Bei einem Umzug findet man ja bekanntlich Dinge, die man in den zehn Jahren davor nicht vermisst hat. Als bekennender Poly-Sammler habe ich da eine große Auswahl, und so stieß ich kürzlich auf einen Karton mit alter Technik, darunter Taschenrechner mit Handbüchern sowie Handbücher ohne Taschenrechner. Unter ersteren befand sich auch der TI-59, in dessen Handbuch („Individuelles programmieren”, 1977/1979) mir dieses Symbol auffiel.
Es ist 14 × 14 mm groß, kennzeichnet das Kapitel zur Programmierung und gefällt mir.
Ouch! Warning! Children – do not try this at home. Do not attempt to sharpen your finger in a pencil sharpener.
The TI-59. Awesome. It was top of my shopping list on my trip to America…way back then.
Erst Typoholiker und nun Polysammler, du bist schwer getroffen…
Sehr schön, das ist noch Programmerung mit Fingerspitzgefühl – aber nicht ganz anatomisch korrekt, dritte bis fünfte Finger dürften eine Treppe formen.:-)
Jedenfalls, dass man den Bleistift, als Symbol der Kreativität, verwendet, gefällt mir auch.
MvG. Henrik
I’m thinking that would make a great rubber stamp design…
Kleine Welt! I also own a TI-59. I had the printer, and even the „Leisure Library“ ROM among others. The battery failed long ago, but I’m now thinking I should try and revive it. It has immense sentimental value.
Thank you all for your comments!
Kiwi-d: You’re right! That symbol should not seen as a suggestion for home made body art. – Yes, the TI-59 was great, and I still can remember my enthusiasm about that amazing device.
Henrik: Nun, ich habe natürlich etwas übertrieben ;-) Aber breit gefächerte und obendrein zuweilen wechselnde Interessen haben auch etwas Anstrengendes … – Du hast recht, anatomisch korrekt ist das nicht, doch ich denke, dass der Gestalter hier ganz bewusst vereinfacht hat. Dass man hier den Bleistift nutzt, ist wirklich klasse! Ich vermute, dass man dieses Symbol im Englischen auch „pointer“ nennt; dies würde eine weitere Verbindung zur Programmierung liefern.
Bruce: That’s an excellent idea! I will try to digitize it.
Stephen: Very exciting! I am envious of your printer and the library ROMs ;-) I didn’t had the printer (and had to use the one in school) and just had the standard ROM. I still have the unit along with the accessories – a quick check with the power supply unit went well so maybe I should try to revive it too. However, if I remember correctly there was a problem with the magnet card reader – now and then the motor didn’t stop when the card was read. – We spent countless hours programming it, and I consider it my first „real“ computer. A little later our school acquired a PET 2001, and our math course was allowed to use it. It was exciting too but couldn’t touch the TI-59, at least for me.
A silly joke for developers on that occasion: My book on pointers was delivered to the wrong address.
Bruce, your thoughts have motivated me to make a vector version of the symbol that can be used to make a rubber stamp – here’s my first try:
In case anyone’s interested: Here is the zipped Postscript file, designed for 20 × 20 mm.
Thank you for the digitised version Gunter! I’m awaiting a supply of Speedball Speedy Carve from Pittsburgh, USA so soon I will be ready to have a go at carving this.
You are welcome! I am happy to hear that it is of use for you, and I am eager to see your result. – I couldn’t resist to order a stamp; as soon as it arrives I will show it here.
Bruce, I have put your idea into action – here is the stamp I have received yesterday:
The stamp’s rubber is precisely cut but because of the paper’s fibers some details aren’t reproduced properly. To get a better print on cheaper paper I have modified the image:
The differences are in the tip of the index finger:
Here is the new zipped Postscript file. – And now everyone is invited to call me crazy ;-)
Wow! Email on its way, Gunther!
Great, Bruce! I’ll reply soon.