[AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?

Rocky Smolin - Beach Access Software bchacc at san.rr.com
Tue Feb 22 14:46:33 CST 2005


Good thing we like it, eh?

Rocky

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Lawrence" <accessd at shaw.ca>
To: "'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'" 
<accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 12:24 PM
Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?


> Totally off topic:
>
> Rocky:
>
> As far as I can see it I will be retiring soon.... probably in about 
> twenty
> plus years, while I am still young between 70 or 80. I am waiting for a
> wealthy benefactor but in the meantime there is always coding to do.
>
> Jim
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Rocky Smolin -
> Beach Access Software
> Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 10:41 AM
> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
> Subject: Re: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?
>
> Jim:
>
> I have already retired three times and find the lifestyle seductive.
> However, each time I ran out of money so the strategy needs some 
> polishing.
>
> I don't regard retirement as not doing anything but fish and golf.  There
> are a lot of satisfying things to do in this life that don't involve 
> making
> money.  So I have treated myself to extended time off whenever I was 
> between
>
> major projects.  I always liked the grasshopper's approach better than the
> ants.  But I can see now that winter is on the way...
>
> Rocky
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Jim Lawrence" <accessd at shaw.ca>
> To: "'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'"
> <accessd at databaseadvisors.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 9:27 AM
> Subject: RE: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?
>
>
>> Sure Rocky... but wouldn't you rather be churning out code than playing
>> golf... let's be honest. You are much too young to consider
>> retiring...retiring and then you would be just end up programming in your
>> spare time. ;-)
>>
>> Jim
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
>> [mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Rocky Smolin -
>> Beach Access Software
>> Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 7:38 AM
>> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
>> Subject: Re: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?
>>
>> Steve:
>>
>> I started with computers when I was 16 - back in the days when they were
>> still steam powered (ba-da-boom).  But seriously folks...
>>
>> I grew up in Chicago and took a weekend course at the Illinois Institute
>> of
>> Technology on programming in IITran - their dialect of Fortran.  It was
>> punch cards and you handed your deck through the big glass wall and came
>> back the next day to find out where you had misplaced your comma.  The
>> machines were and IBM 1620 and IBM 7090.  I was hooked.
>>
>> In college I hung out at the computer center and between my Junior and
>> Senior years they installed an IBM 360/40.  I hung with the engineer
>> during
>> the installation and when September rolled around I was the only one on
>> campus who knew how to run the thing so I got to be systems manager.  And
>> they paid me!  I was further hooked.
>>
>> Then, in my Junior year I wrote a program in assembler to create a
>> variable
>> cross reference index, got some free PR in magazines like Datamation and
>> sold the program (mailed it on a deck of punched cards) to a bunch of
>> companies.  $40 a pop when that was real money.  Now I was totally 
>> hooked.
>>
>> I played with the world's best toys, had as much fun as a person could
>> have
>> with their clothes on, and people shoved money at me for doing it! 
>> That's
>> as good as it gets.
>>
>> Until the creation of commercially viable personal computers in the late
>> 70s
>>
>> I had to work for other companies because of the cost of the systems.
>> Once
>> the PCs appeared I went into business for myself and never looked back.
>>
>> Now, 25 years later, it's still a bit of a high wire act but we're not
>> missing any meals, I get to work at home and be with my kids, and if I'm
>> still pumping code when all my friends are playing golf or fishing in the
>> Keys, well so be it.
>>
>> Rocky
>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: Steve Erbach [mailto:erbachs at gmail.com]
>>>> Sent: 21 February 2005 12:44
>>>> To: Access Developers discussion and problem solving
>>>> Subject: Re: [AccessD] OT: What are you lot doing now and then?
>>>>
>>>> Roz, Gustav, John C., Gary, Jeffrey, Jim D. Doris, Debbie, Brett,
>>>> Charlotte, Ken, Mark, John B., Stuart, William, Rocky, Jim L., Jim H.,
>>>> Andy, Randy, and Tom,
>>>>
>>>> Thank you all very much for your responses. Our glorious leader, Mr.
>>>> Bartow, has asked me to write an article for the newsletter based on
>>>> the responses you've given. So I'm asking if any of you have any
>>>> objections to letting me abridge your responses for that purpose? It
>>>> would also be helpful if those of you who already gave an
>>> "abridged"
>>>> version for the survey could flesh out your responses a bit, if you
>>>> have the time. I would appreciate it. Everyone has an interesting
>>>> story to tell about his or her own growth in the computer field.
>>>>
>>>> I'm so glad that 21 of you have responded so far. Any others?
>>>>
>>>> Steve Erbach
>>>> Neenah, WI
>>>> www.swerbach.com/security
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>> -- 
>> AccessD mailing list
>> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
>> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
>> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
>>
>> -- 
>> AccessD mailing list
>> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
>> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
>> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
>>
>
> -- 
> AccessD mailing list
> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
>
> -- 
> AccessD mailing list
> AccessD at databaseadvisors.com
> http://databaseadvisors.com/mailman/listinfo/accessd
> Website: http://www.databaseadvisors.com
> 




More information about the AccessD mailing list