More on the HP 35s Calculator

I have kept some notes as I was performing an stats operation on a list of numbers. Most of the time the interface on most calculators is intuitive enough that you don’t really need the manual to do things like stats or common operations on the scientific calculator. The Sharp calculator has data entry for stats refined to the point where you can return to any list member and correct the entry.

Stats on the HP35s is of the “old school” variety, with an important change: the calculator is always in single variable stats mode. Hitting the “Sigma+” key on the bottom of the keypad is enough to begin your entry, and this means you can interrupt your data entry at any point and to any other calculation that you need to do. This is true in both RPN and Algebra mode.

One annoying feature I found is that if you have a syntax error, there is no “clear error” or “clear” button that will instantly remedy it. All attempts to clear the display have to be done through a “clear” button that is made as a second function to the backspace key (the backspace key is the other way to clear your error, one character at a time, using the arrow keys to help you). To clear everything (“clear/all”) requires you to go through 2 layers of menus.

A Little Late to the Party: The B. S. Generator

Yes, Bulls**t generator technology in its many forms and guises such as this site, using a cutting-edge convergence of certain verbs, nouns, and adjectives, has assembled compelling verbal deliverables using distributed front-end generators and extensible, enterprise-level methodologies to merge words into a confluent, innovative  passage of meaningless web content. See how I am e-enabled to author difficult and dense passages of the simplest mental models and efficiently interface these paradigms, internetworking un-necessary deadwood phrases and hackneyed clichés with tired jargon, into a customised, extensible, Web 2.0-ready piece of killer content reminiscent of a squid squirting ink.

As the title suggests, I have only discovered these BS generators recently, but the technology itself seems to have been in common availability on the web since the early 2000s. It’s fun to write, but difficult to do if you actually want to make a point.