cctalk Digest, Vol 125, Issue 13

On 01/05/2014 10:01 AM, Liam Proven wrote: Probably 75% of the people I went to business school with (at a University not know for programming or technology, and there was no programming requirement) had HP-12C's, and most of the professors would pointedly not bother to accommodate those that cheaped out and got a non-RPN calc (usually some ridiculous TI graphing model). My brother went to a different business school a couple of years later; same thing. Even though I have stupid amounts of computing available to me, there are all sorts little financial calculations that are essentially muscle memory on my 12C. The 2 mortgage closings I've been to in my life featured lawyers double checking the financial details using HP calculators (one old school HP-37 or -38, one a tricked out HP-41 with the finance ROM). Lawyers, not programmers. My last 2 CFO's kept a 12C within arms length, and I've watched both pick them up and check the details of some deal. Not programmers. The love of my life in my 20s was a radiation physicist, and she and every single one of her colleagues carried an HP-41 with the nuclear medicine pack. Not a programmer amongst them. My current wife is a medical practice manager. Their lead radiologist has the same setup in his office, and he uses it to double check what the computers are telling him about exposures and such. Not something you want to screw up. Also not a programmer. I had to have my lot line professionally surveyed recently, and the guy who did it took all his measurements and then whipped out an HP calculator. Who knew there's a surveyor pack? He said that the surveying gear has all the smarts to do the calculations built in, but he liked to double check because he's found bugs in the gears calculations but never the HP, and he doesn't like to get screwed by filing incorrect reports. Need I say, not a programmer? I could go on. How about an alternative world view: people like RPN and HP calculators because they're the right tool for the right job. All anec-data, of course, much as you've offered. But I understand your personal perspective; when you're half-assing your way through a degree (or task, or career, whatever) you don't much care about and probably aren't much good at, you use tools that are the shortest short-cut to getting some task done, minimal effort, instead of taking time to learn tools that up your game. The world is full of second (third?) rate talent. But taking what you're doing seriously and learning the tools needed to exceed isn't always "elitism", it can just as well be professionalism. Just like it isn't "elitism" to make an effort to be accurate, factual and impartial in other professions, instead of sloppy, biased and condescending. YMMV. KJ