Blizzards follow on from the freeze-up as I travel by train to the Digital Research and to talk and agree an objective of computer industry open standards with the press and key computer industry leaders and more minters return to work as interest rates soar. Thatcher and Kohl talk WWII 40th commemorations and communists attack rebels in Cambodia
Awake early to morning tea and the radio news until my paper arrived. The forecast blizzard stayed in the English Channel and West Country and the rest of England is clear. Breakfast, washed and shaved, and then in old clothes out to feed the doves and thaw their drinking water. No more snowball attacks. In to get changed before rushing Daniel to his school bus in St Neots. We missed it there, but caught it up in Eaton Meadows and so managed to get him off safely. Being late to catch the London train from Huntingdon, I drove down to Stevenage and caught the 9.05. David Shinn was parking his car at the same time and we sat together on the train to Kings Cross talking about industry affairs. CASU seem in trouble, but I fear many British microcomputer manufacturers are feeling the strain. At Kings Cross, David spotted Martin Banks, the journalist, also bound for the press seminar and so I completed my journey to Piccadilly with him and speculated on the purpose of the conference. It seems also that the idea of a microcomputer industry history book has developed in conjunction with David Tebbit’s publishers agent into a piece industry interview with the early entrepreneurs. The press conference was jointly presented by Digital Research Inc and Intel Inc and announced the new Concurrent 286 operating system. Opportunity over a preliminary coffee to talk to Guy Kewney, Martin Banks and a few other journalists and after to Paul Bailey and Frank Iveson of Digital Research, Ninian Edie of ICL, Dr Martin Healey of Univ. Wales and FTS. The theme throughout was common industry standards and designs not dominated as proprietary IBM designs and I found that very reassuring.
Eventually to leave, but first phoned for messages and returned calls to Barclays Bank Securities Department (to repay £80,000 for a further 2 months deposit on Treasury at 11 ¾ %) and Martin Isherwood who had some ideas on BMMG publicity. By tube to the House of Commons but, being closed to strangers, back to Kings Cross and home by train to Stevenage and car thereafter. On arrival I put the ducks away and fed them before dropping by the office to check for messages and pick up the mail. A number of thank you letters for my calendars – even small ones – and plenty of computer journals to read. News tonight of the building societies putting up home loan rates by 1 ¼ % to 12 ¾ %, the highest level for three years, but the feeling of individual societies were mixed due to the recent high levels of inflow. The inflation rate had only just fallen after the effect of previous rate reductions. The stock exchange index rose through 1000 for the first time. In the Scottish pay robbery, a witness has reported a uniformed man running from the scene. Timing of the robbery to maximise the take also suggested an ‘inside’ job. Heavy snow falls in Cornwall lead to it being cut off for a while, with its worst snowfall for 15 years. Actor Wilf Bramble (Steptoe and Sons father) died today aged 72. Thatcher’s talks with Chancellor Kohl in Germany today discussed East/West relations and arrangements for celebrating the 40th anniversary of the end of World War II. In Asia, anti-communist rebels are being attacked by Vietnamese troops in Kampuchea (formerly Cambodia). Millions of refugees are continuing to flee the area in a conflict that has been happening for years. In total this week nearly 3000 miners had returned, but Scargill is claiming that 200/week are re-joining the strike. England won the fourth test in Madras and go 2-1 up in the series with one test left. Celtic football club have been fined £17,000 and ordered to play their next European game behind closed doors and without a crowd after their ‘supporters’ had recently attacked members of an opposing team.