Xref: utzoo rec.humor:18905 comp.misc:5118
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!eecae!cps3xx!flynn
From: flynn@pixel.cps.msu.edu (Patrick J. Flynn)
Newsgroups: rec.humor,comp.misc
Subject: Re: Looking for Computer Folklore
Keywords: drum angular momentum
Message-ID: <1819@cps3xx.UUCP>
Date: 14 Feb 89 15:29:16 GMT
References: <7143@pyr.gatech.EDU> <532@geovision.UUCP> <4575@tekgvs.GVS.TEK.COM> <1255@ccnysci.UUCP> <37@xenlink.UUCP>
Sender: usenet@cps3xx.UUCP
Reply-To: flynn@pixel.cps.msu.edu (Patrick J. Flynn)
Organization: CS, Michigan State University
Lines: 17

In article <37@xenlink.UUCP> deraadt@xenlink.UUCP (Theo A. DeRaadt) writes:
>
>Anyone know the story wherein someone managed to lock the parking
>brakes on a vertically mounted drum? That's the one where the drum
>(supposidly) went through the wall...
>Anyone know it?

There is a related story about the first naval vessels to use computers.
The storage medium was drum memory, and some officers underestimated the
gyroscopic properties of large, massive, rapidly rotating cylinders when
they executed course changes.

Officer: Hard to Port!
Helmsman: Aye aye, sir!
Drum: *SMASH!!!*

p