>Wirt replied to my private post:
>>
>>
>> I very much appreciate your comments, Esko. I regretted posting something so
>> far off-topic after I let it go, but it did generate a surprising amount of
>> private mail (Jeff Kell, Stan Sieler, Denys Beauchmin, Eric Schubert, and
>> others). The role that science-fiction plays in the lives and dreams of
>> people like us cannot be easily diminished.
>>
>> Best,
>>
>> Wirt
>>
>
>These "off-topic" threads is one of the reasons that keeps the reading
>of HP3000-L day after day interesting.  As said before so many times,
>the level of discussion on this list is way above the normal Internet
>level (if we count out the Mac/PC flame war which was an exception, but
>as we say in Finland: an exception confirms the rule :-).
>
>Science fiction plays an important role in describing our dreams, hopes,
>fears and expectations - besides, today's science fiction is sometimes
>tomorrows reality ...
>
>Best regards,
>Esko
>
>
>--
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>Tampere Telephone Company      X.400: G=esko;S=lahdensivu;O=tpo;
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>

I agree.  Computer nerds are especially prone to like Science Fiction.  In
fact, one of the early gurus of computing, Herb Grosch, used this a "test"
when hiring programmers.  The tests, as I recall, were:

1.  Do you read Science Fiction
2.  Do you play strategy games like chess
3.  Do the candidate's eyes "light up" when you show them the computer room

It's amazing what information we remember :>)
Gary Jackson
Nevada CSOS
(916) 478-6407 - voice
(916) 478-6410 - fax