Peterman and oldtimers disease, Mark Astolfi, Dern finds two-space rant, Dalton on Guns, Dan Grobstein File

Time for a small case of old-timers disease. Kent Peterman sent me a picture of IBM's first 5-ton 5-mbyte disk drive.Which reminded me, my first 10 mb hard drive was the size of two old-school vhs players, weighed 50 pounds cost $1,000. The first hard drive I worked with (1968) was a 1024-byte rotating drum memory (500ms access time--wow, is that slow) Monrobot Mark XI. Times change.

If you REALLY care about rock and roll (and nostalgia), try the blog written by Mark Astolfi, a college classmate of mine.

Daniel Dern checks in with: "Why 2 spaces after a period is wrong, wrong, wrong..."

From Richard Dalton:

..."Guns don't kill people, people kill people."  There's undeniable logic in that familiar statement, but I want to respond, "Do you think that the wingnut in Tucson would have killed six people and injured another twelve with a knife?" Derrick Z. Jackson, one of my favorite Boston Globe columnists, adds some meaningful data to the ongoing right-wing blather about Second Amendment "rights." Jackson cites a recent study published in the journal Trauma that that compared firearm death rates in 23 "high-income" countries.  The study, performed by UCLA and Harvard School of Public Health, showed  that our firearms death rate is almost 20 times higher than the other countries.  We account for nearly 80% of all firearm deaths in this group.  The disturbing findings continue.  I suggest you give this a look. Meanwhile, the State of New Hampshire just repealed a law banning the carrying of weapons in the state house by both legislators and visitors.  This country gets harder and harder to live in.

Dan Grobstein File

• It has seemed to me for a long time that our economic troubles can be laid squarely at the feet of the lack of competition caused by the non-enforcement of anti trust law. I had no idea that it was Bork's ideas that have now mainstream. And we indirectly have him to blame for Clarence Thomas too. (He took his place on the DC Circuit Court when Bork resigned after losing his Supreme Court confirmation).
  Robert Bork's influence over antitrust law    
• A Brief History of Welfare for Middle-Class Americans
• Trouble In the House of Google?
• Times Change Cute French kids are asked to identify various forms of obsolete technology

• Luckily haven't had this problem yet, but I know lots of people who have had to wait months for an appointment and to hear the Republicans tell it that only happens with government-run health care. Like in Canada.    A FREE MARKET ODYSSEY
• Why do we have a debt ceiling?
• Elusive Forger, Giving but Never Stealing
  By RANDY KENNEDY
  Mark A. Landis is one of the most prolific forgers American museums have encountered in years. But he does not seem to be in it for the money.
• "It doesn't have a major theme or anything" Dumpster-diving in Amazon for bad reviews of good books.
• Over 9,000 Murders by Gun in US; 39 in UK 

• Town meeting attendee confronts GOP freshman over health reform repeal
• It's So Hard Keeping Your Lies Straight (Sarah Palin's post-Giffords statement