[Novalug] Tutorials
Ross Patterson
RossPatterson@Comcast.Net
Tue Dec 19 18:52:16 EST 2006
At 14:11 12/16/2006, gregory pryzby wrote:
>Did you know that RMS suffers from carpal tunnel? Any idea why?
OOH! OOH! MISTER KOT-TAIR! OOH! OOH!
From: Patrick Sobalvarro <pgs@pa.dec.com>
Subject: RSI epidemic
Date: Sunday, August 13, 1995 1:26PM
Friday I was talking to my friend Johnson from the CDC, who
told me that the
CDC had been doing an epidemiological study of clustered RSI
cases among
computer scientists. He said that they've been waiting to
act until their
internal review process is completed, but it seems that
there is indeed an
infectious agent causing RSI. But it's not a biological
agent. It's software.
"In particular," Johnson told me, "the significant vector
among academics is
Emacs."
"Emacs?" I gasped.
"Oh yes," he continued; "Didn't you ever notice that two of
the first people
in the computer science community around MIT who suffered
from RSI were
Richard Stallman and Bernie Greenberg? What were those
people implementing
fifteen or twenty years ago? That's what tipped us off."
We were having lunch at the cafeteria at Moffett Field.
Johnson watched my
hands throughout the meal. "Hey buddy. You're still doing
okay anyway,
aren't you? It's good to see that. Really good." He smiled,
then looked at
his watch and asked, "Walk me to the terminal, will you?"
I accompanied him to the little facility where crew-cut
young men in uniform
and their dependents, trailer-park girls with squawling
babies, sat around
waiting for MAC flights to other military facilities. A
black helicopter,
curiously silent, was waiting on the tarmac outside, its
rotors turning
lazily in the sunlight. "Ah, that'd be my flight," said
Johnson. "Old Uncle
Sam always sends you first-class, ha ha."
We shook hands. A little anxiously, I asked, "But what will
you do about it?
About the epidemic?"
Johnson paused before answering. He looked outside at the
black helicopter.
The pilot had seen him now; in his helmet and visor he
appeared strangely
insectile as he regarded Johnson patiently. I noticed the
booms extending
from the sides of the helicopter, where standardized weapons
pods could be
attached. "Patrick, old buddy," said Johnson playfully,
"Back in high school
people said you were smart, but I never thought you had an
ounce of sense in
your head. Listen: our charter is to protect the people of
the United States
of America by containing epidemics and eliminating disease.
We have many...
tools... at our disposal. Why don't you take a break for a while? Go
someplace where people don't use Emacs. Where they never
heard of Emacs.
Don't take it with you. Go to Hawaii -- better yet - -- go
to Redmond.
Okay?" He punched my shoulder, smiling. I winced.
Then he strode out onto the tarmac, giving a thumbs-up to
the pilot, who
spun up the turbines. There was almost no noise. I didn't
wait to watch them
take off.
:-)
Ross
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