An Interview with Dick Gramann

Former Project Manager with Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Reprinted with Permission

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askSam: Would you tell us about work as a Project Manager for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and how technology, in particular askSam, helped you achieve your goals.

DICK GRAMANN: Using the DOS version of the AS Developers Edition,  I created template programs for Nuclear Material Licensees to submit information on their holdings and transactions in computer readable form (ASCII). In addition, all documentation needed by licensees to satisfy their regulatory reporting requirements was imported into AS files that could be searched using the hypertext facility of AS.

askSam: Which of our product(s) do you use and what kind of information do you have in your askSam database(s) today?

DICK GRAMANN: I'm retired now but still use both the DOS version and the Windows version of AS.  Almost all of my early email when my mail reader was a DOS program has been imported into AS files and ZIPPED onto floppies. Yes, I know, you ask when will I ever use that stuff. My answer is simply, I think I inherited a packrat gene from my Dad. He never discarded anything because you never know when you'll need it.

I also have several other DOS files that I use regularly. One is P.ask that contains a list of people, local stores, the newspaper, garbage pickup, neighbors, etc. ... folks I may want to phone.  The phone dialer still works.

I have a large file (over 2 Megs) called Bstorm.ask.  This is a listing of quotations from many sources including the Bible.  The file is designed for Brainstorming an idea, adding flesh to a bone of thought.  

Two others are Glossary.ask and Deskdata.ask.  The first is a glossary of computer terms.  The second is the NY LIBRARY DESK REFERENCE, containing frequently sought information.

Some of the old DOS AS files have been converted to Windows AS. One such old file is MYNAMES.ask.  It contains names of folks I've worked with, went to school with, relatives, current and former neighbors etc. I'm very good at remembering faces but not so hot with names. And as I grow older remembering names gets worse.  The MYNAMES file is helpful to me. I've recorded names, addresses, connections (where did I know this person).  I have almost two thousand names in it.

askSam: Why have you selected askSam over other products?

DICK GRAMANN: I've looked at other products.  ZYIndex, for example, but I still haven't found one that provides the capabilities that AS provides.  There is another product I used called PSearch.  It can search for files or text within files in the current directory or all directories on the hard drive. If I can't remember where something is stored on the hard drive and the drive is large (my laptop has 1.4 gigabytes), PSearch will help me locate it.

askSam: In what ways has askSam helped you in your daily routine?

DICK GRAMANN: Both my desktop and my laptop are like any other appliances at my house.  And who nowadays wants to get along without their appliances: their washing machine and dryer, their dishwasher, their freezer and refrigerator.  The computer is like one of these appliances and more.  It's like the daily newspaper. From the Internet, I get even more information on a daily basis.  

I receive daily updates from lists I subscribe to.  Any and all this information I can store, sort, analyze and retrieve using askSam.  If I want a list of others who subscribe to the same lists, I can download that list using a 'who' command, and use askSam to sort it.

I use askSam occasionally as a word processor.  My favorite and standard word processor is AMIPRO.  But if I need analytic capability, I rely on askSam.  

askSam:   How has askSam saved you time or money?

DICK GRAMANN: If one asks a housewife or a homeowner how appliances have saved time and money, she or he would say, "I just couldn't get along without them. "They can't do the washing or cut the grass without the appliances. With regard to askSam, it too is like an appliance; it organizes data, makes that data readily accessible for analysis to provide desired or needed information.  What other appliance could be more useful in this information hungry age?

askSam:  What applications do you plan for askSam in the future?

DICK GRAMANN: I use email and the Internet daily, as do most folks. I'd like to automate the process of organizing and storing of my incoming stuff.  I receive about 30 email messages per day.  Some is personal, from my kids, grandkids, colleagues or friends and some from lists. I'd like a better handle on this incoming stuff.  askSam certainly may be in the picture for providing a solution.

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Dick Gramann

1613 Rosemont Court

McLean VA 22101

Email: rgramann@erols.com