Comments on: The Non-econometrician’s lament http://clubtroppo.com.au/2006/07/28/the-non-econometricians-lament/ Fearlessly dispensing political, legal and economic analysis (and some whimsy) since 2002 Tue, 22 May 2012 22:38:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Paul Hodgson http://clubtroppo.com.au/2006/07/28/the-non-econometricians-lament/#comment-39659 Paul Hodgson Sat, 29 Jul 2006 02:33:10 +0000 http://www.clubtroppo.com.au/2006/07/28/the-non-econometricians-lament/#comment-39659 Nicholas, The rest of the poem "Motor bus" by A.D. Godley is at: http://www.ealasaid.com/fan/classics/motorbus.html Nicholas, The rest of the poem “Motor bus” by A.D. Godley is at:

http://www.ealasaid.com/fan/classics/motorbus.html

]]> By: Nicholas Gruen http://clubtroppo.com.au/2006/07/28/the-non-econometricians-lament/#comment-39604 Nicholas Gruen Fri, 28 Jul 2006 05:25:24 +0000 http://www.clubtroppo.com.au/2006/07/28/the-non-econometricians-lament/#comment-39604 When I visited my brother in Cambridge in 1977 he had rights to a computer which was a large formidable machine with a telex machine which was used to communicate with it. I guess it probably had less power than a Mac 128K. But it was a computer and verily it was an awesome thing to behold. It had a help function. And there was a little in joke. You could type 'help bus'. If you did it would respond thus: <blockquote>What is this that roareth thus? Can it be a motor bus? Yes, the smell and hideous hum Indicat motorem bum</blockquote> The poem continued for another few verses of highly amusing latinesque nonsense, which could be understood by someone who knew English but resembled Latin. It was very funny. Unfortunately one is better at committing to memory things in one's own language - so the above is all that is left (in my memory and probably the computer's today). When I visited my brother in Cambridge in 1977 he had rights to a computer which was a large formidable machine with a telex machine which was used to communicate with it. I guess it probably had less power than a Mac 128K. But it was a computer and verily it was an awesome thing to behold.

It had a help function. And there was a little in joke. You could type ‘help bus’. If you did it would respond thus:

What is this that roareth thus?
Can it be a motor bus?
Yes, the smell and hideous hum
Indicat motorem bum

The poem continued for another few verses of highly amusing latinesque nonsense, which could be understood by someone who knew English but resembled Latin. It was very funny. Unfortunately one is better at committing to memory things in one’s own language – so the above is all that is left (in my memory and probably the computer’s today).

]]>