<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2>
<p>In the last part of my story (show <a href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/eps.php?id=1811" title="Life and Times of a Geek part 2">1811</a> in 2015) I told you about some of my experiences at the University of Manchester as a postgraduate student from around 1973.</p>
<p>Today I want to talk a little more about my time in Manchester and mention some of the things I did that may be of interest to Hackers!</p>
<h2 id="researching-for-the-episode">Researching for the episode</h2>
<p>As I have been researching for this HPR episode I realise how long ago some of these events were - in Internet years particularly. In many cases I could find no online records of places, equipment or people. This seems to be because any records there might be are on paper and have never made it online. I contacted a company that made some of the laboratory equipment I used that I thought might be of interest, and the person I contacted said that although he remembered what I was referring to the company had kept no records of it and had had to discontinue it due to modern safety concerns.</p>
<p>I find this somewhat dispiriting and it makes me feel very very old!</p>
<h2 id="long-notes">Long notes</h2>
<p>I have provided detailed notes as usual for this episode. The HTML version can be <a href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/eps/hpr2968/full_shownotes.html">viewed here</a> and the ePub version downloaded from <a href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/eps/hpr2968/full_shownotes.epub">here</a>.</p>
<h2 id="links">Links</h2>
<ul>
<li>Building experimental apparatus:
<ul>
<li>Wikipedia page for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dexion">Dexion</a> - for building metal structures</li>
<li>Wikipedia page on the “<em>Skinner Box</em>” or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operant_conditioning_chamber">Operant Conditioning Chamber</a></li>
<li>“<em><a href="https://handytube.co.uk/">Handy Tube</a></em>” used for making Skinner Boxes</li>
</ul></li>
<li>Video tape recorders:
<ul>
<li>The Rewind Museum <a href="https://www.rewindmuseum.com/reeltoreelvideo.htm">reel-to-reel video recorders</a></li>
<li>Wikipedia page on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_tape_recorder">Video tape recorders</a></li>
<li>Youtube video about a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwbMXqp0XtA">Sanyo Reel to Reel Video Tape Recorder</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li>Logic programming:
<ul>
<li>Wikipedia page on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logic_gate">Logic Gate</a></li>
<li>Wikipedia page on the (electronic) <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip-flop_(electronics)">“<em>Flip-Flop</em>”</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li>D-MAC Digitiser:
<ul>
<li>StackExchange article discussing the <a href="https://history.stackexchange.com/questions/48789/what-is-this-d-mac-device"><em>D-MAC</em></a> digitiser</li>
</ul></li>
<li>ICT (ICL) computers:
<ul>
<li>Wikipedia page on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ICT_1900_series">ICT (ICL) 1900 series</a></li>
<li>Wikipedia page on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GEORGE_%28operating_system%29">ICL GEORGE operating system</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li>Teleprinter:
<ul>
<li>Wikipedia page on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teletype_Model_33">Teletype Model 33</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li>CDC computers:
<ul>
<li>Wikipedia page on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDC_Cyber">CDC Cyber range</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li>Wikipedia page on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APL_%28programming_language%29">APL language</a></li>
<li>Sinclair calculators:
<ul>
<li>Wikipedia page on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinclair_Scientific">Sinclair Scientific</a></li>
<li><a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=FS6D5VL2qo4C&amp;pg=PA639#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">New Scientist advertisement</a> December 1975</li>
<li><a href="https://phils.bitboxes.co.uk/scan_and_ocr/manuals/sinclair_scientific/">Sinclair Scientific operating instructions</a> [<em>This link might be dead; try the archive.org one below</em>]
<ul>
<li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20141021211903/https://phils.bitboxes.co.uk/scan_and_ocr/manuals/sinclair_scientific/" class="uri">https://web.archive.org/web/20141021211903/https://phils.bitboxes.co.uk/scan_and_ocr/manuals/sinclair_scientific/</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li><a href="https://files.righto.com/calculator/sinclair_scientific_simulator.html">Sinclair Scientific simulator</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/sinclair1.html">Vintage Calculators</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.calculator.org/rpn.aspx">Reverse Polish Notation</a></li>
</ul></li>
<li>Previous episodes:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/eps.php?id=1664"><em>Life and Times of a Geek</em> part 1</a> (2014-12-18)</li>
<li><a href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/eps.php?id=1811"><em>Life and Times of a Geek</em> part 2</a> (2015-07-13)</li>
</ul></li>
<li>Resources:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/eps/hpr2968/full_shownotes.html">Full show notes</a></li>
<li><a href="https://hackerpublicradio.org/eps/hpr2968/full_shownotes.epub">ePub show notes</a></li>
</ul></li>
</ul>
