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Tue, 11 Mar 2008 Tech Trivial Pursuit 'Being a sucker for error messages, my favorite question was submitted by Seapine's Alan See: Q: The developers of the Texas Instruments 990 are credited with what all-time best error message? A: "Shut 'er down, Clancy, she's pumping mud!" And Stephen Alpert submitted my second favorite question: Q: In the '60s, IBM produced a machine called the 1620. It was made of discrete components. It's development codename was "CADET." What does CADET stand for? A: "Can't Add, Doesn't Even Try" So the final round of competition came down to a tie score between Intel and IBM as time ran out. I asked a tie-breaking question--and no one knew the answer. I asked a second tie-breaking question--and again no one new the answer. Then I posed a question submitted by Mia Murray: Q: How many pockets does a card sorter have? A: 12 IBM came up with the correct answer first, and with it bragging rights for the next year. Expect to see full-page ads trumpeting the victory. Thanks again for all your help in pulling this off. I couldn't have done it without you, and I hope to see you there next year. -- Jonathan Erickson (Dr Dobb's newsletter) [] permanent link