Epic Failure Success

A puff-piece about Epic Systems.

It’s possible that the Data General minicomputers from long ago shown in the video were running MUMPS-dialect operating systems that I had custom-assembled in Cambridge, Massachusetts for Epic Systems when they were still in Madison. That receipt listing a 800 bpi 9-track tape drive makes me laugh. How well I remember having to calculate data blocking factors for the various computer tape drives of those times.

I once had to drive a rental car 300 miles from Cranbrook, British Columbia to the Federal Express depot at the Spokane airport to pick up an operating system tape. A customer neglected to tell me he bought a different tape drive than the one he first ordered, so the tape I brought with me to Canada wouldn’t work. So I called the office to get a compatible tape created, and sent to the nearest place that could receive overnight delivery from Boston.

Got Dem Old Audio Blues

When the Robert Johnson CD set came out in 1990 I bought it immediately for myself, but then promptly gave the set to my best buddy. Why? Because the sound was awful, and I knew it wouldn’t matter to him as much as it did to me.

I wasn’t expecting miracles from those old records, but it was apparent to me that the engineers did an unforgivably lousy job. The proof is heard in the remastered 2011 Centennial Collection, and it takes only a few seconds to hear the difference.

The Reign of Saul

https://youtu.be/qLbdg4WM8qc

‘Better Call Saul’ returns! Season 5 of the series that is better than my most optimistic hope — better than ‘Breaking Bad’ in my opinion — starts in less than 2 weeks, on the 23rd. I’m especially looking forward to the opening scene, depicting the life in hiding of Jimmy/Saul/Gene. Season 4’s memorable opening began with this song.