Numero Uno
Um, this is my first post. I've had the idea of starting a blog for several weeks; wasn't sure exactly what I was planning to focus on, except that it would probably be political, but not the usual sort of fare found in the blogsphere. Toyed with a couple of ideas; then settled on the name you see above, as a result of reading this.
I'm a software developer for a small company in Colorado; been there a year or two. But I've been writing software for more than 35 years. My first program was written in 1967 in the IBM 1440, which had, as I recall, a card reader, printer, card punch, and 4k of memory, along with the usual assortment of lights, buttons, and switches. Now I write business web applications for IBM's Universe/Unidata (U2) platforms, which are variants of the Pick Operating System.
I got involved in politics more than 18 years ago and have run for office more than a few times (never a winner), and have worked on several issue campaigns and was a mover and shaker on a couple of ballot access bills that became law a few years ago. As a result, it's relatively easy in Colorado to become a minor political party. Not so in other states. Richard Winger, the most knowledgeable ballot access expert in the United States, can be found here.
Other than politics, my main spare time activity is Contradance. No, not country dance, or line dancing, which require both a left foot and a right, which I don't have, figuratively speaking. Contradance is more suitable for someone with two left feet, because there's no "1 2 3, 1 2 3" which I can't do. But I have a lot of fun, meet some people, and get some good exercise.
There won't be much family talk here, because it's just me. Used to be me and the cat, Tanya, a purebreed alley cat (finest kind), but she left for cat heaven a few years ago after 17 years of keeping me company. My folks are still hanging in there at 80+; I have a brother Gary, and a sister, Peggy, who makes ice skating dresses and has hubby, Bob, and two kids who are grown and gone.
One other thing; I used to stutter, but thanks to Patty Walton, I don't have to deal with the physical side of that too much, now. If you know someone who stutters, particularly young children, get them to her asap. She's got a great book, Fun With Fluency, too.
My next task will be to figure out trackbacks and blogrolls and stuff like that. And thanks to Evangelical Outpost for spelling out the blogging basics.
I'm a software developer for a small company in Colorado; been there a year or two. But I've been writing software for more than 35 years. My first program was written in 1967 in the IBM 1440, which had, as I recall, a card reader, printer, card punch, and 4k of memory, along with the usual assortment of lights, buttons, and switches. Now I write business web applications for IBM's Universe/Unidata (U2) platforms, which are variants of the Pick Operating System.
I got involved in politics more than 18 years ago and have run for office more than a few times (never a winner), and have worked on several issue campaigns and was a mover and shaker on a couple of ballot access bills that became law a few years ago. As a result, it's relatively easy in Colorado to become a minor political party. Not so in other states. Richard Winger, the most knowledgeable ballot access expert in the United States, can be found here.
Other than politics, my main spare time activity is Contradance. No, not country dance, or line dancing, which require both a left foot and a right, which I don't have, figuratively speaking. Contradance is more suitable for someone with two left feet, because there's no "1 2 3, 1 2 3" which I can't do. But I have a lot of fun, meet some people, and get some good exercise.
There won't be much family talk here, because it's just me. Used to be me and the cat, Tanya, a purebreed alley cat (finest kind), but she left for cat heaven a few years ago after 17 years of keeping me company. My folks are still hanging in there at 80+; I have a brother Gary, and a sister, Peggy, who makes ice skating dresses and has hubby, Bob, and two kids who are grown and gone.
One other thing; I used to stutter, but thanks to Patty Walton, I don't have to deal with the physical side of that too much, now. If you know someone who stutters, particularly young children, get them to her asap. She's got a great book, Fun With Fluency, too.
My next task will be to figure out trackbacks and blogrolls and stuff like that. And thanks to Evangelical Outpost for spelling out the blogging basics.
posted by David Aitken | 11:03 PM
3 Comments:
Welcome to the Blogosphere, David!
Hello. Welcome to the blogosphere. I decided to respond to your first post because your tales of the punchcards brought back memories of the *&^% things for me: When my father worked at IBM Boulder he used to bring home discarded punch cards by the box and they would become everything and anything. Of course, a saturation point was quickly reached and they would find their way into the family fireplace, there reduced to gray ash, finally spread on the family garden.
I wonder what the environmentalists in Boulder would think if they still existed today.
Thanks for stopping by.
They'd probably be outraged, or something. But progress marches on and attempts to alter that progress are subject to Murphy's Law and the law of unintended consequences. It's possible that had some of their more radical proposals been adopted (read the Green Party platform) that we might still be using them, but alternate history is impossible to prove.
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