I would imagine the Class 1 RR's will still run Christmas Day? I think NS pretty much ran normal on Thanksgiving.
And, unrelated, I have a few 2020 calendars that are just too pretty to throw away. But I don't want to become a hoader, either.
A coworker has a grandson who loves trains and I gave him a stack of magazines that were a year old. Kid loved 'em! He's five I think. Maybe he'd like to make a train scrap book with my old calendars?
Like I said, I'm trying to avoid being a hoarder. It runs in the family.
Thanks, and Merry Christmas!
Regards - Steve
Class 1's treatment of Christmas has varied from full operation to nearly fully shut down and many levels in between.
In the past lines that operated Amtrak would operate Amtrak's trains if nothing else over the Christmas holiday period.
Considering Covid and PSR operating theories it is likely some lines will have absolutely no traffic during Christmas (which in many places now includes Christmas Eve).
In the early day's of my career, I recall working a location over 100 miles from home and going to work at 11:59 PM Christmas Eve and not getting the time and a half penalty for working the Christmas holiday - as my tour of duty did not commence on the specified holiday.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
steve-in-kvilleAnd, unrelated, I have a few 2020 calendars that are just too pretty to throw away. But I don't want to become a hoader, either.
You can always scan the pictures and use them as a screen-saver.
On a side note, calendars do repeat (11 years for non-leap and 28 for leap years) I'm planning on using my 1993 BN calendar for 2021.
UP used to slow down over the major holidays. Most yard jobs, locals and junk manifests dodn't work. Not anymore with PSR. Just about everything works, even industry jobs and locals where the industries are shut down.
The east/west main will slow down for a while. A large manifest derailed this morning near Dixon IL taking out both main tracks.
Jeff
DanRaitz steve-in-kville And, unrelated, I have a few 2020 calendars that are just too pretty to throw away. But I don't want to become a hoader, either. On a side note, calendars do repeat (11 years for non-leap and 28 for leap years) I'm planning on using my 1993 BN calendar for 2021.
steve-in-kville And, unrelated, I have a few 2020 calendars that are just too pretty to throw away. But I don't want to become a hoader, either.
Eleven? Twenty eight?
It seems any year can start on one of the 7 days of the year, Sunday through Saturday, so that makes 7 possible calendars for the month of January and all the months that follow will start on one of the 7 days, thus only 7 calendars are needed to represent the non-leap year.
But since February will have 29 days on leap year, each month after that will start on a day of the week delayed by one day from what the 7 calendars would have, that doubles the number of possible calendars. So all you need is 14 yearly calendars.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
You can always scan the images for a variety of uses. Of course, copyright issues should be avoided.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Semper Vaporo DanRaitz steve-in-kville And, unrelated, I have a few 2020 calendars that are just too pretty to throw away. But I don't want to become a hoader, either. On a side note, calendars do repeat (11 years for non-leap and 28 for leap years) I'm planning on using my 1993 BN calendar for 2021. Eleven? Twenty eight? It seems any year can start on one of the 7 days of the year, Sunday through Saturday, so that makes 7 possible calendars for the month of January and all the months that follow will start on one of the 7 days, thus only 7 calendars are needed to represent the non-leap year. But since February will have 29 days on leap year, each month after that will start on a day of the week delayed by one day from what the 7 calendars would have, that doubles the number of possible calendars. So all you need is 14 yearly calendars.
You are forgetting that in that 7 year span there is a leap-year, thats where the 11 year repeat comes from. :)
DanRaitz Semper Vaporo DanRaitz steve-in-kville And, unrelated, I have a few 2020 calendars that are just too pretty to throw away. But I don't want to become a hoader, either. On a side note, calendars do repeat (11 years for non-leap and 28 for leap years) I'm planning on using my 1993 BN calendar for 2021. It seems any year can start on one of the 7 days of the year, Sunday through Saturday, so that makes 7 possible calendars for the month of January and all the months that follow will start on one of the 7 days, thus only 7 calendars are needed to represent the non-leap year. But since February will have 29 days on leap year, each month after that will start on a day of the week delayed by one day from what the 7 calendars would have, that doubles the number of possible calendars. So all you need is 14 yearly calendars. You are forgetting that in that 7 year span there is a leap-year, thats where the 11 year repeat comes from. :)
DanRaitz steve-in-kville And, unrelated, I have a few 2020 calendars that are just too pretty to throw away. But I don't want to become a hoader, either. On a side note, calendars do repeat (11 years for non-leap and 28 for leap years) I'm planning on using my 1993 BN calendar for 2021. It seems any year can start on one of the 7 days of the year, Sunday through Saturday, so that makes 7 possible calendars for the month of January and all the months that follow will start on one of the 7 days, thus only 7 calendars are needed to represent the non-leap year. But since February will have 29 days on leap year, each month after that will start on a day of the week delayed by one day from what the 7 calendars would have, that doubles the number of possible calendars. So all you need is 14 yearly calendars.
But in any 7 year span it is possible to have TWO leapyears. if the 1st year of the 7 is a leap year, then the 5th year will also be a leapyear. If the 2nd year is a leap year, then the 6th will also. Only if the 4th year is the leapyear will there be only one leapyear in the 7 year span.
There are only 7 days of the week that January 1st can occur. So there are only 7 different calendars possible if there were no leapyears at all. But since February will have either 28 or 29 days, that offsets March 1st by one day for each of the 7 possible calendars, thus for a calendar that begins on Sunday, there are two possible calendars for that year, one for a February of 28 days, and another for 29 days. Same is true for all of the other days of the week that January 1st may occur, thus there are 14 possible calendars total.
Look at any perpetual calendar... there will be 14 calendars, usually labeled "A" through "N", and a list of year numbers with a letter associated with each one. "A" through "G" would be for the non-leapyears where January 1st is Sunday through Saturday. "H" through "N" would be for leapyears where January 1st is Sunday through Saturday.
So you look up the year you want in the list of years, and turn to the calendar labeled for the associated letter.
The associated letters will not be in alphabetical order with the year numbers because of the 4 year cycle for leapyears.
Fer instance, the list of years will show that 2017 is calendar "A" because in 2017 January 1st was Sunday, and 2017 was not a leapyear. 2018 begins on Monday, so the letter would be "B", because 2018 is not a leapyear. 2019 would be letter "C" (a non-leapyear where January 1st is Tuesday). 2020 is a leapyear so it cannot be calendar "D" but must be calendar "K" (the leapyear calendar where January 1st is a Wednesday).
Edit: I fixed my dumb error.
There IS a logical sequence, but it is convoluted!
There are 3 consecutive letters from the non-leapyear list, then one letter from the Leapyear list, skip two letters in the non-leapyear list and repeat the counts (3 from the one list, one from the other and skip 2 in the first).
Every 4th letter is from the Leapyear set of calendars, and because of that extra day the next year does not start on the day after the day the previous year started on, but the day after that.
The letters for the 20 years starting with 2017 would be:
2017 A
2018 B
2019 C
2020 K Leapyear (replaces D and the extra day causes E to be skipped)
2021 F
2022 G (Last year in the non-leapyear list)
2023 A (Start the non-leapyear list over)
2024 I Leapyear (replaces B and the extra day causes C to be skipped)
2025 D
2026 E
2027 F
2028 N Leapyear (replaces G and the extra day causes A to be skipped)
2029 B
2030 C
2031 D
2032 L Leapyear (replaces E and the extra day causes D to be skipped)
2033 G
2034 A
2035 B
2036 J Leapyear (replaces C and the extra day causes D to be skipped)
Semper: Appears you like math puzzles and other related items. Have you tried 3 blue one brown ?
Just type in "3blue1brown" into your browser
I do it alot easier, I just google "calendar repeats for 2021".
blue streak 1 Semper: Appears you like math puzzles and other related items. Have you tried 3 blue one brown ? Just type in "3blue1brown" into your browser
Not really, I am a computer programmer (retired) and a lot of my work was way before the present operating systems and such... I had to create the operating systems to run the programs I wrote to run automatic test equipment. I had to create the software to track the time and date on computers that didn't have time-and-date hardware... just a peripheral that divided the power line frequency by 10 to generate an interrupt to the computer where my program would increment the seconds counter (and ripple it through the minutes, hours, date, month and year) then return from interrupt.
The computer was a very primitive one (compared to today)... only had 12 instructions (didn't even have a Subtract math function, just Add and some logic functions)... And with limited memory for program AND data (all of 4K, 12-bit words [and NO mass storage, just a read-only mag tape to load all of memory once, at boot-up]) it was a lot of work to squeeze everything we wanted into the operating system.
I found that I often rewrote some unrelated section of code to use one or two less memory locations so that the routine I was adding could use that memory for what I wanted to accomplish.
I had to be very creative with how to handle the 28/29/30/31 days per month... simple look-up tables took too much memory... So I did weird math and logic functions to get the same thing in less total memory.
And then handling leapyear ended up being simple because the last 2 bits of the year number are "00" for a leapyear. But, that does not take into account the rules of if the year number is divisible by 100 is not a leapyear, unless it is divisible by 400. Never did work that one out, but all that hardware and software was long gone before the year 2000, so I didn't worry about it (but my routines were good for 1900 to 2100!)
But thanks for the referal to 3blue1brown... I will take a look at the youtube channel, but in my old age, I have a feeling that since my cell phone is smarter than I am, this guy's math puzzles will be totally out of my league!
Thank you blue streak 1 - I have my new binge watching for the weekend set!
rdamon blue streak 1 Semper: Appears you like math puzzles and other related items. Have you tried 3 blue one brown ? Just type in "3blue1brown" into your browser Thank you blue streak 1 - I have my new binge watching for the weekend set!
I do wish the videos were in Swahili... then I'd have a very valid, and face saving excuse for not understanding anything presented.
Semper VaporoNot really, I am a computer programmer (retired) and a lot of my work was way before the present operating systems and such...
Ah, the good ol' days. Programmers had to be intimately familiar with the way the hardware worked.
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Paul of CovingtonAh, the good ol' days. Programmers had to be intimately familiar with the way the hardware worked.
A Christmas gift intended for my grandson, but which didn't arrive in time, is the "Turing Tumble." It rather resembles a Pachinko machine, but using various pieces, one can program it to sort the two colors of balls into various combinations. When it does arrive, I'll pay a visit to deliver it, and to sit with him for a while to help him understand it.
It is, basically, a computer.
The "game" comes with a book with instructions for several outcomes, presented as adventures.
Semper Vaporo Not really, I am a computer programmer (retired) and a lot of my work was way before the present operating systems and such... I had to create the operating systems to run the programs I wrote to run automatic test equipment. I had to create the software to track the time and date on computers that didn't have time-and-date hardware... just a peripheral that divided the power line frequency by 10 to generate an interrupt to the computer where my program would increment the seconds counter (and ripple it through the minutes, hours, date, month and year) then return from interrupt. The computer was a very primitive one (compared to today)... only had 12 instructions (didn't even have a Subtract math function, just Add and some logic functions)... And with limited memory for program AND data (all of 4K, 12-bit words [and NO mass storage, just a read-only mag tape to load all of memory once, at boot-up]) it was a lot of work to squeeze everything we wanted into the operating system. I found that I often rewrote some unrelated section of code to use one or two less memory locations so that the routine I was adding could use that memory for what I wanted to accomplish.
Was the ARC-171 ATE one of those? I was one of the test techs that got to run it- whenever we didn't have radios to test, we played a game on it; IIRC, it was a primitive version of Star Wars.
Brian (IA) http://blhanel.rrpicturearchives.net.
Haven't seen that nomenclature for years. But, no, that was an HP 2100 minicomputer. I wrote a lot of test software for that computer (and its offspring the 21MX and later the HP-1000 system), but that was not the computer I speak of... namely the Collins 8311, it was used for several other ATEs, most noteably the L1011 ATE, but also several "Burn-In" controllers that ran tests for many different products while in "burn-in" chambers.
Only game I knew of on the 8311 was one I played with the night shift tech in another building... but he didn't know I was playing the game... I had him convinced the computer was sentient!
The computer ran different products in "burn-in" at opposite ends of the factory. He was responsible for some at one end and didn't know about the stuff at the other end. The computer had two teletypes for terminals, one at each end. I added a feature ("COM" mode) that allowed what was typed on one teletype to be echoed to the other one at the other end.
Commands to the computer were in 3 character sequences. When 3 characters had been typed, it would interpret what the command was, but if it was not recognised it would print 'DOES NOT COMPUTE' and then re-print the prompt.
The tech had the habit of holding down one key on the teletype keyboard, such that after 3 characters, the computer would respond with the error message, But the teletype would combine the rapidly repeating keystroke from the keyboard with the letters from the computer and it would print random garbage. It was fun to see what it woulld type; sometimes the randomness would produce something almost intelligent... such as "DOE.S NOT-COFFIE", but usually it was just total gibberish.
I was often there at night to install or test new software and I could see to the other end of the factory to see if he was there, "playing" his "game". After he had done it several times, I would put the computer into "COM" mode so I could see what he typed and he could see what I typed.
I'd wait until he was holding down some key, and I'd send some random garbage and he would let up on the key and wait for the command prompt, but since the teletypes were in COM mode, that would not happen. Instead I would type things like, "This is silly." or "I am confused." or "Stop it, that tickles!" and then type the prompt as if the computer had done it, and wait for him to do it again.
He'd get all excited and drag people over to see what the computer had printed in response to his holding down a key.
Before he could get someone to come, I'd exit from COM mode and then watch as people would accuse him of having some way to type those responses himself and trying to fool them.
When the others would go away, and he went back to trying to get some silly response, I'd go back to COM mode and type: "Why did you call the others over here, I didn't want to talk to them... just you.".
He would type, "Who are you?" and I'd respond, "I'm the computer... who did you think I am?"
I'd end a short conversation with him with, "Please don't tell anyone I can do this, I don't want the others to know. Tear the paper off the teletype and destroy it so the others can't find it. I will contact you tomorrow night when I'm not too busy."
He'd tear the paper off the teletype and tear it up!
The next night, I stayed late and watched him pace up and down between the burn-in chambers, periodically stopping to hold down a key on the teletype to see what it would do.
Most nights, I'd tell him I'd contact him in a couple of days or next week, so I didn't have to stay late every night.
I ended it one night by going to his end (where the computer itself was) and told him I was there to replace the main program because, "it has been doing some strange things, like it has a mind of its own!" I put a new tape in the front of the 8311 and rebooted it. "There, that'll kill it!"
He turned white as a sheet!
I had a good laugh and then explained what I had been doing. He didn't believe me. I had to prove it by going to the other end of the factory, go into COM mode and type a message to him.
I am not sure he really believed me even after that.
Computer people like to have fun and some can be diabolical. Back in 1964, my employer was building a new generating plant and it had a process computer that used black paper tape with the code being punch holes for the code. So the coding process generated boxes of black paper dots. Come Easter, everybody in the office got a box with a colorful plastic easter egg in it. Naturally, engineers being curious, they would try to open the egg to see what was inside. One can not open a plastic egg filled with paper dots without making a mess!
Electroliner 1935So the coding process generated boxes of black paper dots.
Ah, chads.
Punching cards generates little rectangular versions. They don't come out of hair very well, either, but they are numbered...
Yes, Chads... very dry and can sort of glue themselves to the cornea of the eye... a bride that spent her honeymoon in the hospital with both eyes bandaged caused a change in company policy that "chads" (punch card or paper tape) were not allowed to be taken home.
Electroliner 1935Come Easter, everybody in the office got a box with a colorful plastic easter egg in it. Naturally, engineers being curious, they would try to open the egg to see what was inside. One can not open a plastic egg filled with paper dots without making a mess!
My suitemate sophomore year (regrettably, following inspiration from me) discovered the joys of 'tortoni time' -- running around randomly spraying a blot of shaving cream and sprinkling liberally with those little IBM-card rectanguli diabolici. It never got old... on the dispensing end.
tree68 Electroliner 1935 So the coding process generated boxes of black paper dots. Ah, chads. Punching cards generates little rectangular versions. They don't come out of hair very well, either, but they are numbered...
Electroliner 1935 So the coding process generated boxes of black paper dots.
And they hang in Florida elections.
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