Note for Dave Beedon, skip the first paragraph, it will only trouble you. The TI-84 calculator is an essential tool for statistics. It is really quite powerful. I was working on some problems this morning out at the hangar, and I just couldn't get a certain function to work. I screwed around with it for about an hour, to no avail. So, I concluded that somehow I had messed up the function programming or that the darned thing was in the midst of failing completely. As I drove home I was thinking about how I was going to deal with the situation. Bottom line, I absolutely need the calculator to teach statistics. Well, while I was in the shower, it dawned on me that I might just try one more time and (shudder) read the instructions. Sure enough, I found the problem. I was using the wrong parameters. Problem fixed.

The device you see on the kitchen table is an Intergalactic Solid State Figure Interpolator. It is issued by the Agency for field agents who require extensive interpolation and extrapolation in just about any coordinate system. It has been programmed to provide some simple entertainment as well. The Administrator has issued a directive that they are to be issued to any agent requiring one, with the proviso that about 120 VISA credits be included in the exchange as a sort of deposit. Field agents requiring such a device are diected to submit the proper paperwork in sextuplicate to their superior officer. Don't forget that at the bottom of the form, you must have your mother's signature and a signed release from the local Agency oversight office. Remember the Agency may, at any time, require additional ISSFI refresher training if any agent is found to not be fully capable of utilizing the device.