A seasoned contractor's story

[yetanotherbob]

Review of a Quarter Century in IT Contracting

[NickFitz]

WTF? CDs already existed in 1987 (see this week's Monday Links for a piece about their 30th anniversary), and microwave ovens had been around for ages. Also, the very Wikipedia article he links to states that Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq in 1979.

[Sysman]

WTF indeed. I was the last one in my family to get a microwave, and that was in, er, 1987. I got my first CD player in that year as well.

and as for the internet… in 1987 that wasn’t even a figment of anyone’s imagination!

11 May 1981 Oldest Usenet article in the Google Groups Archive

[Ignis Fatuus]

I am afraid WTF+1. I used all 3 (CDs, microwaves, and the internet) before 1987.

[MarillionFan]

I am afraid WTF+1. I used all 3 (CDs, microwaves, and the internet) before 1987.

Maybe said contractor has exaggerated a tad. Back in 1987 we didn't have electricity remember.

[mudskipper]

Indeed. Eldest was born in 1985, and I wouldn't heat his milk in the microwave because I was worried about the long term effects of eating food subject to radiation. In hindsight, that was the least of my worries...

I also remember the magazine series 'Microwave Know-how' which suggested you could do everything in your microwave - I particularly remember their Christmas Special. After a couple of anaemic looking cakes, I went back to the conventional oven. Actually - remember vividly the television ad "I use mine to do defrosting..." (all sing along now)

[Paddy]

if you wanted to heat food you did so without a microwave, because they didn’t exist; “mobile” phones did exist (just) but they were called “transportable” phones (and preceded the Motorola “brick”) and you needed to be strong to carry it any distance; a portable computer was available, but is was about the size of a small suitcase and weighed the same as one would if jammed full of duty-free booze

Wrong for 1987!
Again wrong for 1987!
and again wrong for 1987! The guy is way out on many things. What is the point of all the BS?

[Troll]

Indeed. Eldest was born in 1985, and I wouldn't heat his milk in the microwave because I was worried about the long term effects of eating food subject to radiation.

I blew up a microwave when feeding my eldest.. taking the already prepared formula bottle out of the fridge for a late night feed (what a modern dad!) I neglected to loosen the cap on the bottle and the inverted teat made an effective seal..
Full power on the microwave and went back to watching live cricket Eng vs WI....the resulting explosion was loud & the mess memorable & we got stuffed at cricket

[EternalOptimist]

Wrong for 1987!
Again wrong for 1987!
and again wrong for 1987! The guy is way out on many things. What is the point of all the BS?

the point ? beats me. If you are are going to do something like this you have to make it funny imo, or 'lessons learned'

the biggest lesson learned in that time period, for me , was the dot com boom. Just like the current recession, every instinct, every bit of knowledge, everything we ever knew told us it was all going to end badly.
but we still got a suprise when it happened. buy at the bottom and sell at the top is dead easy to say, much harder to achieve.


that's what I take from the last 25 years

[DodgyAgent]

Review of a Quarter Century in IT Contracting