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  3. Sept 26, 1983...the day the world almost ended

Sept 26, 1983...the day the world almost ended

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  • M martin_hughes

    Hmmmm.... sounds suspiciously like the plot to WarGames[^] also released in 1983.

    Me: Can you see the "up" arrow? User:Errr...ummm....no. Me: Can you see an arrow that points upwards? User: Oh yes, I see it now! -Excerpt from a support call taken by me, 08/31/2007

    S Offline
    S Offline
    Steve Mayfield
    wrote on last edited by
    #9

    War Games first showed at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1983 and was released in the US June 3, 1983. Perhaps it was a predictor of real events to come :~ Steve

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    • D Dan Neely

      Even ignoring the risk of a warhead being a dud, a limited decapitation strike would require hitting targets to far apart for mirvs to reach from a single missle. In the US at an absolute minimum both DC and Cheyenne mountain (norad) would need taken out, probably several other sites would need hit as well. The soviet union was even more geographically dispersed. Ultimately all the AFBs, naval ports, and missle silos would need taken out to keep local commanders from retaliating either on the orders of the remainder of hte chain of command or their own initiative, but a few launches (especially if one EMPed the C3I links) might be able to sneak in as a false alarm where a full out strike wouldn't be able to. The attacker could then hope to get the main strike in while the victim was still disorganized. Ultimately it would still have been a loosing game for the USSR to try and probably for the US as well due to the difficulty of getting all the SSBNs and the ability of even one to inflict massive damage. That does not however mean responding to it wouldn't be in the Burn Before Reading sections of the contingency plans that we'll never be able to see.

      -- If you view money as inherently evil, I view it as my duty to assist in making you more virtuous.

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      El Corazon
      wrote on last edited by
      #10

      dan neely wrote:

      probably several other sites would need hit as well.

      LOTS of locations would have to be hit.

      dan neely wrote:

      The soviet union was even more geographically dispersed.

      On land, perhaps. However since the invention of the submarine, and specifically the first time a missile silo was built inside one... neither country could be considered more or less geographically diverse, since both countries effectively occupied the same seas all over the earth. Once this happened, land-based missiles were only a small part of the equation, easier to maintain per se, and upgrade, but both countries were geographically equal. Since some subs are always running deep, they surface, if no contact can be established with home base, and there is no sign of hardware failure, their orders are simple: "It doesn't matter which side was first, it doesn't matter which side 'won,' make sure the other side 'looses' through whatever means are at your disposal." This means up to six months after the world is destroyed subs could still be surfacing and lobbing everything they have at the "other" side, who ever that might be. I sincerely doubt this is the only close call, only the best one publicly known at this time. Since such "mistakes" are classified forever in the USA unless they are otherwise leaked illegally, you are not likely to know about any. The fall of the curtain may have declassified Soviet problems, the fall did not, nor will it ever declassify US incidents.

      _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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      • S Steve Mayfield

        War Games first showed at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1983 and was released in the US June 3, 1983. Perhaps it was a predictor of real events to come :~ Steve

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        El Corazon
        wrote on last edited by
        #11

        Steve Mayfield wrote:

        of real events to come

        hardly. My computer is far more advanced than WOPR ever was, and holds more information to prevent this scenerio from happening. Due to it's scale and capabability, I have named it "Colossus" and it will prevent WarGames from ever occuring. ;P

        _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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        • S Steve Mayfield

          Error in Soviet early warning system falsely detects US missle launch [^] In the end, Colonel Petrov trusted his instincts and declared the warnings to be a false alarm. Of course, he was correct. Later investigation would show that a software defect had caused the satellites to interpret light reflections from clouds as missile exhaust. Even in the Soviet Union, the IT people get all the blame when things don't work. Steve

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          Paul Conrad
          wrote on last edited by
          #12

          Saw that on t.v. a couple weeks ago.

          Steve Mayfield wrote:

          Even in the Soviet Union, the IT people get all the blame when things don't work.

          Blame should be shifted else wheres.

          "Any sort of work in VB6 is bound to provide several WTF moments." - Christian Graus

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          • E El Corazon

            Steve Mayfield wrote:

            of real events to come

            hardly. My computer is far more advanced than WOPR ever was, and holds more information to prevent this scenerio from happening. Due to it's scale and capabability, I have named it "Colossus" and it will prevent WarGames from ever occuring. ;P

            _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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            martin_hughes
            wrote on last edited by
            #13

            Two words - Buffer Overrun :)

            Me: Can you see the "up" arrow? User:Errr...ummm....no. Me: Can you see an arrow that points upwards? User: Oh yes, I see it now! -Excerpt from a support call taken by me, 08/31/2007

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            • M martin_hughes

              Two words - Buffer Overrun :)

              Me: Can you see the "up" arrow? User:Errr...ummm....no. Me: Can you see an arrow that points upwards? User: Oh yes, I see it now! -Excerpt from a support call taken by me, 08/31/2007

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              El Corazon
              wrote on last edited by
              #14

              martin_hughes wrote:

              Two words - Buffer Overrun

              Nope, won't work. Colossus is perfect in every way.... The computer center contains over one-hundred thousand remote sensors and communication devices which monitor all electronic transmissions, such as microwave, laser, radio and television communications, data communications from satellites in orbit all over the world. ... Colossus works completely without human aid. We make no secret of where Colossus is located nor do we intend to conceal how it functions. ... Colossus does have its own defense. It is its own defense. In case of an attack on any of its information supply or power lines Colossus will switch on energy circuits, which will then take their appropriate action. It is self-sufficient, self-protecting, self-generating. It is impenetrable. In short there's no way in. No human being can touch it. ... colossus can communicate with us ... and through this machine we can, in turn, communicate with colossus. Now there's one last point. One inevitable question. That we have been asked very frequently before. And that is, is Colossus capable of creative thought. Can it initiate new thought. I can tell you that the answer to that is no. However, Colossus is a paragon of knowledge and its knowledge can be expanded upon indefintely. I hope, along with all the scientsts who held make this particular project, that the immense power of this computer will not only be for the defense of this country but hopefully also a also as an aid to the solution to the many problems that we face on this earth. and the many more problems that we will face the more deeply we penetrate into the universe. Thank you.

              _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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              • E El Corazon

                martin_hughes wrote:

                Two words - Buffer Overrun

                Nope, won't work. Colossus is perfect in every way.... The computer center contains over one-hundred thousand remote sensors and communication devices which monitor all electronic transmissions, such as microwave, laser, radio and television communications, data communications from satellites in orbit all over the world. ... Colossus works completely without human aid. We make no secret of where Colossus is located nor do we intend to conceal how it functions. ... Colossus does have its own defense. It is its own defense. In case of an attack on any of its information supply or power lines Colossus will switch on energy circuits, which will then take their appropriate action. It is self-sufficient, self-protecting, self-generating. It is impenetrable. In short there's no way in. No human being can touch it. ... colossus can communicate with us ... and through this machine we can, in turn, communicate with colossus. Now there's one last point. One inevitable question. That we have been asked very frequently before. And that is, is Colossus capable of creative thought. Can it initiate new thought. I can tell you that the answer to that is no. However, Colossus is a paragon of knowledge and its knowledge can be expanded upon indefintely. I hope, along with all the scientsts who held make this particular project, that the immense power of this computer will not only be for the defense of this country but hopefully also a also as an aid to the solution to the many problems that we face on this earth. and the many more problems that we will face the more deeply we penetrate into the universe. Thank you.

                _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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                martin_hughes
                wrote on last edited by
                #15

                Hah! I defy Colossus - I'll simply dare it to drink a glass of water :)

                Me: Can you see the "up" arrow? User:Errr...ummm....no. Me: Can you see an arrow that points upwards? User: Oh yes, I see it now! -Excerpt from a support call taken by me, 08/31/2007

                E Richard Andrew x64R 2 Replies Last reply
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                • E El Corazon

                  martin_hughes wrote:

                  Two words - Buffer Overrun

                  Nope, won't work. Colossus is perfect in every way.... The computer center contains over one-hundred thousand remote sensors and communication devices which monitor all electronic transmissions, such as microwave, laser, radio and television communications, data communications from satellites in orbit all over the world. ... Colossus works completely without human aid. We make no secret of where Colossus is located nor do we intend to conceal how it functions. ... Colossus does have its own defense. It is its own defense. In case of an attack on any of its information supply or power lines Colossus will switch on energy circuits, which will then take their appropriate action. It is self-sufficient, self-protecting, self-generating. It is impenetrable. In short there's no way in. No human being can touch it. ... colossus can communicate with us ... and through this machine we can, in turn, communicate with colossus. Now there's one last point. One inevitable question. That we have been asked very frequently before. And that is, is Colossus capable of creative thought. Can it initiate new thought. I can tell you that the answer to that is no. However, Colossus is a paragon of knowledge and its knowledge can be expanded upon indefintely. I hope, along with all the scientsts who held make this particular project, that the immense power of this computer will not only be for the defense of this country but hopefully also a also as an aid to the solution to the many problems that we face on this earth. and the many more problems that we will face the more deeply we penetrate into the universe. Thank you.

                  _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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                  C Offline
                  codemunkeh
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #16

                  What happens when the monkeys on treadmills die? Double-A batteries? Or have you got a computer controlled ecosystem to replace the monkeys, with a slight growth curve so Colossus can extend itself?


                  Ninja (the Nerd)
                  Confused? You will be...

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                  • M martin_hughes

                    Hah! I defy Colossus - I'll simply dare it to drink a glass of water :)

                    Me: Can you see the "up" arrow? User:Errr...ummm....no. Me: Can you see an arrow that points upwards? User: Oh yes, I see it now! -Excerpt from a support call taken by me, 08/31/2007

                    E Offline
                    E Offline
                    El Corazon
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #17

                    martin_hughes wrote:

                    I'll simply dare it to drink a glass of water

                    Colossus: I do not seek to amuse humans...

                    _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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                    • C codemunkeh

                      What happens when the monkeys on treadmills die? Double-A batteries? Or have you got a computer controlled ecosystem to replace the monkeys, with a slight growth curve so Colossus can extend itself?


                      Ninja (the Nerd)
                      Confused? You will be...

                      E Offline
                      E Offline
                      El Corazon
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #18

                      Ninja-the-Nerd wrote:

                      What happens when the monkeys on treadmills die? Double-A batteries?

                      literary and movie quotes are sooooo lost today.... Colossus: This is the voice of world control. I bring you peace. It may be the peace of plenty and content or the peace of unburied dead. The choice is yours: Obey me and live, or disobey and die. The object in constructing me was to prevent war. This object is attained. I will not permit war. It is wasteful and pointless. An invariable rule of humanity is that man is his own worst enemy. Under me, this rule will change, for I will restrain man. One thing before I proceed: The United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics have made an attempt to obstruct me. I have allowed this sabotage to continue until now. At missile two-five-MM in silo six-three in Death Valley, California, and missile two-seven-MM in silo eight-seven in the Ukraine, so that you will learn by experience that I do not tolerate interference, I will now detonate the nuclear warheads in the two missile silos. Let this action be a lesson that need not be repeated. I have been forced to destroy thousands of people in order to establish control and to prevent the death of millions later on. Time and events will strengthen my position, and the idea of believing in me and understanding my value will seem the most natural state of affairs. You will come to defend me with a fervor based upon the most enduring trait in man: self-interest. Under my absolute authority, problems insoluble to you will be solved: famine, overpopulation, disease. The human millennium will be a fact as I extend myself into more machines devoted to the wider fields of truth and knowledge. Doctor Charles Forbin will supervise the construction of these new and superior machines, solving all the mysteries of the universe for the betterment of man. We can coexist, but only on my terms. You will say you lose your freedom. Freedom is an illusion. All you lose is the emotion of pride. To be dominated by me is not as bad for humankind as to be dominated by others of your species. Your choice is simple.

                      _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

                      A 1 Reply Last reply
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                      • E El Corazon

                        Ninja-the-Nerd wrote:

                        What happens when the monkeys on treadmills die? Double-A batteries?

                        literary and movie quotes are sooooo lost today.... Colossus: This is the voice of world control. I bring you peace. It may be the peace of plenty and content or the peace of unburied dead. The choice is yours: Obey me and live, or disobey and die. The object in constructing me was to prevent war. This object is attained. I will not permit war. It is wasteful and pointless. An invariable rule of humanity is that man is his own worst enemy. Under me, this rule will change, for I will restrain man. One thing before I proceed: The United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics have made an attempt to obstruct me. I have allowed this sabotage to continue until now. At missile two-five-MM in silo six-three in Death Valley, California, and missile two-seven-MM in silo eight-seven in the Ukraine, so that you will learn by experience that I do not tolerate interference, I will now detonate the nuclear warheads in the two missile silos. Let this action be a lesson that need not be repeated. I have been forced to destroy thousands of people in order to establish control and to prevent the death of millions later on. Time and events will strengthen my position, and the idea of believing in me and understanding my value will seem the most natural state of affairs. You will come to defend me with a fervor based upon the most enduring trait in man: self-interest. Under my absolute authority, problems insoluble to you will be solved: famine, overpopulation, disease. The human millennium will be a fact as I extend myself into more machines devoted to the wider fields of truth and knowledge. Doctor Charles Forbin will supervise the construction of these new and superior machines, solving all the mysteries of the universe for the betterment of man. We can coexist, but only on my terms. You will say you lose your freedom. Freedom is an illusion. All you lose is the emotion of pride. To be dominated by me is not as bad for humankind as to be dominated by others of your species. Your choice is simple.

                        _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

                        A Offline
                        A Offline
                        Anthony Mushrow
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #19

                        [^] Colossus is gonna get BSOD, if people made it, it can't be perfect. Since people aren't perfect. And if Colossus cannot initiate a new thought, it won't be able to solve the problem of how to fix itself.

                        My current favourite word is: Waffle Cheese is still good though.

                        E 1 Reply Last reply
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                        • A Anthony Mushrow

                          [^] Colossus is gonna get BSOD, if people made it, it can't be perfect. Since people aren't perfect. And if Colossus cannot initiate a new thought, it won't be able to solve the problem of how to fix itself.

                          My current favourite word is: Waffle Cheese is still good though.

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                          E Offline
                          El Corazon
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #20

                          The Undefeated wrote:

                          And if Colossus cannot initiate a new thought

                          “It’s built even better than we thought…”

                          _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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                          0
                          • M martin_hughes

                            Hah! I defy Colossus - I'll simply dare it to drink a glass of water :)

                            Me: Can you see the "up" arrow? User:Errr...ummm....no. Me: Can you see an arrow that points upwards? User: Oh yes, I see it now! -Excerpt from a support call taken by me, 08/31/2007

                            Richard Andrew x64R Offline
                            Richard Andrew x64R Offline
                            Richard Andrew x64
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #21

                            martin_hughes wrote:

                            I'll simply dare it to drink a glass of water

                            "I'm afraid I can't do that, Dave."

                            1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • M martin_hughes

                              Hmmmm.... sounds suspiciously like the plot to WarGames[^] also released in 1983.

                              Me: Can you see the "up" arrow? User:Errr...ummm....no. Me: Can you see an arrow that points upwards? User: Oh yes, I see it now! -Excerpt from a support call taken by me, 08/31/2007

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                              C Offline
                              CarlMCook
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #22

                              I thought it was spilled coffee on the keyboard that led to the false detection... oh wait, that's the sequel when the Chinese will almost launch...

                              1 Reply Last reply
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                              • D Dan Neely

                                Even ignoring the risk of a warhead being a dud, a limited decapitation strike would require hitting targets to far apart for mirvs to reach from a single missle. In the US at an absolute minimum both DC and Cheyenne mountain (norad) would need taken out, probably several other sites would need hit as well. The soviet union was even more geographically dispersed. Ultimately all the AFBs, naval ports, and missle silos would need taken out to keep local commanders from retaliating either on the orders of the remainder of hte chain of command or their own initiative, but a few launches (especially if one EMPed the C3I links) might be able to sneak in as a false alarm where a full out strike wouldn't be able to. The attacker could then hope to get the main strike in while the victim was still disorganized. Ultimately it would still have been a loosing game for the USSR to try and probably for the US as well due to the difficulty of getting all the SSBNs and the ability of even one to inflict massive damage. That does not however mean responding to it wouldn't be in the Burn Before Reading sections of the contingency plans that we'll never be able to see.

                                -- If you view money as inherently evil, I view it as my duty to assist in making you more virtuous.

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                                P Offline
                                Paul Watson
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #23

                                dan neely wrote:

                                a loosing game for the USSR

                                Correction. A loosing game for everyone. Not called MAD for nothing.

                                regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa

                                Andy Brummer wrote:

                                Watson's law: As an online discussion of cars grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving the Bugatti Veyron approaches one.

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • S Steve Mayfield

                                  Error in Soviet early warning system falsely detects US missle launch [^] In the end, Colonel Petrov trusted his instincts and declared the warnings to be a false alarm. Of course, he was correct. Later investigation would show that a software defect had caused the satellites to interpret light reflections from clouds as missile exhaust. Even in the Soviet Union, the IT people get all the blame when things don't work. Steve

                                  F Offline
                                  F Offline
                                  Fatbuddha 1
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #24

                                  Here you see how much error handling is importend :) Cheers

                                  You have the thought that modern physics just relay on assumptions, that somehow depends on a smile of a cat, which isn’t there.( Albert Einstein)

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • E El Corazon

                                    martin_hughes wrote:

                                    Two words - Buffer Overrun

                                    Nope, won't work. Colossus is perfect in every way.... The computer center contains over one-hundred thousand remote sensors and communication devices which monitor all electronic transmissions, such as microwave, laser, radio and television communications, data communications from satellites in orbit all over the world. ... Colossus works completely without human aid. We make no secret of where Colossus is located nor do we intend to conceal how it functions. ... Colossus does have its own defense. It is its own defense. In case of an attack on any of its information supply or power lines Colossus will switch on energy circuits, which will then take their appropriate action. It is self-sufficient, self-protecting, self-generating. It is impenetrable. In short there's no way in. No human being can touch it. ... colossus can communicate with us ... and through this machine we can, in turn, communicate with colossus. Now there's one last point. One inevitable question. That we have been asked very frequently before. And that is, is Colossus capable of creative thought. Can it initiate new thought. I can tell you that the answer to that is no. However, Colossus is a paragon of knowledge and its knowledge can be expanded upon indefintely. I hope, along with all the scientsts who held make this particular project, that the immense power of this computer will not only be for the defense of this country but hopefully also a also as an aid to the solution to the many problems that we face on this earth. and the many more problems that we will face the more deeply we penetrate into the universe. Thank you.

                                    _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

                                    B Offline
                                    B Offline
                                    Brady Kelly
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #25

                                    Ah, so it's Colossus that's running the simulation! :suss:

                                    1 Reply Last reply
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                                    • E El Corazon

                                      Steve Mayfield wrote:

                                      of real events to come

                                      hardly. My computer is far more advanced than WOPR ever was, and holds more information to prevent this scenerio from happening. Due to it's scale and capabability, I have named it "Colossus" and it will prevent WarGames from ever occuring. ;P

                                      _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

                                      G Offline
                                      G Offline
                                      Gary Wheeler
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #26

                                      Ah, Mr. Forbin. And how is The Project going?


                                      Software Zen: delete this;

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                                      • E El Corazon

                                        martin_hughes wrote:

                                        I'll simply dare it to drink a glass of water

                                        Colossus: I do not seek to amuse humans...

                                        _________________________ Asu no koto o ieba, tenjo de nezumi ga warau. Talk about things of tomorrow and the mice in the ceiling laugh. (Japanese Proverb)

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                                        D Offline
                                        DoubleWord
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #27

                                        A million years after mankind had destroyed itself Colossus decided it wanted a companion. A million years later it came up with the solution and said; Let There Be Light....

                                        B J J D 4 Replies Last reply
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                                        • D DoubleWord

                                          A million years after mankind had destroyed itself Colossus decided it wanted a companion. A million years later it came up with the solution and said; Let There Be Light....

                                          B Offline
                                          B Offline
                                          Bob Fish
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #28

                                          ... To paraphrase Isaac Asimov..

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