Chuck Anderson via WLUG <wlug@lists.wlug.org> writes:
On Fri, Jan 24, 2020 at 08:11:20AM -0500, Andy Stewart wrote:
I remember a talk that Doug Waud gave about computer networking. His first example of a network was a string with a cup at either end.
Over a year ago when this discussion started, I saw Andy's comment above about Doug Waud's home networking talk. I remember the talk fondly, with the slides containing many humorous pictures of tin cans and string.
I was surprised that I did not remember this talk. I thought I had been to every WLUG meeting back then. Memories fade. I am trying to remember when I went to Mexico...I am pretty sure I was there several times. At the time I was sure I would remember every detail forever, but now I can't recall what year it was. It might have been 2001.
So I updated the WLUG website's Archive section [1] with the slides: Home Networking (March 2001)
Great job of cyber-archeology! I checked it out. It's 80 slides!! That's not a talk; It's at least four talks. I could not have forgotten all that---must not have been there. It's already proven useful in a way redeems WLUG. After moving ethernet cables around to do jit.sw/WlugMA last Thursday, I discovered I had broken another one of those stupid little plastic latch pins on the end plug. I bought a bag of a dozen at Stark electronics about the time of Doug's talk two decades ago. I am down to just three of them. Stark is long gone; where can I get more? I thought of Google, but I could not remember what the plugs were called. After paging quickly through a few slides, there was the answer! They are called RJ-45 plugs and you can buy them through Amazon. They come in bags of 100, which is excessive, but not too expensive; ($10-15). I suppose I will get a bag. That's more than a liftime supply. In a couple more decades you will be able to pick up about 90 of them _real_ cheap at the estate sale, or free from the dumpster. -- Keith