From the "I Didn't Know That" files.

[den]

the computers on the Space Shuttles use 8086 chips and 8" floppies.

No, really!

How Nasa faked the moon landings.

And according to this test, my Top Spots in the US are (in order) Olympia or Tacoma, Washington, Harrisburg or Easton, Pensylvania, and Bar Harbor or Lewiston, Main.

Which is nice.

Comments

That sounds like Nasa

[berin.livejournal.com]

The engineers, back in the mid-90's, had even worse computers on the ground. Old IBM mainframes that had been purchased in the 60's. The engineers would buy top-of-the-line laptops, and use those to do the overflow work that the mainframe couldn't do.

In the mid-90's, the engineers found a way to backdoor a new computer system, by "borrowing" computer systems from vendors for short amounts of time, designing new software on them, then returning the computers. Eventually, they managed to have the new system completely coded, and kept the hardware they were "borrowing".

The Space Shuttle program is badly in need of redesign (using the new composite materials developed in the past 20 years), and the computer systems on board need upgrading. This is primarily the reason that why the US space program sucks. Equipment is aged on a 20+ year lifecycle, and no one wants to put money into the system, unless they can get a good chunk of pork for their trouble.

Okay. I'm a space freak. I'll shut up now.

[ldy.livejournal.com]

You mean the moon's not made of cheese?!

[elynne.livejournal.com]

Yay! That's a very funny page. And you should come visit Washington, you'll like it here. :)

[odiedragon.livejournal.com]

When I took that test, it told me my #1 choice was the town that lathi's from.

And it's MainE. ;) I've wanted to live in Bar Harbor as well....we went there a couple times on vacations when I was young...it's very nice. And the lobster is cheep!! :)

[acelightning.livejournal.com]