I commented once before to you here on hackernews but this book, and the story of your dad, influenced my entire career as an electrical engineer and software developer (class of 1988, I think we were asked to read the book, and its still here on the shelf today). It helped me keep a good perspective on my career over all these years.
I am honored and humbled to be able to say this to you, so many years later.
I really enjoyed it and I would like to know more about the editorial process used and how similar it is to the feedback loops and constraints being used for software development. How much of this plot was generated versus specified.
My very fist job as a junior dev in a corporation, pre dot-com, his comics resonated with me and my co-workers. My proudest achievement was finding a way through the corporate firewall to get his comics off the internet and post them internally.
As I grew older his work became less interesting and less relevant as I moved to the pointy haired side. But as a natural skeptic his impact helped shape me and my career. It worked for me!
I don't understand what causes such successful people to take a hard turn toward apparent bigotry. As you age you have to reconcile change and your place in history. I'll try to take lessons from Scott Adams and my other would-be heroes as I go and hope to leave the world better off in my small way.
My dad, former firefighter, age 83, likes to tell this story of someone parked in front of a hydrant and them running the hose through the car. He’ll be happy it’s stood the test of time.
Radial arm saws vanished because they were a compromise solution that slider miters made inferior. They are pretty safe as the blade is constrained to travel along the arm for cross cuts and for rips is locked in place. The usual problem is simply stalling the saw. Rip cuts can definitely kick back if you don’t take the time to set them up right including the guard and anti kickback device. They can do it all, cross cut, compound miter, rip, dado. There were some sketchy shaping attachments I’d be hesitant to use. But the main problem is they are large as a big table saw and the changeover time. A table saw and sliding miter is the way to go now. But I still own a radial and if I had the space in my shop would set it up Norm Abram style.
I am honored and humbled to be able to say this to you, so many years later.
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