A 3P blog post vs a clothes dryer.

 

In 1966, after an entry test, I was put into 3G at St. Patrick's College. 3G (3 General) was the second to top class. The brainy kids made it into 3P (3 Professional) where they learnt a bit of Latin (and how to steal communion hosts). I was happy to be in 3G because we got to learn more interesting things. One subject we did was 'Preparing For B Logging If Computers Ever Take Off'. Okay, there weren't many computers around in 1966 but we had some very forward-thinking teachers. One teacher told us that, one day, computers could get a lot smaller and there could be at least one computer in every street. He also confided in us that, in the rather distant future, ringing up a friend to talk could be replaced by Logging. Logging was a term that he imagined could be used for writing information, for others to read, on a computer. He saw this future activity as not being unlike cutting down trees and producing logs.

The Rector at our school thought the idea was a bit far-fetched but most of the boys he fancied were in 3P, so he didn't really care too much what was taught in 3G. However, since 3G was not the top class (but the B class), he insisted that the course be introduced as B Logging.

The teacher spelt out how anyone who hoped to be a B Logger would have to have exceptionally good grammar skills, so the study of good writing was made a compulsory parallel course. 

When the boys in 3P had finished their Latin for the day, they were given the option to play with machinery and build things. One very clever boy invented a machine to dry communion hosts. Sometimes communion hosts were made too close to the time of the next mass and they were not yet totally dry. This machine was a small cylinder (not unlike a modern-day clothes dryer) that spun around with hot air going through it. The machine was very popular (because of sticky hosts) and finished up running at the back of the 3P classroom for most of the day when mass time was approaching. 

The sound was so constant that some wondered if it was affecting the learning of some of the boys, especially the boys who were close to the machine. There was a boy from Marist Newtown who seemed a bit obsessed with the machine and liked to sit close to it. He was often seen opening the door of the machine and looking inside. He seemed to have a thing about communion hosts. A 3G teacher noticed this and had serious concerns that this could affect his concentration if, in later life, he ever got involved in B Logging.

In 2008, inspired by an ex-3G boy who had already set up a B Logging site, the ex-Marist Newtown boy adopted the nom de plume 'The Curmudgeon' and set to work inventing lots of characters to help with his blogs.

Who can honestly say, after reading his posts, that he was not influenced by that machine back in 1966?

Read a few of his posts and see what you think.