Saturday, February 24, 2007
MIL. ED.It just may be that the “high tech” knowledge has, over the years, been rather slow in getting a firm foothold in our military groups. Among the technical papers I have among a collection of such writings I have saved is a half-page, typewritten, mimeographed sheet which detailed “DIRECIONS FOR CONNECTING STANDARD TELEPHONE”. I quote the entire missive so you can get a good grasp on the fundamental method of instruction used by the army back when the telephone was "in." "1. CONNECT: Red wire from telephone to red wire of telephone line. Yellow (or white) wire from telephone to yellow wire of telephone. Green (or black or blue) wire from telephone to green wire of line. If your telephone does not ring when your number is called, reverse the red wire from telephone green wire of line, and connect the green line (or black or blue) wire from telephone to red wire of line. IF THE ABOVE DOES NOT WORK, THEN: CONNECT: Yellow (or white) wire of telephone to the red wire also of telephone. Connect these two wires to red wire of telephone line. Connect green(or black or blue) wire of telephone to green wire of telephone line. ( The yellow wire of the telephone is not used.) If you are unable get the telephone to work as per above instructions , return phone to: TELEPHONE ENGINEEERING COMPANY, SIMPSON,PA. 18407. Give also the markings on bell from inside of your original telephone and the state the name of the manufacturer." Certainly, that qualifies as a "colorful" piece of technical writing. and I have to say how grateful I am that was never called upon on install many telephones using such guidance. Business, industry and our military services all need qualified technical writers today. The proper functioning of a product is of the secret of prosperity in that it retains old customers and develops new ones. Andrew McCaskey Sr amccsr@comcast.net 2-24-07 [c335wds]
Friday, February 23, 2007
NEW WAYS Some years ago, I recall, I needed a blotter and said so urgently. I had spilled a bit of art-coloring on the desk surface. My fellow worker, young and innocent, in the ways of office routine, looked puzzled and quickly replied: "What you need is a paper towel!" She turned away and promptly returned with several paper towels and hurriedly wiped way the stains. "There!" She said proudly. "Like new! You didn't hurt a thing. It won't show at all." She glossed over the area with a clean towel and held it up to reassure me. I had no idea she, and most of the other young workers in the area, would not know what I had meant when I demanded a "blotter." I, suddenly, realized they were gone! Blotters no longer exist in offices anywhere today. Not too ago the blotter was an essential part of the office setup, along with rubber bands and thumb tacks. We used pen and ink for many office jobs before typewriters and, then, ball point pens came into style. The blotter was usually about the size of a dollar bill - which was a tad larger than those in use today, as well. Most would have been, oh, perhaps 8-1/2 by 4 inches, as I recall. They were mainly made of a thin sheet of very absorbent paper covered with a slicker sheet on which advertisements were printed. Most towns had small print shop which specialized in such advertising, match book covers, calendars, key chain tags of heavy cardboard and a stock of signs for utility purposes. I have seen the working side of some blotters take on a design of reversed writing in blue, red and black which formed a pattern such as Jackson Pollock, the painter, might well have been proud. But the use of the blotter went out of existence with Penmanship, I suppose. The pencil, for some reason, was always there and it has been vastly improved but the fact that its work could be so easily erased and edited made it useless in keeping company books and other records. Occasionally, the stained blotter would turn up as clue in detective stories. The sleuth and present a written confession from the vile criminal. There must be, somewhere, a museum of blotter designs. They had other not-intended uses, as I remember. I have used them as bookmarks and know of others and during the days of the Great Depression I can remember them being used as inner shoe soles where a hole had developed. If any blotters exist today the must be treated as curios more-and-more as the years go by. Andrew McCaskey Sr. amccsr@.comcast.net 2-23-07 [c448wds
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
LIFE'S CONTRASTS Unless he or she choose to make it so, no one's life need be completely “blah.” Much of what our lives turn out to be can be cataloged as being "acquired" rather than "native". If you find your advancing years weighting more toward the dull side you must remember who may have engendered much of such a fault. We should expect contrasts and changes on our lives as part of normal growth leading toward to better conditions. Rather than any attempt to quell them; trying to prevent history from happening, is wind mill you tilt against with unlimited futility. Changes are going to come into your life regardless of what you may do, and you need to be prepared, in a way, as they arise. You need to be prepared to activate them properly, as well and as soon as they arrive. I think of this situations so often during the month of June when our newspapers seem to almost overflow with specifics concerning engagements and weddings. Many of them are based on promises made one to the other. Promises, I feel, are properly shared - not given. Turn to any other page in the same newspaper reporting all those wedding reports and you will find l - far too easily, that promises, agreements, binding words, and such are not listed among merits in newsworthy events of the day. Promises are not exactly what one might call "negotiable securities". They are treasures to be shared with your future progeny not your immediate "now" of your. You are not the sole person on Earth who has creation-given plans, hopes, hopes ,intents - aims and aspirations. Your share in their leaps forward, too. It is your lifetime job to glorify your Creator. If you should choose to make all of life your very own you make it a "task", a deviant duty of-a-down-bound type, a weird worship of a false God - almost totally of your own making. Share your many blessings. Life in such a manner that you can stand in front of a mirror; look into your mirrored eyes and say - aloud : "I am what I am!". If you find you have to close your eyes to get away from that examination spot -some changes are in order. Now. Andrew McCaskey Sr amccsr@comcast.net 2-20-07 [c392wds]
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