Although obtaining an amateur radio license no longer requires demonstrating a proficiency in Morse code, interest in Morse code doesn’t seem to have taken the nose dive that some had predicted. I think that many now regard Morse code as an elite skill rather than the unpleasant (but mandatory) task it used to be.
I’ve recently been enjoying the book The Art and Skill of Radio-Telegraphy
. Written by the late William G. Pierpont N0HFF, it can also be read online here.
The book is largely about learning Morse code, with chapters such as “Practice To Gain Proficiency,” “Common Errors and What to Do About Them,” and “How Long Will It Take to Learn?” But there is also a lot of historical information about early radio and Morse code, including some great anecdotes such as this one:
In 1856 seven year-old John O’Brian delivered telegrams for his brother Richard, who at age 15 was the telegrapher for the local RR office. After two years of this John prevailed upon his brother to teach him how to operate. So, while still only nine years of age John became a good operator and was eager to have a job of his own. The RR offered him the position at a nearby town, and he snapped it up. People in those days were used to seeing young telegraphers, but not this young! Very soon, however, they became so pleased with his work that no more questions were asked.
This book looks like an excellent resource for anyone who wants to learn more about Morse code.
I’m pretty late in noticing this, but the Microsoft Flight Simulator is no more. Microsoft shut down ACES Studio, the internal group that developed Microsoft Flight Simulator, back in January 2009.
I think this is a shame because the Flight Simulator was one of the oldest personal computer programs still being actively developed. Although some sources (including Microsoft) state that the first version was for the IBM PC in 1982, the program actually dates back further than that.
The original version, known as A2-FS1, was created for the Apple II by Bruce Artwick and published by subLOGIC in 1980. A TRS-80 Model I version, known as T80-FS1, soon followed also in 1980 (this was the version I first used). subLOGIC continued to develop the Apple II version and also created new versions for the TRS-80 Color Computer, Commodore 64, Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, and others up until 1988.
In 1982, Microsoft licensed from subLOGIC a version of the Flight Simulator for the IBM PC, which they renamed the Microsoft Flight Simulator. It became enormously successful, selling 21 million copies by 1999 according to the Guinness Book of World Records. By being both very popular and very demanding on the computer hardware, the Microsoft Flight Simulator became a de-facto test of IBM PC compatibility; if a computer could run Flight Simulator, then it could be considered IBM PC compatible.
Bruce Artwick left subLOGIC in 1988 but retained rights to the Flight Simulator and continued developing it for Microsoft through his own company. In 1996, Microsoft bought the Flight Simulator outright and developed the subsequent versions internally. The final version was Microsoft Flight Simulator X
, released in 2006.
Did Jack Benny make an uncredited cameo in the 1942 movie Casablanca
? That odd claim isn’t new: it dates back to the movie’s release and appears in the Casablanca press book. But movie studio publicity departments weren’t known for slavish adherence to the truth and often invented stories for publicity. I had always assumed this story fell into the category of urban legend.
To my surprise, many people think that the story is true. Roger Ebert recently addressed it in his “Movie Answer Man” column in the Chicago Sun-Times (the December 9, 2009 and December 23, 2009 columns). Here is another discussion at the International Jack Benny Fan Club Forum. The best guess among viewers seems to be that Jack Benny is sitting at a table in the background at around the seven minute mark.
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Will free over-the-air broadcast television in the United States soon become a thing of the past? That prospect would have seemed impossible to me not too long ago, but I wonder if it is what the future holds.
Back in November 2009, the Consumer Electronics Association and CTIA (a wireless communications trade group) wrote a letter to the FCC requesting ways to “reduce the amount of spectrum assigned to broadcast television licensees.” You can see a copy of that letter here. Their key point comes at the end of the letter:
Without swift Commission action to identify and clear significant portions of electromagnetic spectrum below 3 GHz, consumers and businesses in this country will be unable to access the Internet and information sources so necessary to be competitive internationally.
The implication here seems obvious: why reserve large sections of broadcast spectrum for television when “fewer than ten percent of American households rely on over-the-air transmission to view broadcast content”?
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After a slow start, DISH Network has released quite a number of digital converter boxes lately. Now they have announced the DTVPal DVR, a digital video recorder for over-the-air broadcast television. You can read the press release here.
The DTVPal DVR is the final version of the TR-50 converter box that DISH Network announced last year but never released.
Like the DTVPal and the DTVPal Plus, the DTVPal DVR has a seven day electronic program guide. The DTVPal DVR also offers:
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I was saddened to learn that Radio Netherlands is ending shortwave transmissions to North America, effective October 26, 2008. Radio Netherlands was one of the first shortwave stations I ever heard and I have spent many enjoyable hours over the years listening to their programs.
I’m sure this makes sense as a business decision for Radio Netherlands, just as I’m sure it made sense for the BBC to drop shortwave broadcasts to North America. Obviously there is no station with a large enough budget to broadcast everywhere and it only makes sense to allocate limited resources to areas considered to be most important.
But it always bothers me when such a decision is presented as being best for the listeners. For instance, the Radio Netherlands site states:
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