Feel Better:Complain About Anything, page-87124

@picastoc - good for you, that it came in so useful - I never went to university, would have used shorthand, too, but one of my very first jobs was part-time, whilst still at Commercial College in a small printers shop, then -after a detour, which could have been life-changing, but my mother spoiled it for me (they paid my wages from a 'fund' hence did not contribute to medical and pension entitlements - that was a No-No according to Mum!) - at a medical research institute, with an amazing boss and interesting work; he kept telling me I should study. But Mum . . . . I did love her, though, she was brave and tough and kind.

Then straight onto a primitive version of computers; basically just pulling punched cards from wall shelves, which represented units of items, representing the stock of a large grocery company with 27 branches. My job was taking the orders by phone. With head-phones on, I marched along a series of shelves spanning 2 long walls, which represented all the stock - and then bundling them up and feeding them into a printer, which was also connected to our store-house which was miles away. This was modern technology n those days - and they did up the orders which were then delivered by car to the various branches. Simple job, but i loved it - knew all 27 telephone numbers by heart etc. The cards were called 'Hollerith Cards' - the idea of punch cards was invented in the late 1800s by a German-American statistician, inventor and businessman. He developed the electromechanical tabulating machine for punched cards to assist in an U.S. election - he eventually founded IBM.
But computers have a much longer history than that with European and English (Babbage) and American mathematicians having had an input.; actually beginning in weaving machines, where they helped create the complicated patterns of woven goods.

One thing I am sorry about: that I have little talent for mathematics - I realise it is the basis of even the universe, G.d must be a mathematician!! - I do have the interest now, but not much more time . . . but suspect that G.d is also a musician, which will do me!

So good to have had such a stable and proud family, picastoc - mine were simple peasants turned working class after they 'migrated' to the city. I have come to appreciate them though, perhaps too late, but we were always loving and civil to one another. They were all musical though and so was my husband's family, which is a great blessing.

Count-down of best movie tunes happening on Sunday on ABC Classics - mine is Howard Shore "Lord of the Rings' etc.
Go well
Taurisk