From: jvarela@mind.spring.com (John Varela) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Le Baton de Joie (was: Any Tube or Transistor Main Frame Computers in use?) Date: 13 Jan 1999 22:08:36 GMT Organization: MindSpring Enterprises Lines: 17 Message-ID: References: <19990109183622.25229.00010212@ng32.aol.com> <77ci0v$8om$1@freyja.bart.nl> <77f5i1$4qa$1@freyja.bart.nl> Reply-To: jvarela@mind.spring.com NNTP-Posting-Host: cf.45.25.18 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Newsreader: ProNews/2 Version 1.00 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!news-nyc.telia.net!howland.erols.net!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.gtei.net!firehose.mindspring.com!not-for-mail On Tue, 12 Jan 1999 09:39:32, "Merijn Gelens" wrote: > BTW did Clinton do anything weird with the US launch controls (I never got > interested enough to read the Starr report) ObAFC: That reminds me of a story that circulated in the FAA about 35 years ago. The position entry device to be used for air traffic control automation was undecided (they eventually decided on track balls). An FAA official went to Montreal to present a paper to the International Civil Aviation Organization on the man/machine interface for ATC automation. One of the options was the joy stick, a new term to many of the listeners, and the simultaneous translation (le baton de joie) carried unintended double meaning in French, leading to much hilarity. -- John "I know the protagonist but never asked him if it was true" Varela (delete . between mind and spring to e-mail me) ###### From: null@lycosmail.com (Fred Wedemeier) Newsgroups: alt.folklore.computers Subject: Re: Le Baton de Joie (was: Any Tube or Transistor Main Frame Computers in use?) Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 04:29:07 GMT Organization: Airnews.net! at Internet America Lines: 31 Message-ID: X-Orig-Message-ID: <77jrkt$amb@library.airnews.net> References: <19990109183622.25229.00010212@ng32.aol.com> <77ci0v$8om$1@freyja.bart.nl> <77f5i1$4qa$1@freyja.bart.nl> Abuse-Reports-To: abuse at airmail.net to report improper postings NNTP-Proxy-Relay: library.airnews.net NNTP-Posting-Time: Wed Jan 13 22:26:05 1999 NNTP-Posting-Host: c\OBl.F%+TMKB (Encoded at Airnews!) X-Newsreader: News Xpress 2.01 Path: chonsp.franklin.ch!pfaff.ethz.ch!news-zh.switch.ch!newsfeed-zh.ip-plus.net!news.ip-plus.net!news-nyc.telia.net!news.maxwell.syr.edu!news.airnews.net!cabal10.airnews.net!cabal1.airnews.net!news-f.iadfw.net!byteme In article , jvarela@mind.spring.com wrote: >On Tue, 12 Jan 1999 09:39:32, "Merijn Gelens" wrote: > >ObAFC: That reminds me of a story that circulated in the FAA about 35 years > ago. > The position entry device to be used for air traffic control automation was >undecided (they eventually decided on track balls). An FAA official went to >Montreal to present a paper to the International Civil Aviation Organization on > >the man/machine interface for ATC automation. One of the options was the joy >stick, a new term to many of the listeners, and the simultaneous translation > (le >baton de joie) carried unintended double meaning in French, leading to much >hilarity. > Yet another ATC-related translation story: The FAA and the corresponding cival authority in the USSR sponsored an ATC symposium and show in Moscow in '73 or '74. All of us industry-types were issued exhibitor badges with our names in Cyrillic. They all came off within the first half-hour or so of the exhibition opening. The Russian translation of "Exhibitor" on the badges was the colloquial version of "Exhibitionist." -- --------------------------------------------------- best regards, Fred Wedemeier null@lycosmail.con