I can’t help but wonder how many forms, PCR tests and quarantine days would be needed for Saint Nick’s trip 😉

Then there is the low-tech RAF ASTRA version - note the drop in quality: https://www.flying-fox.net/Tracker

Some of these ASTRA-enlightened folks that call themselves ‘coders’ are so behind that even my ZX81 Basic programming skills look better than this!

10 PRINT “RAF ASTRA Sycophants are not coders…”
20 PRINT “…you need more than just an ASTRA bean bag!”
30 GOTO 10

> Run

It doesn’t even correlate with the positions in the NORAD version! :ugh:

Digression: it is Christmas after all.

Can I claim to be the first among this august/ December band to have been a computer programmer and operator?

1958.

Ferranti Mercury "Meteor" at Dunstable, one of a batch of six, the first of which went to Joe Lyons Corner House empire for wages and stock purposes.

The beast sat in a Faraday cage in a building like a Scout Hut, hot as buggery, lots of valves ............ The first team were trained at Manchester, then taught six youngsters in-house. We actually produced decent 24 hour isobaric charts for UK and NW Europe and Eastern Atlantic.

And, no, I wasn't a bright star of programming.

Happy Christmas if you have read this far.

Has she been naughty too?
:p

Merry Christmas, ORAC! Have missed you on other forums.

Tanker Aircraft scrambled

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/voya...t-over-arctic/