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End For The Printed Agency Brochure.


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11 hours ago, High6 said:

I began my employment in computers in the early 60's when they were still built from cogs, levers and springs.

Me too, in a kind of way! I was a sales rep for British Olivetti in the late 60s, until I got thoroughly disillusioned by it, and went and joined the Army!

I was part of a team that sold a computer to SATRA, the Shoe and Allied Trades Research Association, in Northampton, which was paid for by their member companies and could be used by them all on a "real time" terminal. It was installed in an air conditioned room bigger than most people's kitchen and made loud clanking and whirring noises. It had rows of metal cabinets with reels of magnetic tape all along the front. These spun backwards and forwards all on their own, just like something from a James Bond film.

I am no technician but what this taught me is that when you strip a computer down to its parts, it is simply an electronic calculator that works by binary notation and can therefore only answer "yes" or "no" to each question that you ask it. There is no "maybe". 

When I spend half an hour trying to book a ferry, a hotel, or a boat and come to the page where it refuses to accept my postcode although I have just ticked the box to say that I live in France, I wish that there could be a "maybe". Sometimes I give it my UK postal address and bingo! I can go to the next page, to make the payment, when it then refuses to accept me as the billing address on my English debit card is not the same as my "home" address. Personally I think this just means that the website is being used as a means of laying off staff, and has not been programmed properly.

I was always taught that a computer is a machine which is there to assist you with your work and the running of your affairs. It is NOT there to give orders!

 

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On 11/2/2017 at 07:01, SwanR said:

 I only read it quickly but it doesn't say that brochures won't be sent out directly on request?

 

I think you right Jean.

On 11/2/2017 at 07:34, ranworthbreeze said:

We had our Hoseasons brochure through the  door last week and have not hired through them for a couple of years.

Regards

Alan

I booked with them this year and waiting!

 

Still something about holding a brochure in your hands. I mean not the same taking the laptop into the loo for a read!

Remember well getting my mits on the Blakes brochure in 1962, bought for 6d at the store opposite Hearts Cruisers (was it Lakes?) and spending hours going through it on the King of Hearts. I was hooked.

 

Fred

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I too have provided a free 24hr technical service for all my family, friends, neighbours and "new best friends" for many years, including call-outs at unsociable hours. I have , however, now reached that time when my memory is conveniently declining at such a rate that a 12-year-old kid will outshine me pretty much every time.

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi as a recent newbie to this site, I have been reading many of thr threads with great interest. Having followed Robin on his various solo cruises and his purchase of his new lifestyle of Independence (good on you Robin enjoy).

At the age of nearly 62 & 3/4's I use a computer daily and seem to have collected a collection of desktops, laptops, kindle and iPad all in constant use - however it is a sad thing that the printed brochure may be no more.

In the 1960's I remember my excitment on recieving my copies of Blakes & Hosesons and druring the summer holidays I spent 1 or 2 weeks holiday with a relative of my Dad's who owned a house in Beech Road, Wroxham (sadly the money was not on our side of the family) which had a boathouse at the end of the garden opposite the Bure Court Hotel. (sadly no more). During the time we spent there my sister and I spent many hours looking out over the river and marking off all the boats from the brochure as the passed, it always seemd magical to us especially on a Saturday take over day seeing a Q of boats going up and down on the trials.

I remembver when Brincraft first started next to the Beehive post office and general stores and their boats always seemed to be the smartest boats at the time, sorry I seem to have gone off topic here- but the brochures were a part of my childhood, perhaps today with instant answers from Google etc the simple things of life are just not appreciated anymore by the younger generation.

Blimey !! did I really say that? sorry must go and take my pills - but as with everything in 30-40 years time they will be saying exactly the same thing about things they new and loved in 2017.

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A warm :default_welcome: to the forum from me and the Wench (some call her Inge) Shemaha,

14 minutes ago, shemaha said:

Blimey !! did I really say that? sorry must go and take my pills - but as with everything in 30-40 years time they will be saying exactly the same thing about things they new and loved in 2017.

Oh I think you are so right there.

Charlie

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On 3.11.2017 at 00:44, High6 said:

I began my employment in computers in the early 60's when they were still built from cogs, levers and springs. For the next 50 years I worked in hardware and software development and design, and spent my final 10 years teaching computer science at Uni.

I can't really match that (started Computer Science undergrad course at Manchester University in 1970).  Just coming up to retirement.   Remember ATLAS or even Mercury?

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I have just utterly failed to register my change of address online with HMRC. I provided my Government Gateway number, my NHS number, old and new addresses, date of birth, password, mother's maiden name and my inside leg measurement. They required me to insert a special Pin number sent to my phone. It could not go to my land line because of my call blocker. I have no cell phone signal at home, so was allowed 20 minutes to drive up the road, pick up the code and get back.

I had my fun with the HMRC site (for my UK state pension).  Its set up to allow a non-UK mobile phone number but the special PIN just doesn't arrive.   Only way out - enter my brother's mobile phone number in the UK, check hes available & then he resends me the PIN.

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They can neither construct sentences correctly nor spell with any reasonable accuracy.

Only the other day my wife was saying that her handwriting had deteriorated due to just not writing any more.  I can't spell properly either but I blame that partially on being outside the UK for so long (intention was "one year").

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