How did the CareerDiva start blogging?26 Aug 2008 03:07 pm
Moving up 
Did you ever read a blog and wonder, “how the heck did she start blogging?”
Well, I was recently interviewed by web marketing consultant Jack Humphrey who writes Friday Traffic Report.
Here’s a “webside chat” he conducted with me about my blogging roots:
It includes all you wanted to know and maybe some things you didn’t need to know about the CareerDiva.
August 28th, 2008 at 11:13 pm
Eve,
Thanks for doing the interview. It has been well received and I appreciate you taking the time!
September 4th, 2008 at 2:56 am
Back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, I was in the US Army. We had a device known as the ISTE, which was Inter-Station Transcription Encrypter. It was a satelite communication system that originated at Ft. Gordon, Ga. The concept was to have a post to post, and inter-post to inter-post systen which used keystrokes instead of voice. Part of the system used what was known as facsimile machines, basically copiers, that electronically transmitted images. These images were, during the 1940’s used with dial tones in phones. Prior to this, there were no tones, or electronic cycles that preceded a phone connection.
I was in Panama in 1979 attached to the Army’s Jungle and Survival training facility in Fort William Davis, earth’s asshole we called it because it stank of rotting fruit, and it was always a steam bath, so you stank too. I assisted trainees going through he facility and set up training locations. It was the best reason not to re-enlist because I felt I joined the Army and I saw the world and you could have it. Anyway, the ISTE was used for both high level and very common communications. We would recieve Army related mail. Things like ‘A Survival Guide for Tropic Manuevers’ or ‘A Guide for Applying New Camaflouge’. We also recieved ‘Stars And Stripes’ within hours after being published. We would copy these things that did not require a command code. One very long, wet and hot night, I was on CQ or charge of quarters duty within my unit. Basically you stayed up all night and made sure no one breached your perimeter or quarters and reported to the Post Commander on Duty any problems. I was at the ISTE and printing the newest edition of Stars and Stripes. I was of course able to read each page on the monitor, which was black with green letters. Arrows allowed me to move the pages. a prompt said things like insert or Print. As each page went through, a ‘greater than ‘ symbol appeared and blinked. I pressed the I for insert as I was instructed and the next page would appear. It was faster than I could read it, but not by much. The sports section I read with keen interest. It is hard to find radio or television in English in Panama. Panama is obsessed with the Mexican Baseball League far more than Major League baseball. I was looking at the boxscore for a game involving my beloved Pittsburgh Pirates and they listed Dock Ellis, a veteran who once pitched a no hitter while on LSD ten years earlier, as the next day’s starting pitcher. He had not been a member of this team for some time so I was curious how he got back to the Pirates. With frustration, I typed after the blinking ‘greater than’ symbol..HOW DID THE PIRATES REACQUIRE DOCK ELLIS.. and pressed insert. Another page of the current edition popped up, then I pressed insert, then came the same symbol with words…THE PIRATES PURCHASED ELLIS FROM THE METS ON 9-21…Then the next page loaded. I was STUNNED. I was almost scared thinking I did something wrong. I thought this was just another transmitter. A gadget. I typed.. WHO ARE YOU..then it came up..PICK UP THE RECIEVER…which I did. I heard the soon to be familiar tones, then a soldier said, ‘Hey, this is Johnny something…you can send anything you want and type to the sender as well..it beats me telling you and having you type it where you are at.’ We had a good five minute conversation. He told me the call is using satellites instead phone lines. It is free, but to do this the idiots proabably spent a million dollars for the satellite just so no one can hear what we are saying. We both sort of laughed at that idea. In my mind I thought, if you want to talk to someone, pick up the phone. The next morning I explained to the commanding officer and officer of the day what had happened. I was woried that perhaps it was against regulations, butt I could find nothing about it in the ISTE regulation guide. Our brief conversation printed along with the rest of Stars and Stripes. One of the officers was familiar with it and said it’s easier to call out. The other officer was as stunned as I was this device had that capapbility. THe CO then went in and told us not to look at his command code. He then printed (remember this was an ancient typewriter type printer with a ball and used attached and fed paper) and tore off what he caklled his daily mail from the Fifth Army Headquarters in Ft. Benning. He told the other officer and I this was a great way to get daily mail. Maybe someday it’ll catch on. What little did any of us know then.