Quote: sootyj @ October 28 2013, 8:14 PM GMTGetting lost with the crystal again Dave?
Its an unending struggle
No. I would apply to be on the show. I would start in the Futuristic zone. The hardest zone
Status report Page 5,376
The Crystal Maze was fun.
Following my visit to Bletchley Park last Saturday, where I saw that as well as Colossus etc the NMoC also had an old Elliott mainframe computer with Paper Tape readers of a certain shape, I was reminded that I own such a reader myself that used to be part of the London University Atlas computer.
I bought the reader from Proops Brothers junk shop in Tottenham Court Rd after Atlas was scrapped in 1972. In the early 1980s I modified the reader so that it could work with my first major micro computer.
Anyway that was the background, my status report is that yesterday I soldered in a new light bulb into the reader after the old one burned out.. 30 years ago! I bought the spare bulb about 30 years ago and I only just got around to fitting it 
Sometimes it takes me a little while to getting around to doing some tasks
Do you still use the reader, Bill?
Bloody hell it's tomorrow 
No wonder I feel like I'm on drugs.
Night night everyone 
Quote: Hannah G @ October 29 2013, 12:04 AM GMTBloody hell it's tomorrow
No wonder I feel like I'm on drugs.
Night night everyone
You're still here !
Heard a noise earlier that sounded like it was coming from downstairs, and though it was almost certainly our heffalump neighbours thumping up their stairs I can't shake the feeling that it's a heavy-footed serial killer who has hidden under my bed while I was brushing my teeth.
Quote: Ben @ October 28 2013, 9:51 PM GMTDo you still use the reader, Bill?
Erm, not for the last 30 years, but I do plan to get it fully functional again. It is working now, but the sensitivity of each hole has to be adjusted each time.
Before I left the University in 1980, I recorded some then very interesting software on the most stable long-term media low-cost available, punched paper tape and they are in a box here that it would be nice to turn into modern computer files. Remember in those days floppy disk drives for 8" disks cost about £2000 and the University Computer Centre didn't have any., Magnetic tape came on 10 inch reels and needed a huge tape drive £20,000 ? to read them. Hard disk drives had 29" platters. and there were no such things as CD drives or memory sticks.
Snag is I can't remember and can't find any documentation of which pin I wired to what on the output socket and my modification using silicon chips is done with wire wrap connectors, which is a bit like programs written in terse languages, 6-months later you can't remember why did did THAT and most of the wires are the same colour so it is a right pain to re-trace the circuit.
Quote: Harridan @ October 29 2013, 1:11 AM GMTHeard a noise earlier that sounded like it was coming from downstairs, and though it was almost certainly our heffalump neighbours thumping up their stairs I can't shake the feeling that it's a heavy-footed serial killer who has hidden under my bed while I was brushing my teeth.
Don't worry Harridan it's almost certainly Aaron on his yearly BCG visit. He brakes into your house and hacks into your computer to check you haven't been visiting other comedy sites such as Chortle. I like to leave out some mince pies and series one and two of an appropriate retro sitcom such as The Good Life.
Quote: roscoff @ October 29 2013, 9:34 AM GMTDon't worry Harridan it's almost certainly Aaron on his yearly BCG visit. He brakes into your house and hacks into your computer to check you haven't been visiting other comedy sites such as Chortle. I like to leave out some mince pies and series one and two of an appropriate retro sitcom such as The Good Life.
Quote: AJGO @ October 28 2013, 5:11 PM GMTAJGO is procrastinating. Someone tell me to go and do some bloody work.
Don't put of until tomorrow what you can put off until the day after!
Quote: Harridan @ October 29 2013, 1:11 AM GMTHeard a noise earlier that sounded like it was coming from downstairs, and though it was almost certainly our heffalump neighbours thumping up their stairs I can't shake the feeling that it's a heavy-footed serial killer who has hidden under my bed while I was brushing my teeth.
Eep. Are you alive?! I hate how possible serial killers always wait til you've gone to the bathroom. If you're gonna brutally murder me there was no need for me to bother with the tiresome chore of brushing my teeth.
Quote: roscoff @ October 29 2013, 9:34 AM GMTDon't worry Harridan it's almost certainly Aaron on his yearly BCG visit. He brakes into your house and hacks into your computer to check you haven't been visiting other comedy sites such as Chortle. I like to leave out some mince pies and series one and two of an appropriate retro sitcom such as The Good Life.
Quote: Marc P @ October 29 2013, 9:56 AM GMTDon't put of until tomorrow what you can put off until the day after!
Sound advice Marcster. If I don't meet deadlines I can show people your message in lieu of a note from me mam, right?
Ben is invoicing. Not a main part of his job, but occasionally he has to.
Quote: AJGO @ October 29 2013, 11:24 AM GMTEep. Are you alive?! I hate how possible serial killers always wait til you've gone to the bathroom. If you're gonna brutally murder me there was no need for me to bother with the tiresome chore of brushing my teeth.
Sound advice Marcster. If I don't meet deadlines I can show people your message in lieu of a note from me mam, right?
Yes exactly. Or send your friend round 