Ralph Hosking

Melbourne-based after 10 years in Luxembourg then Perth. Software Engineer at TIM Technologies, follows tech, sci-fi, breaking news and random humour.

I've worked in the software development industry since joining BS Microcomp in Melbourne. After ten months I was assigned to the Japanese project culminating in four weeks in Tokyo. Two years later the company was downsized and five of us were transferred to Luxembourg for one year, I stayed ten.

Returning to Australia I lived in Perth, started a new IT company and later returned to Melbourne. Enjoying getting out most days for fun, drinks, meals, walks, movies and enjoying and experiencing Melbourne.

Headlines

2025-08-29 - The i41CX+ app for the phone makes me smile everytime I open it. The HP-41CX was my favorite bit of tech for years. Having fun writing programs in it.
2025-08-19 - Having great fun working through the HP-41CX Owner's Manual examples, many things I remember, some things I've not used since university.
2025-08-17 - I'm enjoying Alita: Battle Angel again. I guess I've still got a thing for 300-year-old, petite, girly cyborgs.
2025-08-16 - Is it bad that Hewlett Packard calculators were in dreams last night, specifically my HP-41CX and HP-48GX?
2025-08-13 - Today I can't find a tumbler, it just doesn't exist anymore. I wonder if it is off with the pizza cutter/wheel that evaporated 3 years ago?
2025-07-31 - Wrote an example application demonstrating how to communicate with TIM4biz APIs in Visual Basic. Haven't touched VB in decades.
2025-06-20 - Dreaming about Luxembourg last night the Dommeldange appartement made an appearance. That's unusual, it's usually rue du St. Esprit appartement.
2025-05-29 - Cooking beef and chicken Thai Green curry at 0645 is ok, right?
2025-05-07 - Does talking about dreaming about Luxembourg in a dream count as dreaming about Luxembourg?
2025-05-03 - "The future... the past. Old friends long gone." - Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
2025-04-29 - 40 years ago today I started work at Myer Computer and Business Centre, Perth. After company acquisitions I ended up in Luxembourg.
2025-04-25 - At Garden State Hotel for the start of the AFL ANZAC game. During the 'Last Post' and minute's silence the busy pub came to a near standstill. Respect!
2025-04-22 - Dreamed about OS/2 application errors; application worked first time, fatal error on subsequent starts. I've not used OS/2 in decades.
2025-04-19 - Typical night's dreams still occurring; Luxembourg, friends and work last night, DR-one a couple of nights ago.
2025-03-02 - I've worked on TIM4biz twice as long as I did DR-one but I still occasionally say/think "DR-one" instead of "TIM4biz", that's the impact it had on me.
2025-02-01 - Officially the word is 'cartographer' but I prefer 'mapematician'.
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