I moved up and got an interesting job as a computer operator with optical engineers whose computers I had been using. I worked there for several interesting years as a computer operator. That’s where I got a chance to see some real heavy-weight applications for computers. I learned FORTRAN during that time. The company I worked for, Optical Research Associates had several hundred customers using their high speed IBM360/44 scientific computer. That was the state of the art at that time for small companies.

One of the companies used their computers to analyze the composition of the rocks from the moon. There I used a fax machine frequently, about 25 years before they became a household word. I am very grateful for them giving me that job. There I saw how optics were designed and ran their programs.

Their proprietary Code IV program used a ridiculous amount of computer power to design zoom lenses for cameras, now a common feature in cameras. It was so easy to use that even I could use it to design complicated lenses, with their help on some of the parameters to start with. Some of the complicated zoom lenses they designed took weeks to design on the computer, running on the fastest IBM computer of that era. Not sure of the speed compared to today, but I think the fastest PC’s of today are a little faster than their computer of the late 60’s and early 70’s.

Trivia- Are there any computer nerds that know how fast an ancient IBM 360/44 computer was?

It was a forerunner of today’s 64 bit computer, running 64 bits (double words) when all the other big mainframes ran 32 bits I believe. Computer speeds were measured differently so it is hard to compare.

From there I had to quit to take my last class for my BA from Cal State University in Los Angeles. With my BA in hand I was not able to find a programmer analyst job that I was looking for so I went back to my research on betting horses for the next 18 months. I did just as well making a profit from betting horses as I would have with a job and it was less restrictive.

However, I really needed to get a job so I applied for three different electronic technician jobs and got offers from all three. I picked the closest one and also the most interesting one. It was great. I was a senior electronic technician. I and another technician had the tough job of diagnosing problems with aircraft navigation computers, then repairing them.

That was a real challenge because it was like finding a needle in a haystack. There were thousands (and I am greatly underestimating) of parts in about 20 – 28 different modules, or small boxes, each with several hundred electronic parts in them. I had to hunt to find the exact problem before I could fix it. The challenge was great and I really liked it. There was never one I could not find and fix the problem.

Continued in part III