The Scn Magazine thread

[Dave B.]

When was this? Hubbard had access to the INCOMM system?



Those little plastic cards were really neat. Every separate INCOMM program like MERCURY (internal email), the word processor, the stats program, and many more, had one. The number keypad to the right of a regular keyboard had all the keys removed, leaving the little cylindrical pegs sticking up. The plastic card dropped over the top and repurposed some of the keys to perform macro operations, specific to that program. So in the email program simply hitting once the peg where the "3" key normally is might acknowledge a message and say "OK and thank you", sign it with your name/post, send the message, and delete it from your in-box. In the word processing program hitting that key might save your document and exit the program.

It was actually very useful. I've seen similar plastic overlays (in non-Scn life) to repurpose the function keys but not in wide use.

Paul

Pat Buglewicz told me that. Also, another guy I don't remember his name. A German guy I think. That would have been late '83 or early '84. Yep, Hubbard had access. I thought that was known? Hell, it was (just my opinion) all for him. Foster Thompkin's was getting "Advices" from Hubbard on how to set it up. I didn't know at the time that Hubbard supposedly was not connected with the management of his cult, legally and all that. lol.


We actually removed the plastic keys from the keyboard. It was basically grunt labor sitting there taking apart the keyboard and doing whatever we did, gluing this and that, etc. and them putting it back together. (I don't remember the exact operation) There were several of us youngsta's fresh off the EPF doing that.


Pete(?) Paul(?) Griffiths was a hella smart guy. The epitome of head-in-the-clouds computer nerd. I didn't even know he was berthed in our room on the 4th floor for about three weeks, I swear it's true. One day he walks in says, "hi" lays down on a bunk. lol. He spent a lot of time in his office. He showed me a search engine program in fall of '83(?) It was designed to search Hubbs written stuff. The first search engine I had ever seen. You type in a word and it searches all of Hubbard's shit for issues with that word. This was way before the Yahoo guys. He should have took that and started his own company instead of wasting it on Hubbard.

 

[Dulloldfart]

Pat Buglewicz told me that. Also, another guy I don't remember his name. A German guy I think. That would have been late '83 or early '84. Yep, Hubbard had access. I thought that was known? Hell, it was (just my opinion, but.....) all for him.

Thanks very much. It's the first time I've seen it in all my thousands of hours reading about Scn online, that Hubbard had full access. It's a big deal, actually. Ten years ago it was a big mystery how come there was so much wrong with Scn and yet Hubbard hadn't fixed it. One [STRIKE]excuse[/STRIKE] reason was that maybe he didn't know the full extent of it, that the Dwarf was censoring the info that reached him. I even read that one fairly recently. Some years back I finally sorted it all out for myself with the simple rationale that Hubbard didn't give a fuck, which pretty much explains everything, like how come he never fixed the typos in the books yadda yadda yadda.

Yeah, we actually removed the plastic keys from the keyboard. It was basically grunt labor sitting there taking apart the keyboard and doing whatever we did, gluing this and that, etc. and them putting it back together. (I don't remember the exact operation) There were several of us youngsta's fresh off the EPF doing that.

I don't know how many thanks you got for it, but I for one really appreciated it. I was a course sup in the HGB in the early 90s and had to put staff through the various courses in how to use the INCOMM system, and the plastic cards (platens?) made the whole thing a lot easier than it would have been without them. Even today, in 2016, that system is better than what we have 30 years later. I know that one can set up keyboard short-cuts and personal macros, but honestly, who does that except for power users? I still wish for things that that word-processor had, even things as simple as removing white space. I found a website online that removes all the unneeded white space from a document, but why isn't it in OpenOffice Writer, for example?

Paul

 

[Dave B.]

In 1983-84 Hubbard actually came to Big Blue at least once I know for sure, and another time I'm pretty sure. His office over there in back of AOLA. Where they had that big desk some craftsman guy made for him. I suspect he was there trying to direct his empire. Although I also suspect Miscavige was playing him withholding data, consolidating his position, etc.

 

[MrNobody]

<snip>
I still wish for things that that word-processor had, even things as simple as removing white space. I found a website online that removes all the unneeded white space from a document, but why isn't it in OpenOffice Writer, for example?

Paul

Because it is an unnecessary function. Open Office has, IIRC, a "search & replace" function. To remove unnecessary spaces, you just search for " " (2 spaces) and replace 'em with " " (one space).

 

[Dulloldfart]

Because it is an unnecessary function. Open Office has, IIRC, a "search & replace" function. To remove unnecessary spaces, you just search for " " (2 spaces) and replace 'em with " " (one space).

Depends. If you OCR a document you can end up with white space all over the place where there were margins, not just between sentences. It's a lot easier to select a page and click "do it" (or whatever the function is labelled) than to faff around with other operations.

Paul

 

[guanoloco]

Thanks very much. It's the first time I've seen it in all my thousands of hours reading about Scn online, that Hubbard had full access. It's a big deal, actually. Ten years ago it was a big mystery how come there was so much wrong with Scn and yet Hubbard hadn't fixed it. One [STRIKE]excuse[/STRIKE] reason was that maybe he didn't know the full extent of it, that the Dwarf was censoring the info that reached him. I even read that one fairly recently. Some years back I finally sorted it all out for myself with the simple rationale that Hubbard didn't give a fuck, which pretty much explains everything, like how come he never fixed the typos in the books yadda yadda yadda.



I don't know how many thanks you got for it, but I for one really appreciated it. I was a course sup in the HGB in the early 90s and had to put staff through the various courses in how to use the INCOMM system, and the plastic cards (platens?) made the whole thing a lot easier than it would have been without them. Even today, in 2016, that system is better than what we have 30 years later. I know that one can set up keyboard short-cuts and personal macros, but honestly, who does that except for power users? I still wish for things that that word-processor had, even things as simple as removing white space. I found a website online that removes all the unneeded white space from a document, but why isn't it in OpenOffice Writer, for example?

Paul

Paul, here's a marketable product sitting in your lap. Go make millions and send me a million!

 

[AngeloV]

Little did the Old Quack know but computers (and the internet) would be the ultimate downfall of his cult.

The irony is fabulous.

 

[guanoloco]

Little did the Old Quack know but computers (and the internet) would be the ultimate downfall of his cult.

The irony is fabulous.

The double irony is the Scientology push for the Freedom of Information Act that ultimately opened the military files of one L. Ron Hubbard proving conclusively the inveterate lies he told.

Scientology still brags about initiating and causing the FOI Act to be passed.

Talk about egg on the face.

 

[Enthetan]

The double irony is the Scientology push for the Freedom of Information Act that ultimately opened the military files of one L. Ron Hubbard proving conclusively the inveterate lies he told.

It doesn't matter to Scn. The still-in scns will not accept the FOIA data.

Any data, especially from the Internet, which contradicts the official story, is deemed an entheta lie. And you WILL be meter-checked to be sure that you agree that it is a lie.

 

[Martin-O]

"Join the Office of Special Affairs today!" Ad from Impact Magazine #20 (November 1988):

 

[Cat's Squirrel]

It doesn't matter to Scn. The still-in scns will not accept the FOIA data.

Any data, especially from the Internet, which contradicts the official story, is deemed an entheta lie. And you WILL be meter-checked to be sure that you agree that it is a lie.

I think you're right, just as the existence of 300-odd geologists who say the OT3 story is impossible (if not actually ridiculous) doesn't make any difference to those who are already in and running the level. What this data does do, however, is make it that much harder for them to gain new recruits, especially in English-speaking countries, and that will matter in the long run.

 

[guanoloco]

"Join the Office of Special Affairs today!" Ad from Impact Magazine #20 (November 1988):

Due to the use of force OSA activities have shrunk Scientology and brought about its demise.

 

[guanoloco]

It doesn't matter to Scn. The still-in scns will not accept the FOIA data.

Any data, especially from the Internet, which contradicts the official story, is deemed an entheta lie. And you WILL be meter-checked to be sure that you agree that it is a lie.

Yes. But the not-quite-ins could be given enough ammo to dodge the bullet.

 

[Martin-O]

Official announcement to the public Scientologists that Debbie Cook is the new Captain FSO from Impact #28, 1990:

 

[Dave B.]

Contrast that pic of Debbie Cook with the one of her on the stand. all fat and ill looking, much like her guru L.Con. All those years of ripping people off at the $cientology Mecca of Technical Perfection took their toll I guess. But hey, being the good soldier, she was bought off with a house in Baja. Said her piece... and cashed out.

She's not someone I'd want in a foxhole with me to watch my back.

 

[exsomessenger]

Official announcement to the public Scientologists that Debbie Cook is the new Captain FSO from Impact #28, 1990:

best ever Capt FSO is Ron Norton. Debbie was tech sec back then. We kept trying to get her for the cmo but she had a few out quals.

Sorta like the time I tried to get the old D/COI into the cmo. Mary V. Turns out she had been at it and was never to be posted again. That is not the story I got, just that she was out qualed

 

[Martin-O]

Sea Org Mission Accomplished: All Orgs On-line. Hilarious article from my favorite Scientology-magazine, "Highwinds" (#19, 1996):

 

[ForLease]

Love that the new computers are all about finance – and never about improving the educational experience.

 

[Dave B.]

Love that the new computers are all about finance – and never about improving the educational experience.

There are "computer" green on white issues. I don't remember if it was an INCOMM only issue or not - but one particular phrase stuck with me all these years, "... use them to make Steam-shovels full of money..." Quintessential Hubbard, that.

Steam shovel: obsolete technology even when he wrote that issue in the early/mid 80's, and the Standard Hubbard mantra, make money, make money, make others make money....... mo money, mo money, momoney!

Like I said. Quintessential Hubbard.

 

[Dulloldfart]

Love that the new computers are all about finance – and never about improving the educational experience.

I never knew Nigel Oakes had been CO INCOMM. He was a long-term Finance exec from the 70s.

Paul