Pocket protectors Was: RE: Fun "events" for VCF - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

29 Jul 2001

On 29 Jul 2001, Iggy Drougge wrote:
...
  Doug Coward skrev:
 >Douglas Quebbeman &lt;dhquebbeman(a)theestopinalgroup.com&gt; said:
 >> heh. the winner should be someone who manages to find a way
 >> to wear both a t-sheet and a pocket protector... 
That's easy.  Clip the pocket protector on with alligator clips
attached to red and black wires... this will have the advantage or
providing one with an emergency supply of spare test leads. :-)

...
  > This just got me to thinking....
 > How did pocket protectors become associated with 'computer
 >enthusiasts'? 
Ok, I see it's time for the Pocket Protectors 101 course... 

Since I wore one back in college during a time when I was taking a lot
of math, science and electronics classes, I'll take a guess at
answering this.  Back then, math, engineering, electronics, etc.
students were the most likely students to be computer hackers.  Such
students have a need to carry a wide variety of pencils and pens,
etc. in their shirt pockets; for example, I typically had fine and
extra fine point Scripto (?) "click" pencils (press on the little
chrome tab that holds the eraser and more lead comes out), a
retractable erasor, a couple of different pens and perhaps a
felt-tipped marker or two.

Pocket protectors are made of reasonably thick vinyl and lessen the
chance of one damaging oneself, or one's clothes, if one fall, bends,
or bumps into something the wrong way --- that is, in such a way as to
get stabbed by the writing instruments in one's shirt pocket.  Pocket
protectors also keep one's pocket from getting dirty from lead and
pens that might leak ink; in addition, they protect the shirt pocket
...
 from the wear of clipping and unclipping writing
instruments to and
from it. 
...
   And how many
here have wore a pocket protector on a regular
basis in the past?  
 What the hell is a pocket protector? 
You've never heard of a pocket protector before?  Amazing.  Perhaps
it's a language translation thing, and they're called something else
in your country.  Over here, they're very popular.  A pocket
protector, as mentioned above, is a reasonably heavy vinyl lining for
a shirt pocket, into which one places writing instruments, etc.  Refer
to figure 1 below for an illustration of a pocket protector.  The
pocket protector is represented by the asterisks; the straight lines
represent the shirt and pocket.

                   |
                   |*
                   |*
                   |* ***
                   |* *|*
                   |* *|*
                   |* *|
                   |***|
                   +---+
                   fig. 1
    ASCII cutaway representation of a pocket protector.

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