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This edition of awesome quotes is a little longer than last time, its a newspaper article I found form 1984 that I think you'll find interesting

The Uneasy Revolution

Home Computers have little to offer the average household, claims professor.

People who feel they are missing out by not owning a home computer can rest easy. They are probably just as well off without one.

Dr Graham McMahon, of the Universisty of NSW Computer Science department, says home computers have little to offer the average househole.

"Most of the tings a home computer can do, such as keeping household accounts and giving reminders, can be done as easily by cutomary means", he says.

"As an aid to schoolwork it has only marginal value. I guess the most that can be said for it is that it can help farmiliarise children at an early age with an elemantary form of the technologythey will have to cope with increasingly in later life."

Both in the US and Australia, computers have not yet caught on with the public to anywhere the degree anticipated by computer companies, despite high powered promotion campaigns.

Forecast

Author John Naisbett forecast in his current international bestseller, Megatrends, that home computer shopping is doomed "because people want to be with people", despite the fact that technology will enable us to shop from home.

An even stronger critic of computer veneration is Joseph Weizenbaum, a proffesor of computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who helped pioneer the development of the computer.

"As for the computer itself, I think it inhibits childrens creativity. In most cases, the computer programs the kids and not the other way around."

Temptation

"The temptation to send in computers wherever there is a problem is great. There is hunger in the Third World. So computerise. The schools are in trouble. So bring in computers."

"The introduction of the computer into any problem area, be it medicine, education, or whatever, usually creates the impression that serious deficiencies are being corrected. But often its principaleffect is to push problems further into obscurity to avoid confrontation with the need for fundamental critical thinking."

While agreeing that there was a "lot of gimmickry" attached to the promotion of home computers, Dr McMahon said computers could be programmed to be valuble teaching aids.

"One great advantage they possess is infinite patience, whereas human beings tend to get impatient", he said

A guy came to school today to talk about snakes. It was a great presentation. At one point he talked about the most venomous snake in the world - the fierce snake. One drop of its venom can kill 10 elephants. He even had one on display. After the talk near the end of the day he was packing up the snakes and the fierce snake - through the bag as he was putting it away - Bit Him. Knowing full well what this meant, quickly becoming pale and sweaty, he bandaged his arm got in his car and drove off for the hospital. So now here I sit at home. Typing this. Shaking.

Spurred on by Player1 who was in turn, spurred on by DJ, I decided to have my own go at photoshoping some pictures for my blog space. After a few days of trying the result is something I think looks quite good, though I could definitely improve.

In other news. Here's mah new Tee Vea. Really happy I was able to get it at the price I did ($1300AUD).