Computers can move things? Wow, this was going to be a fun summer! These thoughts crossed my mind as I began a summer job with the National Bureau of Standards in 1982. My introduction to computer languages came in high school when I took a class on BASIC. Mr. Chapman, a math teacher, had acquired…
Tag: Summer Job
Never Hurts to Ask—How I Got to Work at Bell Labs
As with all college students nearing their graduation date, the matter of finding my first full time job became part of my daily routine. However, in the Spring term of 1984, I took a chance during an interview; this chance turned into a wonderful summer job experience that has stayed with me throughout my engineering…
Starting in the Middle– A Lesson on Documentation
In early July of 1984 Jim Morris, my manager, stopped by my office and suggested I start writing up my project. I thought it odd to start writing so soon; I had not completed my revisions to the computer program. My project focused on my converting the Grade of Service parameter from a constant…
Asking Questions of Experts
In the summer of 1984 I attended a seminar presented by Bob, a member of technical staff. I carefully listened and realized that my project would be changing some fundamental assumptions related to his talk. When the Q&A time arrived I asked this question– “If Grade of Service (GOS) is no longer a constant, i.e….
Of TRS80s, PDP11s and Antennas: My First Technical Document
For an engineer, I’m weird; I like to document. Not sure if the challenge of communicating to others motivates the problem solver in me, or if it’s the yearning for precise language. My Dad certainly instilled the need for precise language in me and my siblings. When we worked on maintaining the family cars he…