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Mysteria

Member Laureate

since 2001-03-07

Posts 18328
British Columbia, Canada

0 posted 2001-05-20 03:52 PM

Ode To Bill

In days of old,
When dinosaurs roamed,
And PC's weren't invented,
There lived a man named Bill; it seemed,
Whom others thought demented.
His visions of the future,
Though some thought a little strange,
Were of CD-ROM and Internet,
And how things could really change.

As he sat around the fire,
Frying mammoth steaks one night,
He told his fellow cave men,
Of RAM and gigabyte.
Of technology far beyond belief,
To aid in the pursuits of man,
Of machines to help with everything,
That were all automatically ran.

He'd be the leader, he concluded,
Saying, 'Others will obey'.”
With my knowledge and my expertise,
Now I'll always get my way!”
Had he but known what lay in store,
What his destiny would reveal,
He'd have turned back then and not gone on,
To get himself that better deal.

'I'll be respected and admired'
He visualized one day,
'All will stop in awe and listen,
To the things I have to say'.
'My staff will kneel before me,
Thanking god that I'm alive',
'They'll follow in my footsteps,
To be like me they'll strive'.

And so at last it came to pass,
A new day was to dawn,
Bill’s vision was to be fulfilled,
Microsoft was to be born,
But would his staff respect him?
Would he always get his way?
Would they treat him like a mini-god?
Would he change the day?
In truth the future wasn't kind,
But that's another story.
But let’s let Bill think he did well,
And wallow in his glory.

~*Note To Bill*~

My software is not working today!

Now...because of the massive fortune you have made from software...I hope you bow toward Chapel Hill, N.C., at least once a day, in a little prayer of thanks. It was Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina, after all, That Frederick P. Brooks Jr. called home. And it is Frederick Brooks who, 30 years ago, helped determine the path the desktop computer would take. And for that effort, and other strides toward making the computer more than a glorified typewriter or calculator, Brooks got very little recognition, but finally in 1995 he was awarded the Franklin Institute's prestigious Bower Award and Prize in Science. To further add insult to injury Brooks collected a $250,000 award.

Also being cited by the institute was David Packard who, with William Hewlett, founded Hewlett Packard, to honor his services to the computing industry, his "unstinting public service to his community and nation," and his "generous philanthropies to higher education."

And who said the squeeky wheel didn't get oiled?

Sunday is "soap box day!"

Picture: Franklin Institute, Special Edition May 2001

~*~ I write ~ Therefore I am ~*~
Homepage: http://www.mysteria-poetry.cityslide.com/contents/contents.cfm/451673

[This message has been edited by Mysteria (edited 05-20-2001).]

Interloper

Member Rara Avis

since 2000-11-06

Posts 8369
Deep in the heart

1 posted 2001-05-20 05:13 PM

OK, a soapbox response.
First, I like your work. Witty.
Second, why does almost everyone who realizes the "American
Ddream" have to be villianized?

Live for love. Without love, you don't live.

Mabel A. Dilley
Senior Member

since 2001-03-17

Posts 859
Seattle, WA, USA

2 posted 2001-05-20 05:16 PM

My work would slow to trot without each of these gentleman's contribution. I remember the day when fortran was a language! Thank G-d we don'et have to return to those days. lol

"I am not now that which I have been."

Irish Rose
Member Patricius

since 2000-04-06

Posts 10263

3 posted 2001-05-20 05:42 PM

I sure didn't know any of this! Thank you for sharing this with us.

Kathleen Blake

"When red-haired girls scamper like roses over the rain-green grass,
and the sun drips honey."
Laurie Lee

Sunshine

Administrator

Member Empyrean

since 1999-06-25

Posts 63354
Listening to every heart

4 posted 2001-05-20 05:51 PM

And from the horse came a car....

horses may have polluted, but it sure as heck didn't screw up the ozone....

Mysteria

Member Laureate

since 2001-03-07

Posts 18328
British Columbia, Canada

5 posted 2001-05-20 07:22 PM

Interloper: I agree sometimes! My son was one who realized the "Canadian Dream", and worked honestly and hard for it. But this was a case where someone took another's idea and ran with it, and got all the credit and money, and this little guy got shafted. Sorry! However, I do agree most successful people in the U.S. become villianized but if you get that rich and famous, with it comes envy and attack unfortunately, and they need a thick skin.

Julian: So glad you remember the progress, thanks for reading.

Irish Rose: You are welcome, I am a walking information booth and sometimes things eat at me so I write about them. Thanks for reading my rant for today!

Sunshine: So right! Same shi*, but now it kills us instead of fertilizing our gardens!Thanks for dropping in!

Watersign6
Senior Member

since 2001-05-25

Posts 823
Hurricane,WV

6 posted 2001-06-05 09:07 AM

wonderful read i truely enjoyed

Mysteria

Member Laureate

since 2001-03-07

Posts 18328
British Columbia, Canada

7 posted 2001-06-05 07:09 PM

Watersign6 - glad you liked my "dig" c u later alligator!

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