An interesting historical anecdote to relate, from our nation's industrial adolescence, a tale with relevance today when we discuss standards. The year was 1853 and the place was Erie, Pennsylvania, a town at the junction of two incompatible rail … [Continue reading] about The Piemen of Erie
Legacy format FUD
From CyberTech Rambler (and Slashdot) comes the news that the Office 2003 Service Pack #3 disables (blocks) access to a number of legacy document formats. Details are in this MS support article. Formats so blocked include legacy Lotus 1-2-3 and … [Continue reading] about Legacy format FUD
Those who forget Santayana…
It must have passed beneath my radar it when it first was filed in 2004, but it caught my eye recently when Andy Updegrove mentioned it in Chapter 3 of his book-in-progress, The War of the Words. I'm talking about Novell's November 2004 antitrust … [Continue reading] about Those who forget Santayana…
A Lick Back in Time
Updating a post from 2006, I'd like to take a look back at the commemorative stamp issues of 1957. What do we choose to remember, and how do we remember it? What was considered significant back in 1957, but is now forgotten? What icons have remained … [Continue reading] about A Lick Back in Time
The Right and Lawful Rood
So what do we have here? Sixteen men, lined up. They seem to be having a good time. Some are older, some younger. A historian of fashion might be able to tell us their relative social status, and perhaps their trade, by looking at their clothing. … [Continue reading] about The Right and Lawful Rood