Date:  Tuesday, 4 September 1984 10:14 mst
From:  James J. Lippard <Lippard>
Subject:  Miscellaneous Digest V3 #27
Reply-To:  {mbx >udd>Multics>Lippard>misc>misc}
To:  {list >udd>Multics>Lippard>misc>misc}

Miscellaneous Digest                              Volume 3 : Issue 27

Today's topics:
                    longest turnaround time in the world (from Info-COBOL)
                    Aliens (from Info-COBOL)

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Date:  Monday, 27 August 1984 14:34 mst
From:  Steven Christopher Bagley <BAGLEY%MIT-OZ at MIT-MC>
Subject:  longest turnaround time in the world

"Rumor has it that when they closed down the 7094 at MIT in 1973, they
found a low-priority job that had been submitted in 1967 and had not
yet been run."

from Operating System Concepts, by J. Peterson and A. Silberschatz,
Addison-Wesley, 1983, Chapter 4 "CPU Scheduling".


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Date:  Monday, 3 September 1984 13:53 mst
From:  dgg at MIT-JASON (David G. Grubbs)
Subject:  We must have a lot of aliens running around.
Redistributed-Date:  3 September 1984 23:34 mst
Redistributed-From:  Jon A. Rochlis <Rochlis at MIT-MULTICS>
Redistributed-To:  info-cobol at MIT-MC

I believe we are all considered aliens out there in the real world.
(This is pulled off the netnews.)
                                        - dgg
===============================================================
I've neglected to obtain permission, but this seems to be urgent
enough to bypass that.   From the National Enquirer (in August):

                        Your Co-worker Could Be a
                        Space Alien, Say Experts
                        ... Here's How You Can Tell

By Michael Cassels

          Many Americans work side by side with space aliens who look
human -- but you can spot these visitors by looking for certain tip-offs,
say experts.
          They listed 10 signs to watch for:
          1. Odd or mismatched clothes.
          ``Often space aliens don't fully understand the different styles,
so they wear combinations that are in bad taste, such as checked pants
with a striped shirt or a tuxedo jacket with blue jeans or sneakers,''
noted Brad Steiger, a renowned UFO investigator and author.
          2. Strange diet or unusual eating habits.   Space aliens might
eat French fries with a spoon or gobble down large amounts of pills,
the experts say.
          3. Bizarre sense of humor.   Space aliens who don't understand
earthly humor may laugh during a company training film or tell jokes
that no one understands, said Steiger.
          4. Takes frequent sick days.   A space alien might need extra
time off to ``rejuvenate its energy,'' said Dr. Thomas Easton, a
theoretical biologist and futurist.
          5. Keeps a written or tape-recorded diary.   ``Aliens are
constantly gathering information,'' said Steiger.
          6. Misuses everyday items.   ``A space alien may use correction
fluid to paint its nails,'' said Steiger.
          7. Constant questioning about customs of co-workers.   Space
aliens who are trying to learn about earth culture might ask questions
that seem stupid, Easton said.
          ``For example, a co-worker may ask why so many Americans picnic
on the Fourth of July,'' noted Steiger.
          8. Secretive about personal life-style and home.   ``An alien
won't discuss details or talk about what it does at night or on weekends,''
said Steiger.
          9. Frequently talks to himself.   ``A space alien may not be used to
speaking the way we do, so an alien may practice speaking,'' Steiger noted.
          10. Displays a change of mood or physical reaction when near
certain high-tech hardware.   ``An alien may experience a mood change when
a microwave oven is turned on,'' said Steiger.   The experts pointed out
that a co-worker would have to display most if not all of these traits
before you can positively identify him as a space alien.



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End of Miscellaneous Digest
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