[NA] Over engineered "improvements"

DaleB said:
I never did much punch-card stuff, other than 2540s, 2501s, the odd other thing here and there. But I do have a 1600 bit 4-wire core memory card from a 2821 hanging on my wall. Suspect it still has a print train image or something stored on it
Click to expand...

I did a little in high school. Part of two of my jobs after college was to GET RID of all the card processing equipment in my facility (first the US Army Ballistic Research Laboratory) and then later Rutgers University's computer center.

There used to be a poster kicking around from the computer museum that showed all the various memory technology: vacuum tubes, mercury delay lines, electrostatic memory, core, and semiconductors. A little research showed that all of them had been used at our labs on computers over the years (admittedly some before my time), we had the ENIAC, ORDVAC, BRLESC, and the Denelcor HEP (all purpose built for BRL). We got the last Cyber 7600 ever built. We also had a couple of Crays, countless PDP-11 and VAXes, some BBN C-70s, and Gould SEL machines before the lab started in on SGI and Sun Workstations (about the end of my tenure there in 1987). This was Reagan-era stuff. In a bad year I bought $2 million dollars in computer equipment each year. The last year I was there, I put my name to the $25 million procurement of the Cray2.
 
flyingron said:
I did a little in high school. Part of two of my jobs after college was to GET RID of all the card processing equipment in my facility (first the US Army Ballistic Research Laboratory) and then later Rutgers University's computer center.

There used to be a poster kicking around from the computer museum that showed all the various memory technology: vacuum tubes, mercury delay lines, electrostatic memory, core, and semiconductors. A little research showed that all of them had been used at our labs on computers over the years (admittedly some before my time), we had the ENIAC, ORDVAC, BRLESC, and the Denelcor HEP (all purpose built for BRL). We got the last Cyber 7600 ever built. We also had a couple of Crays, countless PDP-11 and VAXes, some BBN C-70s, and Gould SEL machines before the lab started in on SGI and Sun Workstations (about the end of my tenure there in 1987). This was Reagan-era stuff. In a bad year I bought $2 million dollars in computer equipment each year. The last year I was there, I put my name to the $25 million procurement of the Cray2.
Click to expand...
I've probably written this before, but I started out in 1981/82 repairing IBM 360 Model 30 and Model 40 installations. The Army had them mounted in semitrailers (one for the CPU, console, reader/punch and printer and another for 2420 tape and 2314 disk). The Army was one of the very few users, probably the only one in the US, of the S/360 at the time; it had been obsolete for years. When I got out I was working on - well, bloody near any "big iron" IBM made between the mid 60s and the current generation or just behind it. The last stuff I actually laid hands and tools upon were 4380 and 3090 series systems, along with Xerox 9700 and Siemens cold fusion laser printers. After that I shifted into other lines of work, as it was obvious that field engineers were a rapidly vanishing (and much lower paid) breed.

Good times.
 
I'm not an IBM guy, but I've given a hand on the 43xx line and the 3090. I worked on AIX for the 370 and other processors under contract from IBM (I still have my IBM badge kicking around in a drawer somewhere). I was also on a team that moved a couple of 3705's with their inane use of bus/tag connectors for RS-232 (what a mess). As a university administrator I was responsible for a Hitatchi AS/9000 (we referred to as the Assinine 9000). Did some work with the early TCP/IP for that platform and was responsible for the COMTEN front end and a bunch of 3270 stuff.

Still I never really considered myself an IBM guy. I spent most of the first half of my career on UNIX (primarily DEC) minicomputers and the latter half on PCs. Wrote one of the first internet routers as well.
 
flyingron said:
I did a little in high school. Part of two of my jobs after college was to GET RID of all the card processing equipment in my facility (first the US Army Ballistic Research Laboratory) and then later Rutgers University's computer center.

There used to be a poster kicking around from the computer museum that showed all the various memory technology: vacuum tubes, mercury delay lines, electrostatic memory, core, and semiconductors. A little research showed that all of them had been used at our labs on computers over the years (admittedly some before my time), we had the ENIAC, ORDVAC, BRLESC, and the Denelcor HEP (all purpose built for BRL). We got the last Cyber 7600 ever built. We also had a couple of Crays, countless PDP-11 and VAXes, some BBN C-70s, and Gould SEL machines before the lab started in on SGI and Sun Workstations (about the end of my tenure there in 1987). This was Reagan-era stuff. In a bad year I bought $2 million dollars in computer equipment each year. The last year I was there, I put my name to the $25 million procurement of the Cray2.
Click to expand...
Seymour Cray 1925 - 1988
1740319394273.png
Built a punch tape Morse Code recorder, reader, sender, receiver in his parents' Chippewa Falls, WI basement (using a crystal radio and his erector set), in 1935, at the age of 10 . . .. https://cray-history.net/2021/07/28/about-the-chippewa-falls-museum-of-industry-and-technology/
 
Rene said:
Seymour Cray 1925 - 1988
View attachment 138389
Built a punch tape Morse Code recorder, reader, sender, receiver in his parents' Chippewa Falls, WI basement (using a crystal radio and his erector set), in 1935, at the age of 10 . . .. https://cray-history.net/2021/07/28/about-the-chippewa-falls-museum-of-industry-and-technology/
Click to expand...
“Seymour said he thought it was odd that Apple bought a Cray to design Macs because he was using Macs to design Crays. He sent me his designs for the Cray 3 in MacDraw on a floppy."

Oddly, the XMP that was supposed to go to Apple got usurped by BRL when the Army decided they were behind the AF and Navy in the supercomputer game and needed the next one off the line. Here's a much younger me standing inside of it...

1740322192413.png
 
The BRL X-MP occupied the same spot that my first supercomputer project had... the Denelcor HEP. The Army bought it and then couldn't figure out what they wanted to do for software. My boss and mentor Mike Muuss gave his standard, "We could put UNIX on it," and they didn't have a better idea, so they let us do it. Also after we got it running, we found that the I/O startup (which used an aptly named feature called "The Low-Speed Bus") was very limited (10 i/os a second). Me and HEP designer Burton Smith redesigned the control system literally on napkins at the local Golden Corral building it out of spare parts (an additional memory switch node) and a PDP-11 I had lying around. I wrote the software changes for both the HEP and the PDP-11 and we got supercomputer class I/O going to match the processing power.
 
flyingron said:
The BRL X-MP occupied the same spot that my first supercomputer project had... the Denelcor HEP. The Army bought it and then couldn't figure out what they wanted to do for software. My boss and mentor Mike Muuss gave his standard, "We could put UNIX on it," and they didn't have a better idea, so they let us do it. Also after we got it running, we found that the I/O startup (which used an aptly named feature called "The Low-Speed Bus") was very limited (10 i/os a second). Me and HEP designer Burton Smith redesigned the control system literally on napkins at the local Golden Corral building it out of spare parts (an additional memory switch node) and a PDP-11 I had lying around. I wrote the software changes for both the HEP and the PDP-11 and we got supercomputer class I/O going to match the processing power.
Click to expand...
1740329567760.png
 
Bill said:
I worked for Big blue for a while, I was an engineer/designer and designed the internal layouts/circuits for the multi layer alumina and glass ceramic substrates used in the IBM 9121 style TCM modules. See “ceramic substrate” below.

View attachment 138391
Click to expand...
I’ve got an air-cooled TCM from a 4381 around somewhere that now sees use as a paperweight, as well as an occasional reminder of past glory days.

Never did do any software or operational stuff on IBM systems. I was strictly a tool-case-and-scope guy. 360, 370, 303x, 4300, 308x, 3090, s/3 through S/38. The AS400 killed those off right quick, of course.
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
I count myself as an always sunny fan, how have I never seen this clip?!

That's how I felt ordering at one my favorite breakfast places in Chicago. They hand me a check with a QR code. But I'd wanna pay cash or card. But they wouldn't come back to pick it up because if you pay via QR they wouldn't have to. So you'd have to sit around and wait.

And I remember thinking on many occasions: this cannot be how most people pay. I don't see people busting out their phones to fkn plug in their credit card info so they can pay you. Why don't you just accept that people are gonna pay by card? What's with this stupid QR code ********?

Like I understand innovation and streamlining things, but this is just the same thing in a different, less convenient format.
Click to expand...

If all they present me with a bill that has a QR code I wouldn't know how to pay it. Cash or credit, no problem. QR code? Call me old fashioned if you want, or if it makes you feel superior, but if all you provide is a QR code I'll wait for a short time and then hunt you down. And, BTW, the tip meter is running in the wrong direction for you while I'm waiting or hunting you down.
 
DaleB said:
I’ve got an air-cooled TCM from a 4381 around somewhere that now sees use as a paperweight, as well as an occasional reminder of past glory days.

Never did do any software or operational stuff on IBM systems. I was strictly a tool-case-and-scope guy. 360, 370, 303x, 4300, 308x, 3090, s/3 through S/38. The AS400 killed those off right quick, of course.
Click to expand...

I've used computers since I was a senior in high school (graduated in 1970). 360/67 was the first computer I used (WATFOR compiler, CRBE for dialing in from the high school, computer was located across town at Washington State University).
 
Ghery said:
If all they present me with a bill that has a QR code I wouldn't know how to pay it. Cash or credit, no problem. QR code? Call me old fashioned if you want, or if it makes you feel superior, but if all you provide is a QR code I'll wait for a short time and then hunt you down. And, BTW, the tip meter is running in the wrong direction for you while I'm waiting or hunting you down.
Click to expand...
Why would you lower the tip for your server because of a billing choice made by their employer?
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Why would you lower the tip for your server because of a billing choice made by their employer?
Click to expand...
If the server ignores me not-so-patiently waiting with my card laying on the table...

But I like the portable payment kiosks they put on the table. The pre-selected 20 or 25% tip, not so much...
 
Dana said:
If the server ignores me not-so-patiently waiting with my card laying on the table...

But I like the portable payment kiosks they put on the table. The pre-selected 20 or 25% tip, not so much...
Click to expand...

Especially since their "pre-selected" amounts usually are based on the total including tax. I never base my tip on the post-tax amount, always the pre-tax amount.
 
Ghery said:
I've used computers since I was a senior in high school (graduated in 1970). 360/67 was the first computer I used (WATFOR compiler, CRBE for dialing in from the high school, computer was located across town at Washington State University).
Click to expand...
I graduated in ‘78. We had an ASR33 dialing into… something. DEC, maybe. I wasn’t allowed to take the computer class - only math geeks and I was NOT one. So, we’d sneak in before and after school and hack away.

Funny story: I got into digital electronics and computers because I couldn’t afford to buy one, and got tired of trying to guess the sysadmin’s password to play Adventure (Ft. Sill on a PDP-11) - so I decided I’d build one. That eventually led to me talking my way into a new MOS, which led to my career from 1981 until last year. So it all started with a computer game… and I haven’t touched a video or computer game since Leisure Suit Larry.
 
MIFlyer said:
QR codes are a security risk, as are many of these apps.
Click to expand...
QR codes aren't a risk, it's people who follow them blindly. It's no different than following random links in emails or forum postings.
 
DaleB said:
Funny story: I got into digital electronics and computers because I couldn’t afford to buy one, and got tired of trying to guess the sysadmin’s password to play Adventure (Ft. Sill on a PDP-11) - so I decided I’d build one. That eventually led to me talking my way into a new MOS, which led to my career from 1981 until last year. So it all started with a computer game… and I haven’t touched a video or computer game since Leisure Suit Larry.
Click to expand...
When I was working for the Army Ballistics Research Laboratory, we had the games set up (including this simulation called "empire") that only would run during the lunch hour. Problem was with empire, people would print out maps and status during their lunch and then spend the afternoon plotting the next day's moves.

We got a letter from the lab director asking that the games be removed from the system. My office mate suggested that we would gladly remove the executables for the games, but the source code was in archives with other (useful) stuff and to remove them would be akin to ripping pages out of a dictionary because they contained words you didn't like. I forged (crudely) an email from the director that said, "Dear Mr. Miles, Please remove the following pages from your dictionary: 423, 501, 1322..."
 
flyingron said:
QR codes aren't a risk, it's people who follow them blindly. It's no different than following random links in emails or forum postings.
Click to expand...
Truth. How many average people hover the mouse over the link to verify the hypertext URI matches the link text? Is that even possible on mobile touch screens?
 
flyingron said:
QR codes aren't a risk, it's people who follow them blindly. It's no different than following random links in emails or forum postings.
Click to expand...

um, exactly how does someone know where the QR code will go?
 
DJTorrente said:
Truth. How many average people hover the mouse over the link to verify the hypertext URI matches the link text? Is that even possible on mobile touch screens?
Click to expand...

I'll vote "false"

unlike being able to look at the actual url in a link, how do you know where the QR code will go? Does your smartphone/camera allow you to see what would be loaded?
 
Bob Noel said:
um, exactly how does someone know where the QR code will go?
Click to expand...
Same way they know where a link in the message. You look at the browser. The problem is people don't and then they get surprised at what they get.
In fact, most people are naive enough that even if they had to type in the URL, they'd still do it blindly.
 
It's my understanding that a QR code can contain binary information. The code isn't necessarily a url.
 
I do use a debit card mostly, but I always carry cash. More than once I’ve been in a gas station or store and their network is down, or cell service for the area is down and there is a herd of people standing around helpless unable to pay, but knock on wood cash has always still worked.
 
Bob Noel said:
It's my understanding that a QR code can contain binary information. The code isn't necessarily a url.
Click to expand...

It might, but the common way people use this on their phones only has two options: it invokes either an URL or it brings up an app.
 
DJTorrente said:
Truth. How many average people hover the mouse over the link to verify the hypertext URI matches the link text? Is that even possible on mobile touch screens?
Click to expand...
I do. My iPhone camera shows the link associated with a QR code, and I **always** check links before I click them. Email addresses also.
jsstevens said:
At least on my iPhone the camera shows the text on the link in the camera view before you click. And yes, I do check it.
Click to expand...
Exactly. I don;'t know if Android does or not, I would hope so.
Flatiowa said:
I do use a debit card mostly, but I always carry cash. More than once I’ve been in a gas station or store and their network is down, or cell service for the area is down and there is a herd of people standing around helpless unable to pay, but knock on wood cash has always still worked.
Click to expand...
We have debit cards, but never use them for purchases - ever. ATM cash only. I know that debit cards now have most or all of the same protection as credit cards, but I still never use them. If someone gets and abuses my credit card, it's not a big deal. If someone gets and abuses my debit card, that money is GONE from my checking account until I figure out it's happened and get it straightened out with the bank. We pay all of our bills with bill pay, and I don't want to take that risk.

Besides, the only credit cards we have all get us anywhere from 1% to 5% discount in some form or other, most of it direct caash back. Our debit cards don't have that discount.
 
Bob Noel said:
um, exactly how does someone know where the QR code will go?
Click to expand...
flyingron said:
It might, but the common way people use this on their phones only has two options: it invokes either an URL or it brings up an app.
Click to expand...
If you use the iPhone's built-in camera app to scan the QR code, it will put the URL (or text or whatever the QR code resolves to) underneath the code on your screen. Look before you tap.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
If you use the iPhone's built-in camera app to scan the QR code, it will put the URL (or text or whatever the QR code resolves to) underneath the code on your screen. Look before you tap.
Click to expand...
And how do you know that the URL that the iPhone displayed is legit?

It would be nice if everyone also put the URL below their QR code, but not everyone does.
 
asicer said:
And how do you know that the URL that the iPhone displayed is legit?
Click to expand...
If you're at Buffalo Wings and you scan a QR code that goes to imanigerianscammerwithastickermachine.wix.com instead of payments.buffalowildwings.com, that should be your first clue. It's just like deciding whether any other URL is legit.
asicer said:
It would be nice if everyone also put the URL below their QR code, but not everyone does.
Click to expand...
And how could you tell THAT was legit? Making links that look legit is easy. https://bankofamerica.com/
 
asicer said:
Easier said than done, depending on the establishment.
Click to expand...
That's true. I guess the concept of making all of your web links point to YOUR OWN DOMAIN would earn me an eye roll and an "OK, Boomer". But if I'm in a restaurant and their QR sticker tries to point me to some random jumble of ASCII, or worse yet a bit.ly URL or something... Nope, bring me a paper menu or rattle it all off to me, my phone just died.
 
We were in a hotel recently and I'm pretty sure it was possessed, or some kind of six sigma ninja LEED thing.

The closet had a light inside it with a motion sensor.

I adjusted the thermostat to where I wanted it, but not only was it disobedient, the fan was LOUD, so I turned it off before we went to bed.

At some point in the middle of the night, the closet door slid open because it was not level, triggering the motion sensor and thus lighting up the room. I get up, slide the door shut, and jam a sock in it to prevent it from opening again. Victorious, I go back to bed.

Not too long after that, the bathroom light turns itself on. WTH? The mirror had dimmer buttons on it and some kind of nightlight mode. I thought it would dim itself automatically based on a motion sensor, but apparently it also had an auto-turner-oner. I get up and turn it off from the wall switch. Victorious, I go back to bed.

At 7:00 sharp, the thermostat decided it was wakey wakey time and turned on the EXTRA LOUD-ASS FAN. *(#&$#.

The dimmer on the desk lamp had a beautifully machined brass knob, but the rheostat it was attached was loose. Regrettably, I did not travel with tools and could not fix it.

I did eventually figure out the power source for the closet light and unplugged it.

It took a day to figure out that most of the room lighting would have been provided by an LED strip that ran along the top of the headboard, but its transformer was unplugged. I ended up having to pull the beds out to trace the wires and fix that.

The beds themselves had some ankle-height accent lighting with motion sensors of their own, but none of the barrel connectors were hooked up to anything. It turned out that the other ends of those were hooked up to wall wart transformers, but the wires themselves had been stripped and shorted together, presumably by housekeeping repeatedly running over them. Unplugged all the wall warts and stuffed them in a drawer.

After a while, a cardboard box on the sidewalk was starting to sound appealing...
 
ps, my favorite ascii qr code
Code: 
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG...........GGG...GGGGGG........GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG...........GGG...GGGGGG........GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGG..............GGG...GGG.....GGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGG..GGGGGG...GGG..............GGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGG.....GGG...GGG...........GGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGG.....GGG...GGG...........GGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGGGGG..GGG...GGGGGG.....GGG.........GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG......GGGGGG..GGGGGGGGG....................GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG......GGGGGG..GGGGGGGGG....................GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGG..............GGG...GGGGGGGGG..............GGGGGG.....GGG...GGG..............GGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG...GGG..GGG...GGG...GGG..GGG...GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG...GGG..GGG...GGG...GGG..GGG...GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
.............................GGGGGG.....GGGGGG........GGG..........................
GGGGGG.....GGGGGGGGG.........GGGGGGGG...GGGGGG........GGG.........GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGG.....GGGGGGGGG.........GGG..GGG.................GGG.........GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGG
GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGG......GGG...........GGG......GGG.....GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGG..GGG......
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.....GGG...GGGGGG.....GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG
...GGGGGGGGG.....GGGGGG...GGGGGG.....GGG...GGGGGG...........GGGGGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGG.....GGGGGGGGG......GGGGGG.....GGGGGGGGG...........GGGGGGGGG........GGG.........
GGG.....GGGGGGGGG......GGGGGG.....GGGGGGGGG...........GGGGGGGGG........GGG.........
.....GGGG..GGG...GGG...........GGGG..GGGGGG...GGGGGG..GGGGGGGGGGGGGGG..GGGGGGGGG...
...GGG..GGGGGG......GGG...GGGGGG..GGGGGG......GGG........GGG...GGGGGGGGG..GGG......
...GGG..GGGGGG......GGG...GGGGGG..GGGGGG......GGG........GGG...GGGGGGGGG..GGG......
.....GGGGGGG..GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG........GGG.........GGG...GGGGGGGGGGG...
.....GGGG.....GGG.........GGGGGGGGG.....GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGG.................GGG...
.....GGGG.....GGG.........GGGGGGGGG.....GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGG.................GGG...
.................GGGGGG......GGG..GGG...........GGGG..GGG......GGGGGG..GGGGGGGGG...
GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGG...GGGGGG...........GGG...GGGGGG.....GGG...GGG...GGGGGG..GGGGGGGGG
GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGG...GGGGGG...........GGG...GGGGGG.....GGG...GGG...GGGGGG..GGGGGGGGG
...........GGG...GGG...GGG...........GGGGGGGGG.....GGG...GGG...GGG...GGGGGGGGGGG...
.....GGGG..GGG...GGG...GGGGGG.....GGGGGGGGGGGG..GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGGGGGGGGGG...
.....GGGG..GGG............GGG.....GGG...........GGGG..GGGGGGGGG..............GGG...
GGGGGG..GGGGGG...GGGGGG...GGGGGGGGGGG.........GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...........
GGGGGG..GGGGGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGGGGG..GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG......
.......................GGG........GGGGGG...GGGGGG.....GGGGGG.........GGGGGGGG......
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.........GGGGGG.....GGG........GGG...GGG...GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.........GGGGGG.....GGG........GGG...GGG...GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGG..............GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGG..GGGGGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGG.........GGG..GGGGGG...
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGGGGG.....GGGGGG...........GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG......GGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGGGGG.....GGGGGG...........GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG......GGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG......GGG.....GGGGGGGGG........GGG......GGGGGGGGG..GGGGGGGGG...
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG......GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG..GGGGGG............GGG..GGGGGGGGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG......GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG..GGGGGG............GGG..GGGGGGGGG
GGG..............GGG...GGG.....GGGGGG...........GGGG..GGG......GGGGGGGGGGGGGG......
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG..............GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGGGGGGGG...GGG.....GGG...
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG..............GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGGGGGGGG...GGG.....GGG...
 
Dana said:
If the server ignores me not-so-patiently waiting with my card laying on the table...

But I like the portable payment kiosks they put on the table. The pre-selected 20 or 25% tip, not so much...
Click to expand...
At the racetrack paying for drinks I caught the guy spinning the thing around for me to pay. As he was spinning it around he was trying to hit the 25% tip portion of the screen. He did not get a tip
 
GeorgeC said:
We were in a hotel recently and I'm pretty sure it was possessed, or some kind of six sigma ninja LEED thing.

The closet had a light inside it with a motion sensor.

I adjusted the thermostat to where I wanted it, but not only was it disobedient, the fan was LOUD, so I turned it off before we went to bed.

At some point in the middle of the night, the closet door slid open because it was not level, triggering the motion sensor and thus lighting up the room. I get up, slide the door shut, and jam a sock in it to prevent it from opening again. Victorious, I go back to bed.

Not too long after that, the bathroom light turns itself on. WTH? The mirror had dimmer buttons on it and some kind of nightlight mode. I thought it would dim itself automatically based on a motion sensor, but apparently it also had an auto-turner-oner. I get up and turn it off from the wall switch. Victorious, I go back to bed.

At 7:00 sharp, the thermostat decided it was wakey wakey time and turned on the EXTRA LOUD-ASS FAN. *(#&$#.

The dimmer on the desk lamp had a beautifully machined brass knob, but the rheostat it was attached was loose. Regrettably, I did not travel with tools and could not fix it.

I did eventually figure out the power source for the closet light and unplugged it.

It took a day to figure out that most of the room lighting would have been provided by an LED strip that ran along the top of the headboard, but its transformer was unplugged. I ended up having to pull the beds out to trace the wires and fix that.

The beds themselves had some ankle-height accent lighting with motion sensors of their own, but none of the barrel connectors were hooked up to anything. It turned out that the other ends of those were hooked up to wall wart transformers, but the wires themselves had been stripped and shorted together, presumably by housekeeping repeatedly running over them. Unplugged all the wall warts and stuffed them in a drawer.

After a while, a cardboard box on the sidewalk was starting to sound appealing...
Click to expand...


And I'd bet, with all that, the bed vibrator probably didn't work.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
If you use the iPhone's built-in camera app to scan the QR code, it will put the URL (or text or whatever the QR code resolves to) underneath the code on your screen.
Click to expand...
Forgot to mention: the iPhone's camera app only displays the domain and not the URL.
 
GeorgeC said:
ps, my favorite ascii qr code
Code: 
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG...........GGG...GGGGGG........GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG...........GGG...GGGGGG........GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGG..............GGG...GGG.....GGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGG..GGGGGG...GGG..............GGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGG.....GGG...GGG...........GGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGG.....GGG...GGG...........GGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGGGGG..GGG...GGGGGG.....GGG.........GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG......GGGGGG..GGGGGGGGG....................GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG......GGGGGG..GGGGGGGGG....................GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGG..............GGG...GGGGGGGGG..............GGGGGG.....GGG...GGG..............GGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG...GGG..GGG...GGG...GGG..GGG...GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG...GGG..GGG...GGG...GGG..GGG...GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
.............................GGGGGG.....GGGGGG........GGG..........................
GGGGGG.....GGGGGGGGG.........GGGGGGGG...GGGGGG........GGG.........GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGG
GGGGGG.....GGGGGGGGG.........GGG..GGG.................GGG.........GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGG
GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGG......GGG...........GGG......GGG.....GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGG..GGG......
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.....GGG...GGGGGG.....GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG
...GGGGGGGGG.....GGGGGG...GGGGGG.....GGG...GGGGGG...........GGGGGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGG.....GGGGGGGGG......GGGGGG.....GGGGGGGGG...........GGGGGGGGG........GGG.........
GGG.....GGGGGGGGG......GGGGGG.....GGGGGGGGG...........GGGGGGGGG........GGG.........
.....GGGG..GGG...GGG...........GGGG..GGGGGG...GGGGGG..GGGGGGGGGGGGGGG..GGGGGGGGG...
...GGG..GGGGGG......GGG...GGGGGG..GGGGGG......GGG........GGG...GGGGGGGGG..GGG......
...GGG..GGGGGG......GGG...GGGGGG..GGGGGG......GGG........GGG...GGGGGGGGG..GGG......
.....GGGGGGG..GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG........GGG.........GGG...GGGGGGGGGGG...
.....GGGG.....GGG.........GGGGGGGGG.....GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGG.................GGG...
.....GGGG.....GGG.........GGGGGGGGG.....GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGG.................GGG...
.................GGGGGG......GGG..GGG...........GGGG..GGG......GGGGGG..GGGGGGGGG...
GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGG...GGGGGG...........GGG...GGGGGG.....GGG...GGG...GGGGGG..GGGGGGGGG
GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGG...GGGGGG...........GGG...GGGGGG.....GGG...GGG...GGGGGG..GGGGGGGGG
...........GGG...GGG...GGG...........GGGGGGGGG.....GGG...GGG...GGG...GGGGGGGGGGG...
.....GGGG..GGG...GGG...GGGGGG.....GGGGGGGGGGGG..GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGGGGGGGGGG...
.....GGGG..GGG............GGG.....GGG...........GGGG..GGGGGGGGG..............GGG...
GGGGGG..GGGGGG...GGGGGG...GGGGGGGGGGG.........GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...........
GGGGGG..GGGGGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGGGGG..GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG......
.......................GGG........GGGGGG...GGGGGG.....GGGGGG.........GGGGGGGG......
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.........GGGGGG.....GGG........GGG...GGG...GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.........GGGGGG.....GGG........GGG...GGG...GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG
GGG..............GGG...GGGGGGGGGGGG..GGGGGG...GGGGGGGGGGGGGG.........GGG..GGGGGG...
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGGGGG.....GGGGGG...........GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG......GGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG...GGGGGGGGG.....GGGGGG...........GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG......GGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG......GGG.....GGGGGGGGG........GGG......GGGGGGGGG..GGGGGGGGG...
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG......GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG..GGGGGG............GGG..GGGGGGGGG
GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGG......GGG..GGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG..GGGGGG............GGG..GGGGGGGGG
GGG..............GGG...GGG.....GGGGGG...........GGGG..GGG......GGGGGGGGGGGGGG......
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG..............GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGGGGGGGG...GGG.....GGG...
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG...GGG..............GGG...GGGGGGGG...GGGGGGGGG...GGG.....GGG...
Click to expand...
Desipite playing with the formatting on this one for a bit, I can't make it work. What's the result?
 
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