• mysticpickle@lemmy.ca
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    2 months ago

    Going from making calculators to making tanks is real easy:

    TI-83 -> T-83

    See? Take out one letter and you just made a Russian tank variant!

    • Madison420@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Backwards. Ti made calculators from technology derived from their experience in the defense industry.

    • Agent641@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      “Hey prof, theres a typo here in the math exam instructions for required equipment. No worries, Im sure it wont matter!”

      Distant rumbling sound approaches

  • marine_mustang@sh.itjust.works
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    2 months ago

    I used to work for General Atomics; started as a division of General Dynamics to figure out nuclear power plants, then, after a few oil company owners, landed in private hands. They bought a small company working on drones back in the 1980s, and now the Predator and Reaper are the biggest part of the company.

  • PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    This is actually backwards. Texas Instruments made so many bomb chips that they ended up with a surplus. This allowed them to throw those chips into calculators and edge out any competition with lower prices (because they already made the chips, so they weren’t paying for them.) Then once they had run off all the competition, they jacked their prices up.

    And that, kids, is why the TI-84 costs $100. It’s tech that costs all of $10 to make and program.