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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!tektronix!uw-beaver!cornell!vax135!houxm!ihnp4!ihuxx!ndsss
From: ndsss@ihuxx.UUCP (Al R. Zantow)
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: Does someone REALLY belive this?
Message-ID: <874@ihuxx.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 9-Nov-84 23:30:29 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxx.874
Posted: Fri Nov  9 23:30:29 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 11-Nov-84 20:39:08 EST
References: <1668@ucf-cs.UUCP>, <382@hoxna.UUCP>, <54@tekchips.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 34

>We're sorry, the computers are down, your account shows zero.<

	It is hard to say if the move to computers is as bad as
some consider it to be.  There probably was a time when people
thought that the loss of skill with the spear in favor of using
the "new" invention called the bow and arrow was a bad thing.
The same could be said with other inventions throughout history, 
partly because they changed the way things have always been done.
	Of course, I am not saying that progress for the sake of
progress is such a good thing.  There should be some balance to the
use of computers in "everything", with useful backups that someone
knows how to use; a backup system you don't remember how to use is
about as good as none at all.  Maybe there should be some type of
"math drill" at the checkout lanes once in a while, just to keep the
skill level up.  The time spent doing this probably would probably
be worth it the next time the computers go down.
	What bothers me more is the lack of knowledge that most
people show about the technology that makes up our daily lives.
It seems that most people are very happy to be in total ignorance
of what makes it work, outside of how to turn it on and off.  This
in my opinion leaves you open to exploytation at the very least.
(yeah, you see, this $450 wunderfunken will make you amp put out
a least 300% more ohms than brand X, so you need to buy at least
3 of them from me.:-))


				"My employers did not put me up
				to this, nor do they claim any
				of its contents"

				Al Zantow
				!ihuxx!ndsss

"Benson, you are so free of the ravages of inteligence"-Time Bandits