I simply wanted to thank you guys for welcoming me to the forum and MZ community. Work took me to the Czech Republic this past week and I was checking this site regliously. Every time I had a train ride or extended time waiting on a communte, I pulled upthe site on my blackberry. I just couldn't bare to miss anything.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!!!!

and back at you.

It's hard to believe where technology has taken us. In the early 1970's I had a job in Okinawa as a civilian employee of the Dept. of Army. When I arrived everyone in the office was excited because the post exchange had just got in a shipment of the newly developed Texas Instruments battery operated electronic calculators that had -WOW - like 16 functions. Of course, if you wanted to make a telephone call back to the States you had to get on the schedule forone of the bases long distance lines.

Wow, didn't know they had cell towers all over the Czech Republic, maybe just along the train tracks. Anyway welcome. Chap

I still don't even own a cell phone. They don't work where I live any way. [&o] Yet he can do all of that over seas. And I am glad you could join us.

Technology is an amazing thing. I remember when I was little, talking to my Grandmother. She told me stories of hitching the buggy up to an old white horse named Ben, so she could go to town and do her shopping and sell her butter and eggs. She told me of their first battery operated radio they had. They had to stretch a copper wire from the house to the barn for an antenna. I was with her when they landed on the moon. And she was terrified. She kept saying they better not step on that thing. They got no business on the moon. And she refused to watch it on the little black and white TV we had. She refused to fly in a plane to come and visit me (we had no business up there, and something that heavy just is not safe up there), so I drove all the way back to Northern Minnesota and drove her home, so she could visit.

Now we have children that never saw a record. Never saw a record player. All things advance. Electronics, autos, even muzzleloaders. Technology is in deed an amazing thing.

I remember those calculators. I had one of the Hewlett Packard 33-E's. The calculator was the only reason why I got through college calculus. At the time it was the only calculator you could turn off and it would retain what you put in it. I remember the Calculus teacher would check every one's calculator when they entered the room to make sure they were turned off. It sure saved me a lot of sleepless night because I did not have to memorize the integral formulas of calculus. And I will admit that I have never used them since. Tom.

My Grandmother was born in 1881. I thought she had seen a great many advances in her lifetime,and she did. Now I look back and realize what I have seen and it simply amazes me.Hold my grandsons cell phone up to the radio for a few seconds,and it will tell you the name of the song and you can download it into the phone. We shoot bullets at targets while the Navy shoots missles at missles,and hit them. Just think of all the stuff THEY don't tell us about.

Charlie