Hot Tub Forum

Original => Hot Tub Forum => Topic started by: wmccall on December 02, 2004, 11:22:04 am

Title: Barely spa related
Post by: wmccall on December 02, 2004, 11:22:04 am
All of us need to use computers to access this forum to talk about spas.  Ok, now this is somewhat related to spas.  The picture below appeared in Popular Mechanics as projected what a home computer might look like 50 years in the future, or our present day.

Imagine if these guys were thinking about spas!

(http://mccallw.tripod.com/1954.jpg)

I think I've seen this computer in the mall doing hand writing analysis
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: Brewman on December 02, 2004, 11:45:48 am
I love the steering wheel!

Brewman
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: wmccall on December 02, 2004, 11:50:53 am
Quote
I love the steering wheel!

Brewman



I was looking at that myself and wondering what were they thinking?  Maybe we could steer the course of this discussion?   But what is with the dual wheel? Is that if you want to go one way and the other way at the same time, or is it just two size wheels tied together, one for most of us and one for Lori.

I also like the 1954 25" Black and white Admiral hanging on the wall. I bet they had to hollow out that beast before the wall would hold it.
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: ebirrane on December 02, 2004, 12:02:28 pm
I've seen this picture before, and believe it is a fake, with the television in the right corner being added, and a keyboard on the printer being added.  The original picture was a museum mock-up or something..

I'll try and find the snopes link and post it.

found it:

http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/computer.asp

So, now, the analogy would be:

Look at how dishonest spa manufacturers try and copy new technology to make their spa's look complicated and cutting edge but only succeed in selling 1950's technology to unwitting customers. 8)

-Ed
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: wmccall on December 02, 2004, 12:15:51 pm
Wow,  am I humiliated!  8)  I'm always annoying my friends who send me that kind of stuff and I debunk it with just a little research.   But this came from an IT professional friend of mine.  Boy does he owe me.
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: Brewman on December 02, 2004, 12:15:56 pm
Quote
Look at how dishonest spa manufacturers try and copy new technology to make their spa's look complicated and cutting edge but only succeed in selling 1950's technology to unwitting customers. 8)

-Ed


So what you're saying, Ed, is that this suposed state of the art computer is just a third rate computer with some tin foil and a fan slapped on to invalidate the computers ETL or UL listing?
Brewman
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: Lori on December 02, 2004, 12:38:54 pm
Quote


I was looking at that myself and wondering what were they thinking?  Maybe we could steer the course of this discussion?   But what is with the dual wheel? Is that if you want to go one way and the other way at the same time, or is it just two size wheels tied together, one for most of us and one for Lori.

I also like the 1954 25" Black and white Admiral hanging on the wall. I bet they had to hollow out that beast before the wall would hold it.


ROTFL!!!!   ;D


Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: ebirrane on December 02, 2004, 01:41:08 pm
 :D



-Ed
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: HotTubMan on December 02, 2004, 01:46:12 pm
Quote

So what you're saying, Ed, is that this suposed state of the art computer is just a third rate computer with some tin foil and a fan slapped on to invalidate the computers ETL or UL listing?
Brewman


The steering wheel is actually a DAIT releif valve. This is only found on the early models.
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: huh? on December 02, 2004, 08:02:30 pm
My favorite line: "The scientist readily admit that the computer will require not yet invented technology to actually work..."  and you said this wasn't spa related.  At least it seems that way sometimes. :D
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: ndabunka on December 02, 2004, 08:09:55 pm
Good research there. It's not even a computer afterall but is rather a mock up of a Nuclear sub control room.  Hmm, Does that mean that in 50 years, we may all own a small nuclear sub ourselves?  Twilight zone... here we come. We are the HT forum guys, hear us call...
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: Dr_Eclat on December 02, 2004, 08:12:44 pm
This looks just like my home computer, except mine is green  with purple striping.
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: empolgation on December 02, 2004, 09:52:14 pm
So who do you believe?
wmccall's source or snopes.com??  Or did the Smithonian steel RAND's model?

Come on - when's the last time you saw a steering wheel like that on a nuclear sub?
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: TubbinSoon, now we be tubbin on December 02, 2004, 10:09:20 pm
Hahaha, GE made a ship control system that looked something like that. That would be the engine room wheel that corresponds to the topside wheel so when the helmsman makes a bridge adjustment the engine room tracked it. What was really funny was that on the inside of the panel was only a 1 inch diameter potentiometer connected to the big wheel. In ancient times the wheel was connected under the deck with rods and universals to the actual valves that required some effort to turn. The gages would have the volts, amps, watts etc for the generators and the commands and data as things went in and out of alarm would be printed out on what GE used to make at Waynesboro, VA plant, some sort of clone of the IBM Selectric. (I think they were called Terminet and were line printers for those of you who know) These were called the bell logger to log the speed and directions commands and the alarm logger. I don't remember them having monitors but maybe this is Super Custom model. Oh, it was called COS or Central Onboard System if I am remembering correctly. Wow, from the way back machine deluxe!
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: Drewski on December 03, 2004, 12:43:20 am
Wow, FORTRAN!  Anyone remember COBOL?

:P
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: Chas on December 03, 2004, 01:44:02 am
Quote
Hahaha, GE made a ship control system that looked something like that. That would be the engine room wheel that corresponds to the topside wheel so when the helmsman makes a bridge adjustment the engine room tracked it. What was really funny was that on the inside of the panel was only a 1 inch diameter potentiometer connected to the big wheel. In ancient times the wheel was connected under the deck with rods and universals to the actual valves that required some effort to turn. The gages would have the volts, amps, watts etc for the generators and the commands and data as things went in and out of alarm would be printed out on what GE used to make at Waynesboro, VA plant, some sort of clone of the IBM Selectric. (I think they were called Terminet and were line printers for those of you who know) These were called the bell logger to log the speed and directions commands and the alarm logger. I don't remember them having monitors but maybe this is Super Custom model. Oh, it was called COS or Central Onboard System if I am remembering correctly. Wow, from the way back machine deluxe!

Awesome! I have a friend who pilots merchant marine vessels - he says today's huge ships are 'driven' via joysticks. He says his ship has three huge diesel engines which are mounted on top of a drive system that amounts to a huge "outboard motor."

The main difference is size, of course, but also that these drives stick through the bottom of the ship, and can turn a full 360 degrees as needed. One near the bow, and two near the stern. They can 'hold station' in a gale force wind, or cruise right up to a dock.
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: Brewman on December 03, 2004, 09:11:12 am
Quote
Wow, FORTRAN!  Anyone remember COBOL?

 :P


I took a FORTRAN program class in college.  That was before video monitors, all was done on roll paper.

There are a lot of companies using COBOL still.  Remember the Y2K scare?  Lots and lots of mothballed COBOL programmers made a small fortune during that time.  I work for a multi billion dollar financial company and our main processing system is COBOL based.

Brewman
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: UnderTheStars on December 03, 2004, 01:07:18 pm
no, this is a legit picture.  The prediction was pretty accurate but they missed it slightly.  This baby is still a bit out of the average home user's reach (cost.)  However, this is the exact model we currently use at work.  Technological advances have allowed us to eliminate fortran (& cobol.)  We've modified ours and run Java, Perl, & Win78 as an OS.
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: Chas on December 03, 2004, 01:32:47 pm
Quote
no, this is a legit picture, ... this is the exact model we currently use at work.  Technological advances have allowed us to eliminate fortran (& cobol.)  We've modified ours and run Java, Perl, & Win78 as an OS.

;D ;D ;D

My son went to an Army recruiter, told them that he is licensed in some IT stuff, and they said, "oh, well how would you like to work with the most expensive, cutting-edge computer systems in the world?"

Then they had him take a simple test on a laptop straight out of the 80's......

Go figure...

(http://i8.ebayimg.com/01/i/02/b6/c8/fa_1_b.JPG)
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: HotTubMan on December 03, 2004, 03:41:17 pm
Quote
;D ;D ;D

My son went to an Army recruiter, told them that he is licensed in some IT stuff, and they said, "oh, well how would you like to work with the most expensive, cutting-edge computer systems in the world?"

Then they had him take a simple test on a laptop straight out of the 80's......

Go figure...

(http://i8.ebayimg.com/01/i/02/b6/c8/fa_1_b.JPG)


Those recruiters can be pretty aggresive. So the question is who is the most aggresive salesman type out there:
a) army recruiter
b) ThermoSpas salesperson
c) MLM salesperson
d) other____________
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: wmccall on December 03, 2004, 03:56:18 pm
I guess I'll say A, the Army recuiter. In my junior year of HS, I took the AFVAB  (Armed forces Vocational Apptitude Battery) and scored in the 99 percentile.  I think my parents still got phone calls 7 years later, I had moved 250 miles away, got married, and had a child.
Title: Re: Barely spa related
Post by: Chas on December 03, 2004, 04:01:08 pm
Quote
I guess I'll say A, the Army recuiter. In my junior year of HS, I took the AFVAB  (Armed forces Vocational Apptitude Battery) and scored in the 99 percentile.  I think my parents still got phone calls 7 years later, I had moved 250 miles away, got married, and had a child.

My son has a friend who went in and basicly just hit random keys on the computer. His answers didn't even form words or make sentences. He was told he was officer material.

Kidding - I don't remember the number, but the recruiter (who couldn't possibly have looked at his answers) said he rated 'very high.'

I wonder what it would take to score 'very low?"