Give me mercy...Removing a UPS can't be that hard!

[davelx]

When was this? I am also talking about UCL, and 'next door to' the Engineering Building. At the time I am talking about (around 1967) things worked out a bit differently to that for us, but perhaps only because our 'Introduction to Computing' was only a once-per-week phenomenon!

Our efforts/attempts were written on 'Coding Forms'. At the end of each (once per week) session, those forms would be 'sent down the road' for punching onto cards and running at the (London University) Computer Centre. It could be (and probably was) that they tuned things around fairly quickly but, from our point of view, it was a week (until the next 'session') before we saw the printouts!
Given that we've been talking about the importance of precision of statements, I think that is only correct if one regards it as a recursive statement, since the reality is that "there is always more than one more bug"

Kind Regards, John

I was at UCL from Oct 1973, graduating in 1976 - so a few years later than you. They still had that (potentially) lethal "jump on, jump off" lift.

We had a "punch-room" with three IBM 029 card punch machines and we prepared our own decks, JCL and all.

 

[RandomGrinch]

I was at UCL from Oct 1973, graduating in 1976 - so a few years later than you. They still had that (potentially) lethal "jump on, jump off" lift.

A paternoster?

 

[JohnW2]

A paternoster?

Indeed. I spent many happy years using one of them. After the initial (very brief) nervousness/ 'fear', one very quickly comes to moan about how slowly they move!

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

I was at UCL from Oct 1973, graduating in 1976 - so a few years later than you.

Ah - I was there '67 - '70 (the course I've been talking about would have been in '67 or '68), and it sounds as if those 6 years made all the difference in terms of the computing facilities.

We had a "punch-room" with three IBM 029 card punch machines and we prepared our own decks, JCL and all.

There were certainly no local 'punching facilities' of which we were aware - as I said, the 'punching' had to happen 'down the road', on the basis of the 'Coding Forms' we sent to them.

Kind Regards, John

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

A paternoster?

I always assumed those things turned upside down at the top and went back down that way..

 

[davelx]

A paternoster?

Yes, that's the thing.

 

[JohnW2]

I always assumed those things turned upside down at the top and went back down that way..

Only the very non-curious (or too frightened) people who used them regularly failed to 'do the experiments' (at top and bottom) at least once - to discover what actually did happen (and whether or not they survived)

Kind Regards, John

 

[JohnW2]

Only the very non-curious (or too frightened) people who used them regularly failed to 'do the experiments' (at top and bottom) at least once - to discover what actually did happen (and whether or not they survived)

I should perhaps have added that there was a sort of 'semi-legitimate' (but undoubtedly 'frowned upon!) reason for doing it ...

.... if one was close to the top floor (hence probably wanting to go 'down') or close to the bottom floor (and therefore probably wanting to go 'up'), there was sometimes a significant queue of people waiting to go in the direction one wanted to go (and few, if any, wanting to do the opposite!). Hence, if one went 'down' from the bottom (or low) floor, or 'up' from the top (or high) floor (and hence "experienced what happened at the top and bottom"!), one would thereby have effectively 'jumped the queue'

Kind Regards,

 

[bernardgreen]

I used to ride the paternoster in the tax office in Dusseldorf ( 1972 ) but never queue jumped but knew it happened

There is also a paternoster in the police headquarters in Dusseldorf. It is a listed building. Photo: Andreas Endermann

https://rp-online.de/nrw/staedte/duesseldorf/im-paternoster-durchs-amt-ruckeln_aid-14722507

 

[JohnW2]

I used to ride the paternoster in the tax office in Dusseldorf ( 1972 ) but never queue jumped but knew it happened. There is also a paternoster in the police headquarters in Dusseldorf. It is a listed building. ...

I gather that there are still a few around. The one I used over an (intermittent) period of about 20 years (in a hospital) was eventually taken out of service in 2013. However, it was apparently brought back to life last year in an attempt to reduce Covid transmission risks by reducing the congestion (or 'limitations', hence considerable queues) in the 'proper lifts'. As I understand, it remains in use (presumably 'for the duration of the pandemic').

Kind Regards, John

 

[Sureitsoff?]

there used to be a paternoster lift in Napier college in Edinburgh when I was there in '75-76. great to use after the first "can I get on it safely" jitters were over

 

[BS3036]

There was one at Plessey Beeston. I was told it folded flat to get over the top, so I didn't risk it. Yes, I know.

 

[JohnW2]

There was one at Plessey Beeston. I was told it folded flat to get over the top, so I didn't risk it. Yes, I know.

'Folding flat' and 'Turning upside down' were the two main fears of those who did not dare try it - although, in the latter case, they really should have realised that turning upside down would have resulted in the 'ceiling' lights being on the floor!

It took some people quite a while to spirit up the courage to 'try it' - but, as I said, I think most people did eventually!

Kind Regards, John

 

[333rocky333]

'Folding flat' and 'Turning upside down' were the two main fears of those who did not dare try it - although, in the latter case, they really should have realised that turning upside down would have resulted in the 'ceiling' lights being on the floor!

It took some people quite a while to spirit up the courage to 'try it' - but, as I said, I think most people did eventually!

Kind Regards, John

Did you do it John.
There was one at Stratford london, i was only 16 I still regret it now but never had the bottle to get in, i was scared i would not get out quick enough.
My mates used to do laps in it and said if you did not get out quick it would trap you half in the entrance and safety bits would fold in and shut the thing down

 

[JohnW2]

Did you do it John.

Yes, of course I did - as I said, almost everyone did eventually. I also used it for the 'queue jumping' procedure I described, particularly because I made frequent trips to the top floor. There was sometimes quite a que to 'go down', so I 'went up', and then descended past most of the people who were still queuing, a few seconds later (after surviving the 'turnaround ).

There was one at Stratford london, i was only 16 I still regret it now but never had the bottle to get in, i was scared i would not get out quick enough.

I'm sure that we were all initially quite nervous but, as I said, it didn't take long before one was moaning about how slowly it went.

My grandmother would never use escalators, even at the deepest underground stations!

Kind Regards, John