[AT] OT - computer advice

[rlgoss at twc.com]

Thanks for the added informations Dave and Dean.  I remember those days of passing out cards in the gymnasium during registration in college.

FWIW, when the university I taught at converted to non-card-based computing, they had the card storage cabinets left over and didn't know what to do with them. They ended up throwing them my way, and I use them in the shop for small parts storage.  
Each steel cabinet was designed to hold 60,000 cards, and I have two of them.  Not sure what I'm going to do with them qwhen I get around to down-sizing.


Larry
---- David Rotigel <rotigel at me.com> wrote: 
> That's really interesting , Dean, I remember handing out those cards for a section/class of collage education until there were none left in the place they had been kept in the box, The students then  were simply TOLD there were no more cards--we  told EVERYONE there simply no more places in the class. The PROBLRM WAS NOT with the person handing them out--there were simply no more to be handed out! The students took that fine and simply found another class that wanted/needed. The answer "Sorry there and no more chairs in the room seemed to satisfy most of them.
     	DAVE

On Aug 5, 2014, at 11:42 PM, Dean VP <deanvp at att.net> wrote:

> Steve/Larry:
> 
> Excellent recollection. I had completely forgotten that. Here is what is in an online reference:
> 
> "The cards used in the 1890 census had round holes, 12 rows and 24 columns. A reading board for these cards can be seen at the Columbia University Computing History site.[20] At some point, 3 1⁄4 by 7 3⁄8 inches (82.550 by 187.325 mm) became the standard card size, a bit larger than the United States one-dollar bill(Silver Certificates) at the time, because some existing storage and feeding devices could be adapted.[21] The dollar bill was reduced to its current size in 1929. The Columbia site also says Hollerith took advantage of available boxes designed to transport paper currency."
> 
> Dean VP
> Snohomish, WA
> 
> They say necessity is the mother of invention. 
> Don't know who the father is, probably remorse.
> Red Green
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com [mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of Steve W.
> Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2014 7:53 PM
> To: Antique tractor email discussion group
> Subject: Re: [AT] OT - computer advice
> 
> rlgoss at twc.com wrote:
>> That's basically right, Charlie.  Trivia question of the day: Why did
>> they make the data cards the size they were?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Larry
> 
> Supposedly because the inventor got deal on currency boxes when the size 
> of paper currency was changed. At least that was what I seem to recall.
> 
> -- 
> Steve W.
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