Conference thebay::joyoflex

    "Well, I'll be a Monkey's Uncle!"
    
    This sounds genetically impossible to me.  Where is Gregor Mendel when
    you need him?
    

    Another non-existant professions is "Queen for a Day".
    
    [Though many people became a Q.f.a.D. on the game show of that
    name while I was still practicing my drooling skills.]

    re: .0
    
    I hadn't heard "rocket scientist" for years.  
    
    That was the title by which newspapers in rural Montana generally
    identified Werner Von Braun -- "WVB, the German rocket scientist . . ." 

    --bonnie

    Re: .0
    
    I guess I'm missing the point. It seems to me that WVB and Robt.
    Goddard, for example, were truly "rocket scientists" in that, for
    them, rocketry was terra incognito. They were pursuing a process
    of discovery using scientific methods. Granted, engineers are not
    scientists; they apply known rules to build things. But that's not
    to say that there are not now nor ever were aspects of rocketry
    that involve a scientific process.
    
    Having picked that nit, let me offer an impossible occupation in
    the spirit of the base note:
    
                      "Leader of the Free World"
    
    Bill

    Re .3 (Bonnie), .4 (Bill):
    
    The point, such as it is, was that these days, there's an expression,
    much used in the media and elsewhere, that goes, "You don't have
    to be a rocket scientist to know..." and then whatever point is
    trying to be made, such as in an ad, "... that buying [name of product]
    saves you money."
    
    e _real_ rocket scientists:  Such as they were, I guess Robert Goddard,
    Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, and Herman Oberth could all be classified
    that way; Tsiolkovsky wass mostly a theoretician; Goddard was more
    an applied scientist, and Oberth was more of a developer.  By the
    time Wernher von Braun was on the scene, it was less science than
    engineering; today, the "science" of rocketry is fairly well
    underastood, and virtually all research into rockets is at the
    engineering level.
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.

    	Lady Jane Grey was only queen for 11 days. I am sure "queen for a
    day" is possible, though many might not welcome the day ending in
    beheading.

    Is "Military intelligence" in the spirit of this Note?
    
    Nick

    There's always "Dogs must be carried on the escalator".
    
    Impossible if you don't find a dog to hand.
    
    And "Refuse to be placed in the bins" -- not a lot of sense, when
    the bins are hardly even big enough to get your refuse in.
    
    
    Richard

    re: -1
    
    Not impossible at all. The last time someone tried to place me in
    one of those bins, I refused.
    
    Roger

    
    Ever been told to 'wipe that smile off your face' ?
    
    Ever really tried ?                                
    
    John J

    G'day,
    
    Handicapped people (If I may use that word now) are certainly
    handicapped at the local bus depot. Their loo is marked
    
    Disabled Toilet
    
    
    derek
    

< Note 604.12 by LAMHRA::WHORLOW "Prussiking up the rope of life!" >


    G'day, Derek.  I've resisted asking up 'til now, but I can resist no
    longer... What's "prussiking"?
						Dave    

     re .12, .13
     
     Yes ... and what equipment besides the rope is necessary?
     
     Dan

My paperback American Heritage Dictionary has 11 definitions of the word 
`high', none of  which, in my opinion, fits well with `technology'.  Below are 
the definitions in order of `fit'.  

1.  Costly, expensive.  Yesterday, I paid $243 to replace a single "high tech" 
    sensor in my car.  A few years ago, it would have cost about 25% as 
    much for a part that works about 99.5% as well. 

2.  Far removed in time; remote.  This refers to delivery times of "high tech"
    products that are announced today.

3.  In a statement of excitement or euphoria.  This is what the engineer or 
    marketing type is when s/he announces the product.

4.  [Informal] Intoxicated.  What you are if you believe what the "high tech"
    solution will do and when it will be delivered.

5.  Of great quality, magnitude, or degree.  Quality, I'm not so sure fits.
    But you do need a great magnitude of time or money and a degree 
    (preferably you should be a "rocket scientist") in order to fix 
    a "high tech" item.

6.  Lofty or exalted in quality.  Perhaps "worshipped" is more appropriate
    than "exalted".

7.  Of great moment or importance; weighty.  At least "high tech" is of
    great importance to stock brokers and the press.

8.  Tall; elevated.  In other words, "put on a pedestal" and worshipped 
    (see 6).

9.  Being at or near a peak or culmination.  "We'll complete the project
    next week.  next week.  next week.  next week.  next week.  next week."

10. Piercing in tone or sound.  It'll give you a headache

11. Situated far from the equator.  If you believe that Santa Claus lives
    at the North Pole, you believe in high tech.

Clay

    A "prussic" knot is a knot that slips readily when no strain is placed
    on it, and doesn't slip when strain is applied.  It is used to climb up
    a rope. The main vertical rope has two smaller ropes tied to it with
    prussic knots. Your weight is supported by the first one while the
    second is shifted upward. Then your weight is transferred to the second,
    and the first is shifted upward. Repeat until you get to the top. 

    "Prussicking" is then the process of using prussic knots to climb
    a rope.
        
    (This explanation is only an approximation to indicate how the knot is
    used to climb a rope. I suggest experts elaborate in a new topic, or
    perhaps the ADVENTURE conference.) 

     And it sounds safer than Gordianing up the rope.
     
     Dan

    Re .2: What about May Queens - they only hold office for a day if
    I recall. In the Harvard Lampoon's parody Bored of the Rings of
    Tolkien's Lord of the Ring, Goodgulf is telling Frito Bugger about
    the powers of the ring, Frito replies laughing "and gets you elected
    Queen of the May"

    G'day,
    
    re .13,.14.... .16 has it. It is tiring and very energy consuming.
    Also prussick loops (the two loops used) are usually only 5mm in
    diameter and the main rope typically is 11mm.  Soooo its fairly
    exciting tooooooo! 
    
    The pn comes from recently having taken up abseiling (rapelling).
    My previous pn was 'Abseiling is a real letdown' which sums it up
    exactly - (the emphasis is on the word real).
    
    
    
    
    derek
    
    ps been on leave, hence the delay in replying.

    Invented by a Dr. Prusik.

In the morning, I wake up when my alarm clock goes OFF.

If I want to sleep a bit more, I turn my alarm clock OFF.


Clay

    When you build a house you "raise" it.
    When you tear it down you "raze" it.

    Re .22 (Tom):
    
    >                       -< so when do you LOWER it? >-
  
    When you cheapen it. ;-)
    
    Steve Kallis, Jr.

    
    "Open other end" is hard, since the "other" is forever becoming
    the "this" end. You have to keep remembering that this end has
    become the other end, and so you are now at liberty to open what was
    the other end a moment ago.
    
    Life can be hard.
    
    Richard.

    G'day,
    
    Rumour has it that Guinness bottles in a certain land have 'Open
    Other End' inscribed on the bottom......
    
    
    
    derek
    

    Here's another "nonexistant profession" that just occurred to
    me.  It even has a generally accepted name: "Ufologist".
    How it is pronounced, I don't know!
    
    A ufologist is a person who studies UFOs.  This is sort of like
    the much-lamented subfield of dance for pin-head dancing.
    
    Another "nonexistant profession" might be "vaporware engineer".
    While there are many in this field, they are not openly called it...

I can't describe what this person does.  It's too horrible for words.

Dave C.