Semi-OT: Last week's "The Big Bang Theory"

[Richard Kreiss]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: filepro-list-bounces+rkreiss=verizon.net at lists.celestial.com
> [mailto:filepro-list-bounces+rkreiss=verizon.net at lists.celestial.com] On
> Behalf Of Kenneth Brody
> Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2012 11:31 AM
> To: 'FilePro Mailing List'
> Subject: Re: Semi-OT: Last week's "The Big Bang Theory"
> 
> On 5/9/2012 10:38 AM, GCC Consulting wrote:
> [...]
> > Interesting fact:
> >
> > Dave sold me my first Radio Shack Model II computer with profile.
> > That was before he joined the small computer staff.  That goes back a
long
> time (:
> >
> > He was working at the computer center on 5th avenue between 3th and
> > 37th streets if memory servers.
> 
> John Morgan was manager of a small Radio Shack store near my old high
> school.  When the Model I came out, I would stop by on my way home from
> school to play with it.  (A bit different to actually see the computer,
rather
> than some mysterious box halfway across the county at the other end of a
110
> baud phone connection.)
> 
> He was then given one of the first "computer centers" in Mount Kisco,
where I
> taught classes in BASIC over the summer.
> 
> Eventually, he was made manager of one of the Manhattan computer centers
> (the above address sounds like the right area -- it was in walking
distance of
> Penn Station).
> 
> When I started looking for a job, he was working for this place called
"The
> small Computer Company" on west 41st Street.
> 
> --
> Kenneth Brody


I wrote my first basic program for the model 1.  It was for the Radio Shack
store on 5th avenue just south of 33rd street. It was next to a great coffee
shop, Brooks. The store manager was complaining that he had no demo software
that his customers could use.  I wrote him a program which allowed for
answering questions and doing math problems.  The program looped and allowed
interaction with the computer.  I wrote on that machine and saved it to tape
which I gave him.  

Both Brooks and That Radio shack store are closed now.  Brooks has been
replace by a fast food restaurant and I don't recall what moved into the
Radio Shack location as I haven't been in that area of NYC in almost 8
years.

Ken, I don't think you would recognize the area where small Computer was.
Many of the textile and apparel companies are out of business and the
buildings where they were located have internet or phone app start-ups
instead.

I used to travel up to small computer when it moved to Hawthorne.  I would
go there to pick up upgrades.  My wife once surprised me by buying FPSQL(
ver. 1) as a birthday present - May 15, 1989.  

Got to go, meeting a friend for lunch.

Richard