Following up on yesterday's "Master's at Arms" badge (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31344293 ), I thought people might be interested in what the requirements were for the "Computers" badge for the Boy Scouts of America, nearly 50 years ago.
a. Give a short history of computers. Describe the major parts of a computer system. Give four different uses of computers.
b. Describe the differences between analog and digital computers. Tell the use of each.
c. Explain some differences between special- and general-purpose machines.
2. Do the following:
a. Tell what a program is and how it is developed.
b. Explain the difference between an assembler and a compiler. Tell where each might he used. Describe a source and an object program.
c. Use a flowchart diagram to show the steps needed to set up a camp.
3. Do one of the following:
a. Prepare flowcharts to find out the average attendance and dues paid at the last five troop meetings.
b. Prepare flowcharts to work out a simple arithmetic problem. Explain to your counselor how this program could be stored in a computer. Tell how it could be used again.
4. Do the following:
a. Name four input/ output devices for computers. Explain the use of two of them in a system.
b. Explain the Hollerith code. Show how your name and address would be punched on a card.
5. Tell the meaning of six of the following: a. memory b. bits c. on-line d. bytes e. microsecond f. address g. channel h. interrupt i. register j. console k. central processing unit
6. Tell the meaning and use of 12 of the following: a. business data processing b. information retrieval c. simulation d. scientific processing e. floating point f. truncation g. fixed point h. accuracy i. input j. record k. output l. file m. software n. instruction o. hardware p. indexing q. loop r. subroutine s. real time t. time sharing u. cybernetics
7. Visit a computer installation. Study how it works.
8. Do the following:
a. Explain what each of the following does: design engineer, analyst, customer engineer, operator, programmer, salesman
b. Read two pieces of information about computers. Describe what you read.
The definition for “on-line” sure changed a lot, that’s the only term in #5 that doesn’t mean the same thing anymore.
I got my merit badge in the late 80s after visiting Evans & Sutherland with the troop. They made flight simulators for the government, among other things. At the time, it seemed like the coolest place ever to work, and I’m sure had a major impact on my deciding to study & work in computer graphics. They were still using huge “hard drive” platters like the one the guy is holding in the picture on page 37.
I think the book’s definition of on-line is even older than that, though I’m not 100% certain it’s different than what you mean. OLTP is usually referring to databases, right? The book defines “on-line” to be when devices are directly connected to the CPU, and uses punch cards as the example of keyboard inputs that are not “on-line”.
“Where devices are told what to do by the central processing unit, they are on-line. If a computer system produced the answer on a set of punched cards (card deck), the programmer or user would have to take them to another machine to get a printing of the meaning of the holes in the cards. That second machine - not being under the control of the central processing unit - is off-line.” (p. 49)
> Explain the difference between an assembler and a compiler. Tell where each might he used. Describe a source and an object program.
> Name four input/ output devices for computers. Explain the use of two of them in a system.
> Tell the meaning of six of the following: a. memory b. bits c. on-line d. bytes e. microsecond f. address g. channel h. interrupt i. register j. console k. central processing unit
> Tell the meaning and use of 12 of the following: a. business data processing b. information retrieval c. simulation d. scientific processing e. floating point f. truncation g. fixed point h. accuracy i. input j. record k. output l. file m. software n. instruction o. hardware p. indexing q. loop r. subroutine s. real time t. time sharing u. cybernetics
I think I've interviewed senior software engineer candidates who would not do well with the above tasks.
> I think I've interviewed senior software engineer candidates who would not do well with the above tasks.
You exaggerate. I'll give it a try:
Memory is what you need to pass a software engineering interview at a top company. Address is unimportant these days, as everything is on-line - employees can work wherever they like so long as it's in the Bay Area. Channel is how you market your SAAS software. Console is what you do to your colleagues after a round of layoffs. Interrupt is what your manager does.
Old Scouting manuals are a gold mine for basics on a very wide variety of knowledge. Much of it is outdated, but I still quite enjoy reading through a replica copy of the original BSA handbook.
By the 1980s the requirements had changed to no longer include punch cards and such, presumably at the same time as when the badge itself changed from the "punch card and mainframe tape" design to a generic microcomputer.
My copy is dated 1969. The COMPUTER merit badge card I have framed is dated July 27, 1970. Guess I missed the 50 year anniversary.
An Assistant Scoutmaster worked with the computer at the local Bell Telephone office, and guided me through getting the badge, mostly by providing binders of training material for their GE-mark-something. Computers then were expensive and precious, so the Bell folk only let civilians look through a window into the room with the magic box. And computer time being costly, they only let me run one program--which printed HI MOM and added two numbers. I didn't even get to type it in. In those days, one filled out a coding form and handed it to the secretarial pool to get cards punched.
As an Eagle Scout, one of the things I’m most grateful for is the merit badge program. You really get a wide exposure to tons of different areas - most of which come with a pamphlet similar to this one.
The real value proposition of the BSA is to better serve your community and those around you by becoming well-rounded, and having contextual experience of teamwork dynamics.
As long as you live in the right area and select a good troop, the BSA is still thriving. The real key is to participate in the troop with your son so you can monitor it and help it become better.
Also one that fits your preferences, since style and personality varies a lot. I didn't really realize as a kid that you had a choice of which one to join, and just joined the one that met at my school. I only realized when I moved to a new city that there was such a big difference in personality. The two I was in were both pretty friendly and good in a general sense, but totally different in style. One was very "official" and put a lot of emphasis on the various ceremonies, oaths, ranks, uniforms, etc., while the other mostly de-emphasized that and was primarily oriented around monthly camping trips.
(In affluent areas there is also a style of troop I'd personally avoid that isn't quite "bad" in the sense of the really dysfunctional ones, but not super great for personal development: the one where everyone is there primarily because they want their kid to put Eagle Scout on their Ivy League college applications...)
I remember the badges and uniforms pretty fondly, also the Boy's Life magazine, particularly the "Scouts in Action" stories. You can read many (all) the archived issues online now if you want a trip down memory lane.
I agree, you can’t just hope it’s to your standard. I have a young boy too small for scouts still but I plan on taking a leadership role when he’s older. If it’s any good still!
I’m still really unsure I agree with this policy. We have Girl Scouts for this purpose. There’s something to be said for boy time and boys hanging out with other boys and learning to socialize, lead, and fraternize.
I was in a computers themed "Explorer Scout" program in the mid-80s (it had some affiliation to the BSA but I'm not sure how) when I was going to high school. One of the benefits of that program was getting your own account on Honeywell's Multics timeshare system.
I was in an Explorer Post that met at Convex Computer Corporation in Dallas, TX in 1986. It was my first exposure to Unix and C programming. A few of us got dial-up access to a Convex C-1 “minisupercomputer”. Then I got in trouble for dialing in just to play Hack. (This was before it became Nethack.)
I was dialing in to a system used by dozens of Convex employees to do their jobs. One (or more?) of them ran `ps` and didn't like seeing `hack` in the output during business hours. I don't know if it was really a resource consumption issue.
I was in cub scouts (this was in Canada, it's for ages 7-10 or so, I don't know how it maps to BSA scouts, it's part of the same Baden Powell originated organization).
I did a similar badge in this org which I think was a little more basic, in the 80s. I haven't really thought about it since then, but we had to do some definitions, I think write instructions for some task as in this one, and what strikes me most now is we had some (simple) boolean logic exercises, or had to make examples, I think explained as switches, explaining AND, OR (I dont remember if others were there) as series and parallel and determining whether a light was on.
Sounds basic, but having taught intro to programming and intro to circuits many years later, still confusing for many
Cub Scouts is the under-12 youth organization that "feeds" into Boy Scouts.
Many, but not all, Boy Scouts started off as Cub Scouts, rising up through the ranks to earn their Webelos before "graduating" into Boy Scouts around age 12.
Cub Scouts organize into "Packs" (analogous to a Troop in Boy Scouts), and break off into "Dens" (analogous to Patrols in Boy Scouts).
Scouting is an amazing youth experience, both in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. Unfortunately not all Packs and Troops are created equal, although some "specialize" in certain activities (such as canoeing/kayaking, backpacking, etc). Finding a good Pack or Troop that fits your interests is key.
I was a well decorated Cub Scout. I lasted just a couple of months in Boy Scouts. I didn’t even get my Tenderfoot. I just didn’t have interest in the activities and direction of my troop.
That's a real shame. In my day, earning your Webelos was quite a life achievement and meant a great deal, for being so young. It was not quite the same magnitude of importance as earning your Eagle, or being inducted into the Order of the Arrow, but it was significant.
"In my day, earning your Webelos was quite a life achievement and meant a great deal, for being so young."
I feel like the recognition of even eagle scout is not the same today. With lower participation rates, many people don't know what the process entails. To be honest, I don't know what the requirements were for the arrow of light, and that's something I earned (using tools, power tools, camping, etc, but not sure of the specifics).
I've even taken things like eagle scout and college club president (more demanding since you're unsupervised dealing with budgets, personnel, and grants) off my resume since nobody cares about or understands those, especially not in IT.
I'm pretty sure that getting an Eagle helped me get admitted to Caltech. But I never put it on a resume after college, as I doubted anyone cared. I have since known employers who were Eagles themselves say they regarded it as a positive on the resume.
I never even made Tenderfoot, but the Eagles I've known have been largely among the best people. Granted, I'd raise an eyebrow somewhat to see it on a resume especially these days, just because of the novelty if nothing else, but at minimum I wouldn't think less of someone for it.
How could I forget about Arrow of Light? Now that is the crowning achievement for any Cub Scout!
From my fuzzy memory, this was more of an award than a proper rank, but could only be earned by someone of the Webelos rank. Or something along those lines.
Many of us had this plastic diamond thing attached to a button on our class A shirt, and the diamond had 4 slots, one per rank with Webelos being the bottom of the diamond. Arrow of Light was a special patch you sewed directly onto your uniform.
I don't know why I never got it, though my first access to a computer was in 1975. At one point I decided to get every merit badge, but lost interest before finishing.
In the early 1970s, the BSA underwent a major dumbing down, which contributed to my losing interest. For example, the WeBeLoS rank in Cub Scouts stood for "Wolf Bear Lion Scout". To a boy, that was pretty cool! But by the time I achieved Bear, they changed it to mean "We Will Be Loyal Scouts". Ugh. That just let all the air out of the balloon. What boy wants that rank?
The uniforms were changed from cotton that worked great outdoors, to cheap, itchy polyester. Perhaps coincidentally, the scouts stopped wearing the uniforms.
They revamped the Boy Scout manual, too, in a miserable way. I kept my old one. I had the 1969 Merit badge book because, you guessed it, they messed up the merit badges, too, to be more like Sesame Street.
The BSA Fieldbook in its first edition (1944-1967) and to a lesser extent its second edition (1967-1984) was a pretty serious bushcraft and wilderness survival manual. That started changing with the third edition (1984-2004) and by the time the fourth edition came out (2004) it largely had turned into a book about outdoor activities like hiking and canoeing along with protecting the environment.
Note that these changes paralleled the decline in the status of BSA. I really don't understand this change - as a boy it seemed to me that the BSA simply lost respect for the scouts, changing from treating them like young men to treating them like children.
Yes. I was in the Cub Scouts in the early 80s and later the Boy Scouts. My fondest memories were the camping trips and the outdoor skills we learned on them. Then at some point they stopped doing them and it simply became a social event for the parents (they'd rent out a large meeting hall and have it catered while just letting the scouts run around and occupy themselves), I quit around that time.
I'm sure there were still plenty of boys for whom it worked. The BSA that I liked, however, had passed into history, much like how chemistry sets were emasculated at about the same time.
The old German chemistry set, Kosmos' All-Chemist, was basically an incarnation of that book. Kosmos' contemporaneous Electronik-Labor series was also an amazing kit that would provide a kid with the equivalent of an Electronic Engineering degree (absent the math).
Kosmos really made amazing kits for teenagers who were fascinated with science and technology.
I scanned in one of their manuals (with their kind permission):
I had a simple kit that was basically a big board with components on it. The components had springs attached. Then you could stick wires in the springs to connect them. It had a book with schematics and info. Not sure who made it.
One think I thank the BSA for is when I moved to Arizona, I thought it was one ugly lifeless brown desert. One of the merit badges required me to identify many types of flora and fauna to a leader while hiking in the desert.
It really opened my eyes to the beauty of the Arizona desert, which I grew to love very much.
The swimming and lifesaving merit badges also made me confident in the water, which I thank the BSA for giving me the impetus to do.
And, of course, the knots have served me well, and I can make fire with one match. I wish the Scouts had taught a lot more woodcraft. They didn't even teach building an emergency shelter.
> They didn't even teach building an emergency shelter.
This is now a requirement. I don't remember the exact merit badge, but one of them had me and a friend huddled up between two logs surrounded by pine boughs for a summer night somewhere in the sierras.
It was cold, but manageable. What got me was a bug of some sort fell into my ear and I spent the whole night alternating between trying to pick out out with my finger, shaking my head wildly in attempt to make it fall out, or just lying there listening to it scurry back and forth in my ear canal.
When I was a kid the badge was called “wilderness survival”. I took it every summer camp because it was so much fun to be sent off into the woods with a bit of food, matches, knife, and rope.
> Improvise a natural shelter. For the purpose of this demonstration, use techniques that have little negative impact on the environment. Spend a night in your shelter.
Yeah that was the best. I usually found a tree that was bent over dead and laid fallen branches across each side to form the shelter and then cover in leaves.
Kids today have more oversight and less freedom. God forbid you build a rope bridge because someone might fall off it and sue you to oblivion. Even playing unsupervised around the neighborhood is frowned upon and can result on the police showing up.
> Why it is not permissible to accept a paid, copyrighted computer game or program from a friend unless the game or program is considered freeware or shareware. Explain the concepts of freeware and shareware.
Here are the requirements, from https://archive.org/details/BoyScoutsComputers/page/n5/mode/... :
1. Do the following:
a. Give a short history of computers. Describe the major parts of a computer system. Give four different uses of computers.
b. Describe the differences between analog and digital computers. Tell the use of each.
c. Explain some differences between special- and general-purpose machines.
2. Do the following:
a. Tell what a program is and how it is developed.
b. Explain the difference between an assembler and a compiler. Tell where each might he used. Describe a source and an object program.
c. Use a flowchart diagram to show the steps needed to set up a camp.
3. Do one of the following:
a. Prepare flowcharts to find out the average attendance and dues paid at the last five troop meetings.
b. Prepare flowcharts to work out a simple arithmetic problem. Explain to your counselor how this program could be stored in a computer. Tell how it could be used again.
4. Do the following:
a. Name four input/ output devices for computers. Explain the use of two of them in a system.
b. Explain the Hollerith code. Show how your name and address would be punched on a card.
5. Tell the meaning of six of the following: a. memory b. bits c. on-line d. bytes e. microsecond f. address g. channel h. interrupt i. register j. console k. central processing unit
6. Tell the meaning and use of 12 of the following: a. business data processing b. information retrieval c. simulation d. scientific processing e. floating point f. truncation g. fixed point h. accuracy i. input j. record k. output l. file m. software n. instruction o. hardware p. indexing q. loop r. subroutine s. real time t. time sharing u. cybernetics
7. Visit a computer installation. Study how it works.
8. Do the following:
a. Explain what each of the following does: design engineer, analyst, customer engineer, operator, programmer, salesman
b. Read two pieces of information about computers. Describe what you read.
c. Describe jobs in the computer field.