too much bandwidth. >>>>> -Kevin >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Ha ha. Neat story Kevin. >>>> >>>> Speaking of poor predictions, check out the following. >>>> >>>> [-Rick-] >>>> -------------------- >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> I'd like to add one more. >>> >>> John von Neuman to Jan Rajchman (once, my boss) upon being shown his >>> 8 kiloword memory in a cabinet the size of a large refrigerator and >>> being told that twice that in the same volume was possible: "That's >>> wonderful Jan, but what would anybody use that much memory /for/? >>> >>> Jerry >> >> >> >> Would that have been "Whirlwind" project. >> That resembles my memory of subsystem which was in "Model Shop" at DEC >> in 70's being cleaned up for donating to Smithsonian. > > > I don't remember the date, but it was at the second of what turned out > to be annual computer conferences, organized by von Neumann at a time > when computer memory was mercury-column acoustic delay line, rotating > magnetic drum (equivalent to a tape loop). and other such kludges. > Rajchman, a specialist in electron optics (he had vastly raised the gain > limit in photomultipliers) made a no-phosphor CRT memory that used > secondary emission from glass to write. Some practitioners, including > brought show-and-tell, the beginning of today's exhibit floor. (Having > gotten into computer memories via his thesis specialty, he whet on to > patent core memory.) > > JerryNo. "Whirlwind" would have been much later. It was one of the first core memories. Line drivers were 6L6's IIRC.
