Read this in Analog, sometime between 82 and 85. Collection of memos
back and forth on the tower of Babel project in ancient Mesopotamia.
Filled with computer puns, mostly acronyms:
* PHORTRAN had something to do with Phoenicians
* records were originally scratched on on "hard disks" (cuneiform
tablets) but later "floppies" were introduced (papyrus scrolls).
* "Using the old standard of 8 bites = 1 meal, we figure we're getting
ten times as many kilobites from the scribes."
* "T Carrier System" for moving papyrus records between building
levels in the Tower
* New tech kept being introduced until there was a "hard disk crash of
major proportions."

It was short-story length. Somebody else remember it?

On Dec 19, 1:03 pm, Ross Presser <rpres...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Read this in Analog, sometime between 82 and 85. Collection of memos
> back and forth on the tower of Babel project in ancient Mesopotamia.
> Filled with computer puns, mostly acronyms:
> *PHORTRANhad something to do with Phoenicians
> * records were originally scratched on on "hard disks" (cuneiform
> tablets) but later "floppies" were introduced (papyrus scrolls).
> * "Using the old standard of 8 bites = 1 meal, we figure we're getting
> ten times as many kilobites from the scribes."
> * "T Carrier System" for moving papyrus records between building
> levels in the Tower
> * New tech kept being introduced until there was a "hard disk crash of
> major proportions."
>
> It was short-story length. Somebody else remember it?

Nobody?

In article <c3cddbdb-e531-4f22-bd4e-45cb639de2e7@21g2000hsj.googlegroups.com>,
Ross Presser <rpresser@gmail.com> said:

>> Read this in Analog, sometime between 82 and 85. Collection of memos
>> back and forth on the tower of Babel project in ancient Mesopotamia.
>> Filled with computer puns, mostly acronyms:
>> *PHORTRANhad something to do with Phoenicians
>> * records were originally scratched on on "hard disks" (cuneiform
>> tablets) but later "floppies" were introduced (papyrus scrolls).
>> * "Using the old standard of 8 bites =3D 1 meal, we figure we're getting
>> ten times as many kilobites from the scribes."
>> * "T Carrier System" for moving papyrus records between building
>> levels in the Tower
>> * New tech kept being introduced until there was a "hard disk crash of
>> major proportions."
>>
>> It was short-story length. Somebody else remember it?
>
> Nobody?

Possibly nobody *wants* to remember it...

--
William December Starr <wdstarr@panix.com>

On Mon, 24 Dec 2007 12:11:32 -0800 (PST), Ross Presser
<rpresser@gmail.com> wrote:

>On Dec 19, 1:03 pm, Ross Presser <rpres...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Read this in Analog, sometime between 82 and 85. Collection of memos
>> back and forth on the tower of Babel project in ancient Mesopotamia.
>> Filled with computer puns, mostly acronyms:
>> *PHORTRANhad something to do with Phoenicians
>> * records were originally scratched on on "hard disks" (cuneiform
>> tablets) but later "floppies" were introduced (papyrus scrolls).
>> * "Using the old standard of 8 bites = 1 meal, we figure we're getting
>> ten times as many kilobites from the scribes."
>> * "T Carrier System" for moving papyrus records between building
>> levels in the Tower
>> * New tech kept being introduced until there was a "hard disk crash of
>> major proportions."
>>
>> It was short-story length. Somebody else remember it?
>
>Nobody?

This is "Glossolalia", by Arlan K. Andrews, Sr., from the July 1982
Analog.

On Dec 25, 1:29 am, Rich Horton <rrhor...@prodigy.net> wrote:
> On Mon, 24 Dec 2007 12:11:32 -0800 (PST), Ross Presser
>
>
>
> <rpres...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >On Dec 19, 1:03 pm, Ross Presser <rpres...@gmail.com> wrote:
> >> Read this in Analog, sometime between 82 and 85. Collection of memos
> >> back and forth on the tower of Babel project in ancient Mesopotamia.
> >> Filled with computer puns, mostly acronyms:
> >> *PHORTRANhad something to do with Phoenicians
> >> * records were originally scratched on on "hard disks" (cuneiform
> >> tablets) but later "floppies" were introduced (papyrus scrolls).
> >> * "Using the old standard of 8 bites = 1 meal, we figure we're getting
> >> ten times as many kilobites from the scribes."
> >> * "T Carrier System" for moving papyrus records between building
> >> levels in the Tower
> >> * New tech kept being introduced until there was a "hard disk crash of
> >> major proportions."
>
> >> It was short-story length. Somebody else remember it?
>
> >Nobody?
>
> This is "Glossolalia", by Arlan K. Andrews, Sr., from the July 1982
> Analog.

Thank you!