The Lemon Fool

That conversation between William Shatner (90) and Jeff Bezos was amazing!

I wish I could be 10 again!

Steve

pje16 wrote:what a song and dance for 15 minutes

I thought it was 10 minutes. Still, you can't deny it was 10 minutes that were out of this world!

15 mins was wrong - my bad
That was Alan Shephard ( i just googled the surame) - a real astronaut, on the first United States human spaceflight in 1961
back in the day when it was scary, and computers had the power of hand held calculators

pje16 wrote:15 mins was wrong - my bad
That was Alan Shephard ( i just googled the surame) - a real astronaut, on the first United States human spaceflight in 1961
back in the day when it was scary, and computers had the power of hand held calculators

You ever tried to hold a Brunsviga in your hand?

http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/brunsviga.html

Wow you need to be a hulk to operate that
it's not far off being like the Enigma machine
I was thinking more along the lines of a Casio
http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/casio_fx-10.html

pje16 wrote:Wow you need to be a hulk to operate that
it's not far off being like the Enigma machine
I was thinking more along the lines of a Casio
http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/casio_fx-10.html

The hand held device of choice 50 years ago was a slide rule. I still have mine somewhere in the attic.

As I remember, 25 years ago one got caviar and champagne flying 11 miles high. And one crossed the Atlantic in under 3 hours.

regards

Howard

Lootman wrote:The hand held device of choice 50 years ago was a slide rule. I still have mine somewhere in the attic.

When I was a kid, maybe 7 or 8 my uncle said he was going to get me a protractor, I got quite excited thinking it was some sort of gadget
HOW disappointed was I when he turned up wth it
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protractor

pje16 wrote:When I was a kid, maybe 7 or 8 my uncle said he was going to get me a protractor, I got quite excited thinking it was some sort of gadget
HOW disappointed was I when he turned up wth it

I moved to a new school when I was eight, and soon after my arrival the teacher reminded us that we all had to bring our recorders in on Monday. (Although I was excused because I was still a newbie.) To my ears, that sounded like a lot of electrical equipment! Where were they going to plug it all in?

The actuality turned out to be a bit less complex. Although just as chaotic in its own way.

BJ

Wow
another trip back to childhood
The recorder sounded exciting until you saw it, bl**dy Frère Jacques
Sorry if you can hear it now
Dormez Vous

pje16 wrote:Wow
another trip back to childhood
The recorder sounded exciting until you saw it, bl**dy Frère Jacques
Sorry if you can hear it now
Dormez Vous

Go back even further. How about the triangle?(I think that's what is was called)

Howard wrote:As I remember, 25 years ago one got caviar and champagne flying 11 miles high. And one crossed the Atlantic in under 3 hours.

regards

Howard

Was fortunate enough to do this three times. The first time was so carried away(only 11 others on board) that stuffed my face with caviar only to prong myself with the fork and drew blood as went through my tongue. But the most exiting part was asking and being accepted to sit in the cockpit with the pilots when landing. Had chartered a private plane from St. Thomas to Antigua to continue on with Concorde to the UK. In fact as we were taking off a few weeks ago at Heathrow saw the Concorde parked there and brought back stirring memories.

Smoking on a plane, pre-take off drinks, fully cooked breakfasts with Pan Am, going into the cockpit for a chat with El Capitano, having a drink(and...?) with a pretty hostess(and most of them were). Yes, three hours across the pond, no real jet lag. Travel was exciting and something to really look forward to. Tell this to a teenager today what a joy it mostly used to be and they think you are making this stuff up. Now we are choking for air(masks), feverishly trying to avoid people, forget about eating on the plane, even in first, have some ugly hostesses and some very camp ones(improvement). And then there is Heathrow Airport or Miami Airport, two places to avoid if possible now. Total stress. GE helps though but have to be fortunate. Totally going off thread here(sorry) but also remember in late 60's a Company I think called Cosmos or Cosmo Travel. £25.00 return to Spain plus accommodation thrown in(youth hostel but never went there) , mostly to Spain and usually ended up where our PM has gone to.

Happy Days indeed.

nimnarb wrote:

pje16 wrote:Wow
another trip back to childhood
The recorder sounded exciting until you saw it, bl**dy Frère Jacques
Sorry if you can hear it now
Dormez Vous

Go back even further. How about the triangle?(I think that's what is was called)

Yep, Ding Ding

nimnarb wrote:

Howard wrote:As I remember, 25 years ago one got caviar and champagne flying 11 miles high. And one crossed the Atlantic in under 3 hours.

regards

Howard

Was fortunate enough to do this three times. The first time was so carried away(only 11 others on board) that stuffed my face with caviar only to prong myself with the fork and drew blood as went through my tongue. But the most exiting part was asking and being accepted to sit in the cockpit with the pilots when landing. Had chartered a private plane from St. Thomas to Antigua to continue on with Concorde to the UK. In fact as we were taking off a few weeks ago at Heathrow saw the Concorde parked there and brought back stirring memories.

Smoking on a plane, pre-take off drinks, fully cooked breakfasts with Pan Am, going into the cockpit for a chat with El Capitano, having a drink(and...?) with a pretty hostess(and most of them were). Yes, three hours across the pond, no real jet lag. Travel was exciting and something to really look forward to. Tell this to a teenager today what a joy it mostly used to be and they think you are making this stuff up. Now we are choking for air(masks), feverishly trying to avoid people, forget about eating on the plane, even in first, have some ugly hostesses and some very camp ones(improvement). And then there is Heathrow Airport or Miami Airport, two places to avoid if possible now. Total stress. GE helps though but have to be fortunate. Totally going off thread here(sorry) but also remember in late 60's a Company I think called Cosmos or Cosmo Travel. £25.00 return to Spain plus accommodation thrown in(youth hostel but never went there) , mostly to Spain and usually ended up where our PM has gone to.

Happy Days indeed.

Thanks for your response, nimarb. Yes you obviously enjoyed yourself and you reminded me of some fun times.

On a trip to New York our initial Concorde was faulty and replaced at Heathrow, so we set off late. The pilot told us he had clearance to fly faster to make up time. Just before landing he announced: "Ladies and Gentlemen, not only is this the fastest you are ever likely to fly to New York, but it's the fastest trip I have ever made!"

regards

Howard

nimnarb wrote:

pje16 wrote:Wow
another trip back to childhood
The recorder sounded exciting until you saw it, bl**dy Frère Jacques
Sorry if you can hear it now
Dormez Vous

Go back even further. How about the triangle?(I think that's what is was called)

There should be a law forbidding Primary school kids playing the recorder. Our eldest used to play the trumpet in school concerts that featured both Primary and Secondary pupils, and to get to his secondary school Jazz group, we were forced to sit through the Primary kids on recorders sounding like they were deliberately trying to see if they could get us to leave. Of course, it could have been worse. No violin beginners!!

One problem is that those cheap plastic recorders are very difficult to play well. I think that they're more useful at teaching kids to read and understand music than producing any real enjoyable tunes. The Frere Jacques Canon/Round teaches timing and group work. A good recorder ensemble sounds brilliant, especially when playing Renaissance music.

Steve

PS For the life of me, I can't remember specific examples, but the characteristic loud 'tring' of the triangle is beautiful in the right place.

PPS A hyperactive 10-year old may not be in the right place!

nimnarb wrote:Go back even further. How about the triangle?(I think that's what is was called)

Oh yes. The only musical instrument I ever mastered - assuming I did...

Actually, may not be entirely true: I seem to remember the tambourine.

XFool wrote:

nimnarb wrote:Go back even further. How about the triangle?(I think that's what is was called)

Oh yes. The only musical instrument I ever mastered - assuming I did...

How many notes could you play on it ?

pje16 wrote:

XFool wrote:

nimnarb wrote:Go back even further. How about the triangle?(I think that's what is was called)

Oh yes. The only musical instrument I ever mastered - assuming I did...

How many notes could you play on it ?

Two, if I remember correctly. One sharp, one flat.

pje16 wrote:

nimnarb wrote:

pje16 wrote:Wow
another trip back to childhood
The recorder sounded exciting until you saw it, bl**dy Frère Jacques
Sorry if you can hear it now
Dormez Vous

Go back even further. How about the triangle?(I think that's what is was called)

Yep, Ding Ding

I'm not musical. I was reprimanded on one school trip to listen to some orchestra or other for falling asleep; rather visibly, rather audibly, rather unwakeably.

As part of our music education each pupil was required to take part in the school concert, either as a soloist or as part of a group.

During rehearsals I was voted out of any and all groups.

Eventually the teacher asked me to play a piece she had written specially for me," 3 minutes of silence". I walked on the stage with a kitchen timer. Set it and left.

SimonS wrote:

pje16 wrote:

nimnarb wrote:
Go back even further. How about the triangle?(I think that's what is was called)

Yep, Ding Ding

I'm not musical. I was reprimanded on one school trip to listen to some orchestra or other for falling asleep; rather visibly, rather audibly, rather unwakeably.

As part of our music education each pupil was required to take part in the school concert, either as a soloist or as part of a group.

During rehearsals I was voted out of any and all groups.

Eventually the teacher asked me to play a piece she had written specially for me," 3 minutes of silence". I walked on the stage with a kitchen timer. Set it and left.

Reminds me of the time we were asked to write down what we thought Jesus was thinking whilst on the cross. Even at that age, must have been around 12, I thought what a stupid question and wrote, “what a funny way to spend Easter”.

Next day Headmaster gave me six of the best as he was not amused. Can you imagine what would happen to him today! I can’t recall now his name but a few years ago a famous author who went to the same prep school spoke in the press of his terror and turmoil that this particular headmaster had put him through which affected him for many years later.