HP Forum Archive 14

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Grandma's calculator Message #1 Posted by Michael Meyer on 21 Dec 2003, 11:12 p.m. You never know, sometimes, what you might come across in this great hobby. I had a patient, remembering that I collect calculators, bring "Grandma's" calculator to me as a gift. At first, it sounded like the usual adding machine or desktop TI... he said it was large. I said, "I really appreciate the thought.." figuring it wasn't anything I wanted. Indeed, it was huge. A Lloyd's Accumatic 100! It uses 4 "D" batteries to power the incandescent bulb behind.... a white-number on black LCD. The books show it as the first LCD calculator... from 1972. Better LCD's didn't arrive for many years later. Cool machine. A wonderful beast! THANKS "GRANDMA". Michael

Re: Grandma's calculator Message #2 Posted by Katie on 22 Dec 2003, 2:00 a.m., in response to message #1 by Michael Meyer Michael, I've got one of those too, very cool! I especially like the way they do the back-lighting. (Lloyd's made one for Sears that had was in an identical case but with an orange, instead of blue, top and rechargeable batteries.) A nice present, but what would Freud say about accepting gifts from your patients? :) -Katie

Freud's view on our hobbies Message #3 Posted by Namir Shammas on 22 Dec 2003, 2:26 a.m., in response to message #2 by Katie Katie, You mentioned Freud .... what would he say about our compulsion to have zillions of calculators ... to spend hours on eBay watching auctions and sniping at them in the las few seconds? He'd say that it represents a repressed hostile behavior .. and a compulsion that obssesses with our immortality since a calculator with its numbers is symbolic of watches that "read" the time. Any other qyestions for Freud???? :=)

Re: Freud's view on our hobbies Message #4 Posted by James M. Prange on 22 Dec 2003, 3:17 a.m., in response to message #3 by Namir Shammas Did Freud ever figure out why he was as nutty as a fruitcake?

Re: Freud's view on our hobbies Message #5 Posted by Namir Shammas on 22 Dec 2003, 12:47 p.m., in response to message #4 by James M. Prange Freud grew up in a bit of an unsuual atmosphere and even had his own phobias .. like his fear of travelling to Rome, which he eventually overcame. Freud rocked the boat as a pioneer and made a lot of people uncomfortable because he pointed out to repressed sexual and agressive feelings and emotions. He pointed out to our agressive and destructive instinct which we, as civilized people, deny since we want to think of ourselves as moral beings. Freud hit a very sensitive nerve .. and that's why we still call him names to this day. His theories may not be as complete (and seldom used now) as, for example, those of Carl Jung (a one-time Freud protoge turned rival). So know you know what my other hobby is, aside from calculators! :-)

Re: Grandma's calculator Message #6 Posted by Paul Marin on 22 Dec 2003, 7:57 a.m., in response to message #2 by Katie Katie, just a question on the side, do you use any of your collection, or are they all for display only? What do you do for a living? Paul

Re: Grandma's calculator Message #7 Posted by Katie on 22 Dec 2003, 2:27 p.m., in response to message #6 by Paul Marin Hi Paul, I use a few of them -- all duplicates of the calcs in my collection. The one that I use most often now is a 32SII, but I suppose that I've put more hours on a 35 than any other calculator. I used the 35 for my math/physics major in college and for a while after doing physics research. Then I switched to computer science in grad school, the 11C and 16C were great then. Now I do computer consulting -- a little bit of everything -- which is why the 32SII is so handy. -Katie

Re: Grandma's calculator Message #8 Posted by Michael Meyer on 22 Dec 2003, 2:44 p.m., in response to message #2 by Katie Katie: I do accept old calculators as gifts now and then, but I always tell people exactly what they are and what they're worth, as I intend to do with this one. (I'm not too worried... these aren't too valuable to non-collectors). Freud would have been more concerned with another sort of "gift"; <grin> (a boundary that I would never ever even consider crossing, as I've seen only the severe harm it causes.) Also, I'm not good at "objectifying" women... or people in general. I may have an initial atrraction, but then quickly see people for all the problems they have... I'd rather stick with me, my wife, and the "known" problems.... Having said that, I can't remember if I shared one of my favorite doctor moments. A woman came in for follow-up after a divorce, and she'd had breast augmentation. At the end of our visit, as I was standing up to show her out, she said, "Well, you're a doctor. What do you think?".. and she lifted her shirt. Not wanting to be impolite, I looked at the surgeon's work... and then got to say the classic line..."Thanks for sharing!" Sometime's life's not so boring.....

Re: Grandma's calculator Message #9 Posted by Tom Scott on 22 Dec 2003, 6:26 p.m., in response to message #8 by Michael Meyer I assume you told her, "Well that's fine, but I prefer the old "classics"! Tom Scott

Re: Grandma's calculator Message #10 Posted by Michael Meyer on 22 Dec 2003, 6:55 p.m., in response to message #9 by Tom Scott Yes, but sometimes a bit of restoration does some good! On the serious side: I recently read that women who have had breast augmentation surgery (not the post-mastectomy reconstruction type) are three times as likely to commit suicide as women who have not done this. I suspect it's related to self-esteem problems: if you didn't like yourself before the surgery..... Yes, I have to admit, I like the old classics: Bigger, more solid, great tactile feeling in the hand..... and you can enjoy them in the dark! (thanks to the LED's, of course!) Michael

Re: Grandma's calculator Message #11 Posted by Freud on 22 Dec 2003, 7:42 p.m., in response to message #10 by Michael Meyer Thanks will be $100 Mike for the online session!!! :-) Sigmund

Forum Therapy Message #12 Posted by Michael Meyer on 22 Dec 2003, 9:28 p.m., in response to message #11 by Freud Actually, I get a lot of "therapy" from the Forum! I think hobbies and individual interests are important for people's mental health. It's my therapy to help me deal with everyone else's. <grin> Michael

Re: Forum Therapy Message #13 Posted by The Buddha on 23 Dec 2003, 12:05 a.m., in response to message #12 by Michael Meyer Mike you worry too much. In the end, it's all an illusion, and in many centuries from now both your patients and you and everyone else on this forum will be less than an faint echo in anyone's mind. The demons we all battle will have long forgotten us as they will be busy with waging war on those under the spot light .. the fleeting spotlight. Our "beloved" calculators will not fair any better! Don't sweat the small stuff ... and it's ALL small stuff.

a question for The Buddha Message #14 Posted by a seeker (theres one born every minute) on 23 Dec 2003, 8:36 p.m., in response to message #13 by The Buddha What is the meaning of life?

Re: a question for The Buddha Message #15 Posted by Michael Meyer on 23 Dec 2003, 11:43 p.m., in response to message #14 by a seeker (theres one born every minute) The meaning of life? Depends, in my opinion: If there's an afterlife-- an eternal soul, then it makes sense that we're here to learn all the things we can't learn as an eternal soul. The suffering we experience: grief an loss, mainly, serves to make us wiser. If you "skate" through life, you don't learn as much. The buddha would approve. If there is no eternal soul, then we're here to experience the things we experience here, and not as an eternal soul.... then suffering and loss is pretty much a waste of time. Now. If my HP-25 can only tell me which....

The Meaning of Life Message #16 Posted by Victor Koechli on 24 Dec 2003, 5:02 a.m., in response to message #15 by Michael Meyer Choose between Becoming a liver donor 42 Personally, I prefer the second choice, as it seems (!) to have less immediate side effects... Cheers, Victor

Re: The Meaning of Life Message #17 Posted by Diego Diaz on 24 Dec 2003, 6:36 a.m., in response to message #16 by Victor Koechli Hi, This small thread has suffered a sort of weird metamorphosis... (Kafka would agree for sure ;-) IMHO, There's no "meaning", just cause and effect. We know very little about the last, and almost nothing on the former. Thus our solely *possesion* is a very small island of knowledge, surrounded by a huge ocean of ignorance, and covered by a really nasty and even huger cloud of superstition wich persistent rain soaks most brains. That said, all and every litle piece of knowledge are, to my eyes, precious jewels. Anyhow I'm just an outer space determinist alien so... ;-) Cheers. Diego. 12357

Re: The Meaning of Life Message #18 Posted by Wayne Brown on 24 Dec 2003, 9:20 a.m., in response to message #17 by Diego Diaz "Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13, New International Version. It seemed appropriate, considering the season... Merry Christmas, everyone!

Re: a question for The Buddha Message #19 Posted by The Buddha on 24 Dec 2003, 2:15 p.m., in response to message #14 by a seeker (theres one born every minute) Life is a lot of suffering that begats more suffering. There may be moments of happiness now and then, but we know even in these moments that the pain will return. Each belief system that might shed a meaning of life has inhertintly a contractiction that invalidates it on an absolute scale. We all live by myths ... with the choice of taking the myths literal or recognizing their power as myths to tell us some truth abou tour human nature and behavior. Christmas for example, was the Roman holiday to honor Saturn and the shortest day in the year. Life has many illusions ... as long as you don't let your ego hijack who you are and as long as you don't take things too too seriously ... you will have achived enlightenment. It's that easy! Merry Christmas ... to celebrate the Chirst child and the divine Inner Child in all of us!

Re: a question for The Buddha Message #20 Posted by Conan The Barbarian on 10 Jan 2004, 12:23 a.m., in response to message #19 by The Buddha I believe that I said it best in my first movie. Why are we here? To crush our enemies, see them driven before us, and to hear the lamentation of their women. Now I am a governor; yet, inside me beats the heart of a Barbarian. Blessing to all.

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