Nice people thread part 4 - sugar and spice and all things

SingleSue

My first computer ran windows XP!

I did however, work on an early version of email in one of my first office jobs....oh and I also managed to invoice a customer for 60 million quid for some paper reels putting in too many noughts or dashes or whatever. The computer boxes (not just one box or tower) were so large that it filled the space under my desk, leaving very little room for my feet, I had to squeeze them onto this tiny ledge.

PasturesNew

In my first job, I was PA to the Managing Director of a metals and chemicals broker ... sounded posh but it was an MD, two lesser blokes, a receptionist and me ... and a telex.

With a telex machine you typed onto the keyboard and it created a punchtape. If you typed wrongly you backspaced and it generated holes in all the positions across the tape, which meant "type nothing" at the other end. Once you'd created what you wanted to type you'd dial the number, then feed the tape through the machine ... as it passed through it generated the correct letter at the other end - and if you'd made mistakes it just "chuntered" without typing anything until it found the next set of relevant dots.... except I never bothered with the tape, I used to type directly onto the telex machine - and could even hold conversations over it if the person at the other end was also competent. Not many people typed live onto telex machines because you had to be pretty much 100% accurate AND fast as you were charged for the connection time.

I learnt to type on manual typewriters - we had an electric machine in the corner of the room, but weren't allowed to use it. I was 21 before I actually used an electric typewriter, it was an IBM golfball. When I was 23 or so I got a job where the typewriter was described to me as "you know you're la crème de la crème when you get one of these....". It was an electric typewriter with proportional spacing. An m required 5 microspaces, an i required 2 microspaces - so if you made an error you had to calculate in your head just how you'd correct it based on how much space you had and the microspacing. And it was using brown carbon ribbon onto cream Conqueror paper (all very posh). It was the IBM Executive model.

LydiaJ

Ooh yes, I remember manual typewriters. I learnt on one of those, with my Mum's "Teach yourself typing" book at home. The A key was so stiff that the little finger of my left hand couldn't work it, and I used to reach over and thump it with my right index finger instead.

neverdespairgirl

I've never actually touched a typewriter....

SingleSue

PasturesNew wrote: »

In my first job, I was PA to the Managing Director of a metals and chemicals broker ... sounded posh but it was an MD, two lesser blokes, a receptionist and me ... and a telex.

With a telex machine you typed onto the keyboard and it created a punchtape. If you typed wrongly you backspaced and it generated holes in all the positions across the tape, which meant "type nothing" at the other end. Once you'd created what you wanted to type you'd dial the number, then feed the tape through the machine ... as it passed through it generated the correct letter at the other end - and if you'd made mistakes it just "chuntered" without typing anything until it found the next set of relevant dots.... except I never bothered with the tape, I used to type directly onto the telex machine - and could even hold conversations over it if the person at the other end was also competent. Not many people typed live onto telex machines because you had to be pretty much 100% accurate AND fast as you were charged for the connection time.

I learnt to type on manual typewriters - we had an electric machine in the corner of the room, but weren't allowed to use it. I was 21 before I actually used an electric typewriter, it was an IBM golfball. When I was 23 or so I got a job where the typewriter was described to me as "you know you're la crème de la crème when you get one of these....". It was an electric typewriter with proportional spacing. An m required 5 microspaces, an i required 2 microspaces - so if you made an error you had to calculate in your head just how you'd correct it based on how much space you had and the microspacing. And it was using brown carbon ribbon onto cream Conqueror paper (all very posh). It was the IBM Executive model.

Ah a telex machine....the memories.

I too learnt to type on a manual typewriter, I only got to have a go at the electric one when the lady who usually typed on it was away on holiday or ill...although saying that, the old style computer (the one which had the huge boxes under the desk), actually taught me how to touch type at speed, a skill I still have now.

Youngest has got a manual typewriter, my brother gave us a couple to put in a boot sale, one sold but the other one didn't and youngest decided he liked the look of it so has designated it as his now for writing his stories, books, magazines and Apple/tablet pc product guides.

PasturesNew

michaels wrote: »

I can't believe everyone is still so noughties with IT - all my staff is now in the cloud on google docs so I can access and work on it anywhere with a web connection.

Speaking as somebody who was an "IT Pro" since 1986 in various forms .... not having worked for a few years now I've never done any such thing. I don't share information/documents and nobody's ever tried to share documents with me (except as attachments in emails) ....

I have used Google docs a tiny bit, but tend to forget it's there and my PC/connection are not really up to it.... on the whole though I write about 2 Office documents/year tops - and this year it was somebody changing their accounting systems and they now email me to tell me how much I've earnt in a month, then I have to raise them an invoice for that amount, then they pay me by Paypal.... and their system's only been like that for two months, prior to this they just paid me by cheque for the first six months, then by Paypal - but then their accountant had a word with them and so there's this new system. I won't be invoicing them for long though - they (ridiculously) have a low upper limit you can earn from referrals with them and I've reached it by now ... shame, it was a good consistent 10% of income, so I'll have to Google and sell those leads to a competitor.

breadlinebetty

Generali wrote: »

Aussie.

Mrs G is starting on $50,000 and should get $5,000 rises every 6 months for 3 years. If we save it @ 6% then that's ball park $500,000 assuming we pay for trips back to Europe from Mrs Generali's money. If we save the lot it could be more like $800,000.

Sorry, but those figures don't add up. If you do your sums again you'll see you've massively over calculated. Especially if you deduct money from that for trips back to Europe.

Another factor you need to take into account is if you find yourself out of work and have ro rely on your wife's income, or if she herself finds herself unemployed. Five years is a long time in many ways - all sorts of things can happen.

And while it may be OK living frugally for a full 5 years when you're young and without responsibilties, when you're middle-aged with a family and children to bring up, it's much more difficult to 'go without' for all that time. Children are VERY costly! Lovely - but costly.

I'd certainly check those figures again if I were you - they do not add up.

michaels

Children are not lovely when they wake you up at 1AM, 2AM, 3AM, 4AM and then the Mrs' Alarm goes off at 5AM

I also think they may be even more expensive than cars although there is not much in it - cars both need tax this month but kids need new school uniform, brownies uniforms and subs, activities subs, dinner money and feeding of course.

lostinrates

SingleSue wrote: »

Youngest has got a manual typewriter, my brother gave us a couple to put in a boot sale, one sold but the other one didn't and youngest decided he liked the look of it so has designated it as his now for writing his stories, books, magazines and Apple/tablet pc product guides.

I just love that Sue, its made me smile very broadly.


I haven't got any tights...or I can't find any. I have inadvertantly ended up dressed for a meeting in a skirt, that one of the cats helpfully clawed, a top thats a bit too thin and a huge cardigan, that covers the top and skirt...but reveals the bare legs. :o There are days I would have been very rude about people like me.

Sigh. I have got nice shoes out to wear (better without tights because there will be some grip), that match the cardigan. And because of the nice shoes, a walking stick, which matches the top.

lostinrates

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

I've never actually touched a typewriter....

we had a typewriter ''lab'' at school. I think there were seen as of pivotal importance for the ''gels'' who might need something more than looks to snare a man and were likely to be P.A.s. I don't know what they thought.,...that those ''gels'' would ensnare a man in the ribbon, or win him over with her old fashioned printed word values? IIRC the typewriter lab was in the building as the Home Economics stuff, (obviously, once you'd caught a man in your ribbon you have to weigh him down with home made goods so he's too full to run away,. and dress him in home made tailoring so no other girl would want him!)