June 2019

We had a paper route in our family for years. My eldest brother, Jim started when he was 12. My brothers, Steve and Jack all had it at one time. My younger sisters helped Jack. After Jack gave it up, the route was given up. This was the Flint Journal, in Flint, Michigan. It was an afternoon paper, with Sunday and Holiday morning delivery. Thursday and Sunday were the big days, where the paper was the thickest/heaviest. We had about 100 customers on Lawndale and Proctor Streets, from Pasadena to Rankin, and the connecting streets in between. We broke it down into the Front halfRead More →

As far back into my youth as I can remember, I was a Science nerd. Capital “S” Science, capital “N” Nerd. My Christmas catalog was Edmund Scientific. I didn’t check the drugstore rack for the latest Mad Magazine; I was waiting for Popular Science. My favorite literature was science fiction. (Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint/Homework Machine/Weather Machine/Heat ray…, Asimov, Heinlein, Pohl, Van Vogt…, movies like Forbidden Planet, War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stood Still). Many birthday and Christmas presents were in various sciences: telescopes, microscopes, computer, chemistry set, gyroscopes and hover cars. I didn’t hang out at the local gas station,Read More →

Digi-Comp 1963 My parents always fed my science nerd hunger, often without my even knowing what I wanted. When I was 9-10 (1963 or 64), I remember getting my first “computer” for my birthday. It was so awesome! The Digi-Comp! More at Wikipedia. It was a mechanical digital computer. All it was was three logical AND gates controlled by plastic pins flipping against spring-loaded bars. The “computer” was clocked by cycling a plastic lever back and forth. There were only a few problems/projects provided in the manual, but they were enough. This wasn’t something I asked for. And, I don’t know if this choice wasRead More →