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Computer Hobby Movement in Canada

museum.eecs.yorku.ca

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Re: Computer Hobby Movement in Canada

#81

Post by kazinator »

BLKNSLVR wrote: post #59
kazinator wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "monitor" term is not from early microcomputing but from early computing. I believe that "monitor" referring to a display monitor, and referring to a machine language debugger all have the same origin: they date back to directly monitoring the electrical signals from equipment to observe its workings. The use of "monitoring" in profiling (e.g. gprof and its gmon.out file, etc) is also the same.

Similarly to 'monitor' speakers I would guess. Something designed to keep track of a something-else that is running.

Yes; mixing consoles have monitor buses. One way to use monitor speakers is to put them on the monitor bus output. Then any mixer channel that is bridged to the monitor bus (with a dedicated switch, like a push button toggle) is then monitored.

Re: Computer Hobby Movement in Canada

#82

Post by t-3 »

mountain_peak wrote: post #19
cmrdporcupine wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Toronto is also a relatively short drive from Chicago. It's actually far more similar to Chicago than to coastal NYC. It is really geographically "midwest" by US standards, not "east" When I was in elementary school in Alberta in the 80s we called this "central Canada." And that's how I still think of it. But there's a growing trend especially in Alberta to call this "down east" which is in my mind a very political w…

Indeed - Chicago is considered "midwest" even though it is geographically in the eastern US. Maybe that's New York City-centrism from long ago? Edmonton is as far west from the geographical centre of Canada as Toronto is east. I think it's a a bit of a stretch to call the GTA "geographically central". Economically and demographically, definitely. The Weather Network, which really should consider geographic markers on…

> Indeed - Chicago is considered "midwest" even though it is geographically in the eastern US. Maybe that's New York City-centrism from long ago?

It's the mountains. East of Appalachian is the east (and south of the Mason-Dixon line in the east is the south), between Appalachian and Rockies is Midwest, the wet part of the rest is northwest, the dry part is southwest.

Re: Computer Hobby Movement in Canada

#83

Post by xandrius »

hnthrowaway0315 wrote: post #35
Yhippa wrote: post #9

I didn't grow up in Canada, but I miss these days where the universe of knowledge about computer tech and hardware wasn't impossibly large. It was possible to meet with people in meatspace and have real discussions with them. It's possible now, but it doesn't have the same vibe.

Also the hardware and software are so complicated, that probably no single person on this earth can carry any 64-bit CPU into his brain -- unlike back in the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, good programmers NEED to do that. I think the year 2,000 was sort of the thresh line.

I think it's a no true scotsman statement.

I believe one can be a good programmer without knowing where a memory register physically lives in a modern CPU.

Re: Computer Hobby Movement in Canada

#85

Post by FatherOfCurses »

jgon wrote: post #50
cmrdporcupine wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dunno man. I grew up in Edmonton area and didn't much care about whatever in central Canada, and only had a vague sense of it despite having done a trip across Canada with the family when I was 8. Of course "western alienation" talk was all around from right wing sorts but my family paid no attention to it anyways. Then I moved to Toronto in 1996 in the .com boom. I had spent plenty of time in Vancouver but living…

Respectfully, as an Albertan who still lives in Alberta, and who wants to remain a part of Canada I don't think that the persecution complex is 100% bullshit, and dismissals of it as such by eastern Canada only serve to reinforce it. Re: equalization, of course the massive economy of Ontario makes a big part of GDP, but the point of Alberta's importance is that its economy allows it to make an outsized impact compare…

Confederation isn't a business transaction where everything needs to zero out every year.

Alberta's strong financial position today is thanks to all the work the rest of the country (private or public) put into building the infrastructure and economy - prospecting, railways, roads, military bases, etc.

Albertans may pay more taxes to the federal government than they get back in services but thanks to oil they probably have a positive trade balance with the rest of the country.

Re: Computer Hobby Movement in Canada

#86

Post by cf100clunk »

jgon wrote: post #76
cf100clunk wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Alberta has been one of the most under-represented province in the federal government Each time Albertans (I'm a 4th generation of that group) complain about lack of representation within federalism, I remind them of the many golden opportunities that came and went with their popularly elected and re-elected federal parties in power for long stretches of time, with Harper even representing an Alberta riding, yet he…

You're misunderstand my point here. Alberta, until the most recent seat redistribution, had the largest federal ridings by population. Now they're only the 3rd largest. That means that the average Albertan's vote was worth far less than the average Quebecer's, and faaaar less than the average maritimer's vote. It gives disproportionate power above and beyond just representation due to population. Its not about which…

If I remember correctly, the guidance from the Supreme Court on riding sizes is plus/minus 15% difference from average, with special cases of low population density over large geographic areas allowing as much as plus/minus 40% from average.

Electoral boundaries commissions in Canada have been obligated to take input from all who submit complaints about riding sizes. That's different than those commissions being able to actually achieve something asymptotic to ''parity'', of course, but the net effect is that all those golden opportunities in long term AB-friendly power were missed, as I say.

Re: Computer Hobby Movement in Canada

#87

Post by soperj »

cf100clunk wrote: post #67
soperj wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We used to have bumper stickers that said "Let those eastern bastards freeze in the dark". Funny to mention this on an article referencing the PET.

That was former AB PM Ralph Klein's infamous quote.

It wasn't. Those were bumper stickers in the 80s referencing the National Energy Program. Very in line with the "What does Petro-Canada stand for?" - Pierre Elliot Trudeau Rips Off Canada.

Re: Computer Hobby Movement in Canada

#88

Post by hnthrowaway0315 »

xandrius wrote: post #83
hnthrowaway0315 wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also the hardware and software are so complicated, that probably no single person on this earth can carry any 64-bit CPU into his brain -- unlike back in the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, good programmers NEED to do that. I think the year 2,000 was sort of the thresh line.

I think it's a no true scotsman statement. I believe one can be a good programmer without knowing where a memory register physically lives in a modern CPU.

That's for sure.

Re: Computer Hobby Movement in Canada

#89

Post by cmrdporcupine »

FatherOfCurses wrote: post #85
jgon wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Respectfully, as an Albertan who still lives in Alberta, and who wants to remain a part of Canada I don't think that the persecution complex is 100% bullshit, and dismissals of it as such by eastern Canada only serve to reinforce it. Re: equalization, of course the massive economy of Ontario makes a big part of GDP, but the point of Alberta's importance is that its economy allows it to make an outsized impact compare…

Confederation isn't a business transaction where everything needs to zero out every year. Alberta's strong financial position today is thanks to all the work the rest of the country (private or public) put into building the infrastructure and economy - prospecting, railways, roads, military bases, etc. Albertans may pay more taxes to the federal government than they get back in services but thanks to oil they probabl…

There is also zero guarantee that in 50 years Alberta won't be in a worse revenue situation than its neighbours and needing equalization. In fact it's likely.

Not just because there's the off chance that human civilization decides burning hydrocarbons is a really bad idea. But because Alberta is profoundly vulnerable to drought and water shortage due to deglaciation as a result of climate change.

Re: Computer Hobby Movement in Canada

#90

Post by cf100clunk »

soperj wrote: post #87
cf100clunk wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was former AB PM Ralph Klein's infamous quote.

It wasn't. Those were bumper stickers in the 80s referencing the National Energy Program. Very in line with the "What does Petro-Canada stand for?" - Pierre Elliot Trudeau Rips Off Canada.

Point conceded, although I hasten to add Ralph's infamous "Eastern bums and creeps" quote to the mix.

Another Alberta bumper sticker from the early 1980s foreclosure era said something like: ''Please, God, let there be another oil boom and this time I won't blow all my money away!"

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