Re: The HP35S Message #13 Posted by Frido Bohn on 25 Aug 2011, 9:06 a.m., in response to message #1 by Nick R
I really do not understand the objections against such a fine machine the HP 35s is. It has all we expect from a scientific calculator: it looks very sophisticated – not to say complicated – and thus thoroughly cool. It has seemingly endless rows of buttons, and the majority of them with three to four functions. Due to a wise use of psycho-physiological engineering in the fields of para-optical perception (aka visual illusion) some buttons seem to have at least five functions. The color scheme is marvelous. Its deep-chocolate brown base used for the panel and the buttons, and the combination of titanium white, lapis-lazuli blue, pumpkin yellow and cranberry red is a paramount example of post-industrial neo-expressionism. If the HP 35s was part of the still life in Vincent van Gogh's "Still life with coffee pot, dishes and fruit" no one would have noticed it –it would have fit into the scene so perfectly!
I hear some people moan about the poorly organized keyboard. They possibly claim if there were awards for "clutteredness" the HP 35s would be at least among the nominees. But let's analyze this issue closer: Beyond the section of numerals and basic arithmetic operators, the functions appear to be randomly distributed. But this impression is only true for half-hearted scientists. Have you ever seen a scientist's lab? They have all their peculiar system of order, and the HP 35s has a match to the organization of an average lab with bounds of 0.85 to 1.25 within a 95% confidence interval. So it is merely "cluttero-equivalent" to a standard scientific lab.
What is the mean access time you need to grab a random instrument from your bench, tweezers, Phillips screwdriver or the like? And what is the mean access time for a random function HP 35s? You see what my point is: the HP 35s inconspicuously adopts the usability of an arbitrary everyday tool so you never will abstain from it once you have found the button to switch it on.
Its form factor and size alludes to the good ol' classic series, and eventually, the 35s is a reminiscence of the first pocket scientific calculator ever made. OK, you will have to go to a second-hand market to get a shirt with pockets wide enough for the HP 35s, but on the other side, you will never desperately look for it as it may happen with those tiny electronic gadgets people use nowadays in the case they are lost, perhaps in a shirt pocket. The calculator fits perfectly in a man's hand, of course, in a true man's hand with a minimum glove size of 8 (22 cm circumference at the knuckle – for conversion into inches use your HP 35s).
Bug list? Superficially seen, yes, but it is rather an entertainment list because it challenges thousands of users who then may become angry, amused or finally try to circumvent those seeming shortcomings with the most astounding suggestions. Ever imagined how boring a device would be if it was perfect? No postings in the HP Forum with endless threads around similar issues, no engineering of such marvels as the 41CL or the WP34s.
The 5th anniversary of the HP 35s is coming soon and it created so much priceless imagination…
(If there was a font for emphasizing a sarcastic undertone I would have used it. So please, don't take this contribution too serious.)
|