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It amazes me daily that I carry a computer in my pocket. My teachers used to tell us we'd never go around with a calculator in our pockets. How wrong they were!

HippieChick58 9 Feb 25
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5

someone else just posted about this. I remember when we would do math in our heads and on paper. I wonder if this change affects the thinking of kids now

4

My college Accounting class devoted almost a half page to a discussion of computers, and most of that was a photo. They explained that it was highly unlikely that we would ever have reason to use or know about computers in our lifetime so there would be no further discussion or explanation.

they must have been handy with a sliderule

@btroje lol... I can run a slide rule. Program the bar on an accounting machine, And wire a punch board.

@Dick_Martin I never learned the slide rule though I heard discussions of upprer classmen proud of their speed. THe first calculators were coming out when I was in junior high

@btroje The first calculators were mechanical and go way back. I wonder if you are thinking of the electronic calculators that could also divide?

@Dick_Martin the TI series

1972 my first job after leaving school was in the new computer department of a large paper mill. The computers filled a room that was about 30 ft by 40 ft and there was an adjoining room where 6 young ladies inputted data onto punch cards on large typewriter like machines. It took all week to sort the wages run and the costing of the truck fleet.
I started COBOL programming and after about 4 months was hauled up to HR and told that as I was doing so well, they were moving me up to the cost office to become an accountant as "There is no real future or career progression in computers...."

@Uncorrugated Here's a photo of my first computer, in 1971. No screen. Everything printed on the printer.

5

Still no flying cars though. 😟

Yeah what happened to the 1960’s World of Tomorrow cartoons, or whatever they were called?

@NothinnXpreVails The Jetsons. lol

@Paul628 But we do have treadmills for dogs and cats!

Did George say something about a long 2 hour workday? Where the hell are those???? @Paul628

@NothinnXpreVails Mr. Spacely is a slavedriver.

2

I have never owned a mobile phone - I am obviously on a computer here a desktop one .

2

There was an episode of "Maude" where she received a calculator as a birthday gift. They called it a computer and everyone at the party was so amazed by it. I saw that episode maybe a decade ago, so it was funny to see people treating a very basic calculator as advanced technology.

dkp93 Level 8 Feb 25, 2018

I remember when calculators were advanced tech...

@RavenCT I remember my first calculator, we thought it was amazing!

@HippieChick58 I can also remember my Mom saying "Someday people won't know how to add".

1

I am baffled by what a $30 Android phone can do. (But it takes crappy pics). lol

1

Everything except number 2 rings true for me lol

1

Yes so true and it's not over yet by a long way.

0

I do walk around with a calculator in my pocket. It's an app on my phone. lol

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