Sad, old geeks

[J B]

It was just my everyday real name. I met you once on the tractor stand at the Royal Welsh Show. It was particularly busy and I'm sorry if I couldn't give you quite the time I wanted to, what with management rationing the tea to known customers and everything. It has concerned me ever since. Yes really! Not every day or anything like that you understand, but there's certain things that we remember that we should have done better. You probably thought no more about it, but I did. In mitigation, I was there to do a job and trying to make sure I miss nobody and upset the minimum number of customers on a show stand is quite demanding and I was new to it back then.

Ahah - got you.
Yes, I do remember ... I was on my way home to Shropshire from Luton Airport.
Here's my take on it ....
A random guy I 'met' on UKBA invited me to visit his stand, which I did. I felt a bit embarrassed as I was neither a past, present or future customer and you were obviously busy with your 'real job' and anyway, we had our own lives to live and passed the time of day and carried on our way.
I have not been scarred by this meeting ... honest!

EDIT - just been trawling google groups and it seems we used to correspond in about 2003!

 

[Cowabunga]

Nearly 15 years ago! Where has all that time gone? I'd only started on that job, my first and only off-farm one, some six months before. It was a steep learning curve but I enjoyed it immensely. It was just the owner and myself selling back then and during that first year we sold over 100 new tractors between us plus used ones and implements. We had a few good years like that, but also very slow ones. That's the way it goes.
One of the biggest problems I had in the first few months was keeping track of so many contacts and enquiries and ensuring I didn't miss any. My experience with computers provided the answer and I soon had the both of us equipped with Compaq Ipaq digital personal organisers. Bloody marvellous things. Today their job has been taken over by mobile phones and iPads, but those Ipaqs did just fine for several years. If I was doing the job today I would use Evernote on the phone synchronised to iPad and desktop, without a doubt.

 

[Pheasant Surprise]

Compaq Ipaq digital personal organisers. Bloody marvellous things.

I found my Palm Pilot circa 1997 vintage recently. The sync cradle is gone. It’s not too bad size wise. Might stick some AAAs in and fire it up

 

[upnortheast]

Yes, I do remember ... I was on my way home to Shropshire from Luton Airport

Must have been before satnavs - Luton to Shropshire via Builth !!

 

[J B]

Must have been before satnavs - Luton to Shropshire via Builth !!

Dropped family off at LTN (stayed overnight), then thought I'd have a day out ...