The Green Hornet Chapter 1 - The Tunnel of Terror (1940)

A Green Hornet Novel from the 1960s

During the golden age of radio no hero was cooler than The Green Hornet. He wasn't as dark as the Shadow, or as wholesome as the lone ranger, but he was certainly the most fun.

The Green Hornet was the prototypical anti-hero. By day a mild mannered reporter, by night a vigilante who operated inside the dank criminal underbelly.

The Green Hornet was more than just a radio star, he also appeared in a number of serial films. They aren't anywhere nearly as well remembered as the radio shows, and they haven't aged nearly as well, but they are still a good bit of fun.

I've been digging through the vintage green hornet serials available at the Internet Archive and I've found some real gems. Don't let the fact that it was originally filmed in 1940 keep you from enjoying it. This relic of the days before America joined WWII is a prime example of the classic movie serial.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

You can find the next episode, as well as a ton of other cool stuff at the link bellow.
via: Archive.org

The Green Hornet Chapter 1 - The Tunnel of Terror (1940)

A Green Hornet Novel from the 1960s

During the golden age of radio no hero was cooler than The Green Hornet. He wasn't as dark as the Shadow, or as wholesome as the lone ranger, but he was certainly the most fun.

The Green Hornet was the prototypical anti-hero. By day a mild mannered reporter, by night a vigilante who operated inside the dank criminal underbelly.

The Green Hornet was more than just a radio star, he also appeared in a number of serial films. They aren't anywhere nearly as well remembered as the radio shows, and they haven't aged nearly as well, but they are still a good bit of fun.

I've been digging through the vintage green hornet serials available at the Internet Archive and I've found some real gems. Don't let the fact that it was originally filmed in 1940 keep you from enjoying it. This relic of the days before America joined WWII is a prime example of the classic movie serial.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

You can find the next episode, as well as a ton of other cool stuff at the link bellow.
via: Archive.org

Vintage Sci-fi and Fantasy Art

I've just come across a fantastic trove of mid 20th century Science Fiction and fantasy art. Some of these images are simply astounding. I hope you enjoy.  Many of these images are just begging to be turned into glorious retro-style posters.

Source link

Vintage Sci-fi and Fantasy Art

I've just come across a fantastic trove of mid 20th century Science Fiction and fantasy art. Some of these images are simply astounding. I hope you enjoy.  Many of these images are just begging to be turned into glorious retro-style posters.

Source link

Man recreates first "personal computer"

A man has recreated the Kenbak-1, albeit without the super cool case that the original sported.

A brief description of the original:

The Kenbak-1 is considered by many to be the world's first "Personal Computer." The Computer History Museum granted it this designation when they were still located in Boston in 1986. More specifically, the machine represents the first commercially available Von Neumann (stored program) computing device intended and priced for personal use.
John V. Blankenbaker designed the Kenbak-1 and marketed in the pages of Scientific American in 1971. The machine's name was taken from the middle of John's last name.
The Kenbak-1 was designed in 1970 and pre-dated microprocessors. The Intel 4004 (the worlds first microprocessor) was introduced in 1971. Instead of being microprocessor based the Kenbak-1 was built almost entirely from TTL components.
Unlike many earlier machines and calculating engines, the Kenbak-1 was a true stored-program computer that offered 256 bytes of memory, a wide variety of operations and a speed equivalent to nearly 1MHz.
Approximately 40 of these machines were built and sold before they were discontinued. The world just wasn't quite ready for personal computing and the Kenbak-1 lacked some critical capabilities (such as expandability and I/O) that were needed to foster the revolution. 14 are currently known to exist with few more likely to be discovered. <>

via: http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=1259



Apparently this recreation/simulation was done by use of an arduino development board.

Video Description:

Here I (silently) program the Kenbakuino with a simple program which just adds 1 to the displayed number, in an infinite loop. It's too fast to really see, the LEDs are a blur, so I use one of my extensions to slow it down. Note that when entering the program, sometimes I choose to use the CLR button to reset the number to 000 before entering a new value, other times I modify what's already there.

Via: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/03/arduino-powered-modder-recreates-first-pc

Man recreates first "personal computer"

A man has recreated the Kenbak-1, albeit without the super cool case that the original sported.

A brief description of the original:

The Kenbak-1 is considered by many to be the world's first "Personal Computer." The Computer History Museum granted it this designation when they were still located in Boston in 1986. More specifically, the machine represents the first commercially available Von Neumann (stored program) computing device intended and priced for personal use.
John V. Blankenbaker designed the Kenbak-1 and marketed in the pages of Scientific American in 1971. The machine's name was taken from the middle of John's last name.
The Kenbak-1 was designed in 1970 and pre-dated microprocessors. The Intel 4004 (the worlds first microprocessor) was introduced in 1971. Instead of being microprocessor based the Kenbak-1 was built almost entirely from TTL components.
Unlike many earlier machines and calculating engines, the Kenbak-1 was a true stored-program computer that offered 256 bytes of memory, a wide variety of operations and a speed equivalent to nearly 1MHz.
Approximately 40 of these machines were built and sold before they were discontinued. The world just wasn't quite ready for personal computing and the Kenbak-1 lacked some critical capabilities (such as expandability and I/O) that were needed to foster the revolution. 14 are currently known to exist with few more likely to be discovered. <>

via: http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?st=1&c=1259



Apparently this recreation/simulation was done by use of an arduino development board.

Video Description:

Here I (silently) program the Kenbakuino with a simple program which just adds 1 to the displayed number, in an infinite loop. It's too fast to really see, the LEDs are a blur, so I use one of my extensions to slow it down. Note that when entering the program, sometimes I choose to use the CLR button to reset the number to 000 before entering a new value, other times I modify what's already there.

Via: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/03/arduino-powered-modder-recreates-first-pc

Floppy Drives play the Imperial Death March

Playing music on vintage computer hardware is not a new sport, in fact it is a fairly thriving demo scene at this point.

This particular video was making the rounds this morning, and I couldn't resist the urge to share.

I was brought back to this video, from several years ago. I consider it the pinnacle of achievement in this genre.

It doesn't get much better than this.

From the video description:

Based on the lyric (and alternate title) "Big Ideas: Don't get any" I grouped together a collection of old redundant hardware, and placed them in a situation where they're trying their best to do something that they're not exactly designed to do, and not quite getting there.
It doesn't sound great, as it's not supposed to.

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Guitars (rhythm & lead)

Epson LX-81 Dot Matrix Printer - Drums

HP Scanjet 3c - Bass GuitarHard Drive array - Act as a collection of bad speakers - Vocals & FX

Thanks to Afrotech and Dr Roland Shregle (ganjatron)"

Enjoy!

Floppy Drives play the Imperial Death March

Playing music on vintage computer hardware is not a new sport, in fact it is a fairly thriving demo scene at this point.

This particular video was making the rounds this morning, and I couldn't resist the urge to share.

I was brought back to this video, from several years ago. I consider it the pinnacle of achievement in this genre.

It doesn't get much better than this.

From the video description:

Based on the lyric (and alternate title) "Big Ideas: Don't get any" I grouped together a collection of old redundant hardware, and placed them in a situation where they're trying their best to do something that they're not exactly designed to do, and not quite getting there.
It doesn't sound great, as it's not supposed to.

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Guitars (rhythm & lead)

Epson LX-81 Dot Matrix Printer - Drums

HP Scanjet 3c - Bass GuitarHard Drive array - Act as a collection of bad speakers - Vocals & FX

Thanks to Afrotech and Dr Roland Shregle (ganjatron)"

Enjoy!

I Believe in Vinyl Records: Confessions of a budding audiophile

Confessions of a Budding audiophile is a weekly feature on Geeky Through The Ages that examines Hi-Fi gear, vinyl records, and music in general. I'm a bit of an audio geek, and I'm looking forward to sharing that with you.  

I Believe in Elvis Presley by BP Fallon, Produced by Jack White and Third Man Records. 

This post is inspired by a trip that I took to a local record store. Digging through the crates at an indie record store, or even a local antique store, is something I recommend everyone does at least once a month. I bought two albums (Keep on Your Mean side by The Kills and  Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle by Bill Callahan, full reviews to follow) on vinyl, and resisted the urge to spend a lot more money. 

The particular record store that I visited today, Criminal Records in L5P, might go out of business at the end of next month. They are fighting fairly hard to stay alive, but it is far from certain if they will be successful.  If you are in the Atlanta area, I highly recommend stopping by and giving them some patronage. They sell Vinyl, CDs, Magazines, Comic Books, and a ton of other things.  In all honesty, the employees are a bit rude, but it's a bit of a cultural icon in the area and a great place to find music. 

Criminal is one of the few indie record stores in the state that still stocks a large supply of new vinyl records. Their selection is hand picked by the staff, and tends to cater toward their own obscure tastes, but there are always a lot of new and vintage records for sale.

Criminal is far from the only record store in town, (they aren't even my favorites) but they are the only one that I could afford to visit this time around. They are one of the biggest indie record stores in the country, and are incredibly active in Record Store Day. The news that they might go out of business has put me in an introspective place. I've found myself thinking back on my journey into the world of vinyl records.




I was a senior in high school when I discovered High Fidelity audio for the first time. It was like someone had opened my ears, every time I put a new disc on, it was like I was listening to it for the first time. Even the cheap stereo system that I started with sounded much better than anything I'd been exposed to before. I was astounded by how much better music was supposed to sound.

I started collecting records instantly. As a child of the 90s, I didn't know what I was doing. I had to learn everything starting at the beginning, from how to hold a record through what to look for in audio gear. It wasn't easy to learn, but I met some interesting people, didn't make too many mistakes, and ended up with a great system and a great collection (without spending an arm and a leg.)

Today, I have two stereo systems. One is very nice, and mostly vintage:  with a beautiful Stromberg-Carolson tube amp, some Dynaco A25 speakers, and an Acoustic Research turn-table. It sits in my living room, with the majority of my records. The other is far more modest: an Audio Technica PL-60 turntable (the cheapest table that I still feel comfortable calling Hi-Fi) running through a pair of powered studio monitors by M-Audio. It sits in my office, so that I can spin some wax while I work. In addition to these two systems, I have about 1000 albums. I've got so many that storage is starting to be a problem.

The video featured above is the official music video for a song that was released on a rather unique 7" vinyl single by Jack White's 3rd Man Records. It is unique because it is "3-sided." The a-side is a spoken word piece called Fame #9. The b-side consists of two mono tracks pressed on top of each other in a stereo groove. One speaker plays the song featured above, the other speaker plays an interview between Fallon and White. Most Hi-Fi systems include the ability to play one channel at a time, so that you can actually listen to this unique configuration.

The song is a take on John Lennon's 'God.' I love the imagery in the words. Full lyrics included at the end of the post.

I chose to include this song along with this post because it sums up, more or less, how I feel about music, today. BP Fallon is an irish DJ. He worked at Apple Records, he promoted for Zeppelin, and U2, and god knows who else. He isn't a musician. He isn't a vocalist. He wrote a simple song and Jack White made it famous.

I purchased this single from Criminal Records shortly after it came out. I've always associated it with Criminal. 

Song: 

BP Fallon 'I Believe In Elvis Presley' 

Produced by Jack White III

BP Fallon: Vocals

Jack White: Guitars

Patrick Keeler: Drums

Society Red: Bass, Guitars

Taken from the release on Third Man Records TMR 022

I Believe in Elvis Presley
I believe in Jerry Lee
I believe Dr Winston
I believe in you and me

I believe in Lewis CarrollI believe in vinyl records

I believe in Oscar Wilde
I believe in Muddy Waters
I believe in Jackson 5

I believe in Charlie Chaplin
I believe in MLK
I believe in what is happening
I believe in come what may

I'm not against a little darkness
I'm not against a little sin
As long as no-one gets hurt
Or lets the devil in
So maybe he came to the crossroads
Or maybe it's a racist lie
Saying no black man could be so brilliant
Without the devil getting his soul when he dies

I believe in vinyl records
I believe in mp3
I believe in Tutti Frutti
I believe in RnB

I believe in psychedelics
I believe in LSD
I believe in marijuana
I believe in you and me

These are times when it feels we live in fiction
And what we still believe in is several truths apart
And all we've got to go by is our worshipping of icons
And God - or is it Elvis? - singing 'How Great Thou Art'

I believe in Elvis Presley
I believe in Jerry Lee
I believe in who you are girl
I believe in you and me

I Believe in Vinyl Records: Confessions of a budding audiophile

Confessions of a Budding audiophile is a weekly feature on Geeky Through The Ages that examines Hi-Fi gear, vinyl records, and music in general. I'm a bit of an audio geek, and I'm looking forward to sharing that with you.  

I Believe in Elvis Presley by BP Fallon, Produced by Jack White and Third Man Records. 

This post is inspired by a trip that I took to a local record store. Digging through the crates at an indie record store, or even a local antique store, is something I recommend everyone does at least once a month. I bought two albums (Keep on Your Mean side by The Kills and  Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle by Bill Callahan, full reviews to follow) on vinyl, and resisted the urge to spend a lot more money. 

The particular record store that I visited today, Criminal Records in L5P, might go out of business at the end of next month. They are fighting fairly hard to stay alive, but it is far from certain if they will be successful.  If you are in the Atlanta area, I highly recommend stopping by and giving them some patronage. They sell Vinyl, CDs, Magazines, Comic Books, and a ton of other things.  In all honesty, the employees are a bit rude, but it's a bit of a cultural icon in the area and a great place to find music. 

Criminal is one of the few indie record stores in the state that still stocks a large supply of new vinyl records. Their selection is hand picked by the staff, and tends to cater toward their own obscure tastes, but there are always a lot of new and vintage records for sale.

Criminal is far from the only record store in town, (they aren't even my favorites) but they are the only one that I could afford to visit this time around. They are one of the biggest indie record stores in the country, and are incredibly active in Record Store Day. The news that they might go out of business has put me in an introspective place. I've found myself thinking back on my journey into the world of vinyl records.

Vintage airship sketches

Steampunks, man your airships!

Both of these images were sourced from various wikipedia articles about airships and lighter than air travel. They are all public domain images. The top image is a technical drawing from an early 20th century encyclopedia.  The bottom image, from the 1600s, depicts a theoretical "Vacuum Baloon." If the spheres were weightless and completely empty they would be 14% lighter than a helium balloon of the same size.

The dirigeable developped by Dupuy de Lome, in 1872. 1870s picture.

from the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1890-1907

Vintage airship sketches

Steampunks, man your airships!

Both of these images were sourced from various wikipedia articles about airships and lighter than air travel. They are all public domain images. The top image is a technical drawing from an early 20th century encyclopedia.  The bottom image, from the 1600s, depicts a theoretical "Vacuum Baloon." If the spheres were weightless and completely empty they would be 14% lighter than a helium balloon of the same size.

The dirigeable developped by Dupuy de Lome, in 1872. 1870s picture.

from the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1890-1907

Vintage computers and technology in Toronto

I'm going to be in and out fairly quickly today. I don't have anything of substance to add, but I thought it was too cool not to share.


For more images of vintage computers, and a great little bit of information about Toronto's computing history, check the link.

http://www.blogto.com/tech/2011/09/vintage_computers_and_technology_in_toronto/

Vintage computers and technology in Toronto

I'm going to be in and out fairly quickly today. I don't have anything of substance to add, but I thought it was too cool not to share.


For more images of vintage computers, and a great little bit of information about Toronto's computing history, check the link.

http://www.blogto.com/tech/2011/09/vintage_computers_and_technology_in_toronto/

Charles Babbage and the Analytically Engine

Good News Everyone! 

The first general purpose programmable computer was designed in 1837 by Charles Babbage, but was never constructed. Babbage's Analytical Engine would have been an entirely mechancial monstrosity that predates it's first electromechanical counterpart by more than 100 years. Babbage's brainchild was, sadly, never to be built. 

The incomplete "Analytical Engine Mill" 

The plans, notes, and tests that Babbage constructed in his lifetime have been on display with the London Science Museum since the early 1900s. In 2010 a group of individuals started to raise funds and attempt to gain access to Babbage's notes with the intent of building their own Analytical engine. Today they announced a great step along the way to the completion of that goal: The London Science Museum has agreed to digitize the Babbage archives, giving access to the Analytical Engine team first, and then to expanding digital access to the general public sometime in 2012. 

Steampunks Rejoice! Soon you will be able to marvel at a mechanical machine that can compute the product of two 20 digit numbers in only 3 minutes, and without the use of electricity. 

Link

Charles Babbage and the Analytically Engine

Good News Everyone! 

The first general purpose programmable computer was designed in 1837 by Charles Babbage, but was never constructed. Babbage's Analytical Engine would have been an entirely mechancial monstrosity that predates it's first electromechanical counterpart by more than 100 years. Babbage's brainchild was, sadly, never to be built. 

The incomplete "Analytical Engine Mill" 

The plans, notes, and tests that Babbage constructed in his lifetime have been on display with the London Science Museum since the early 1900s. In 2010 a group of individuals started to raise funds and attempt to gain access to Babbage's notes with the intent of building their own Analytical engine. Today they announced a great step along the way to the completion of that goal: The London Science Museum has agreed to digitize the Babbage archives, giving access to the Analytical Engine team first, and then to expanding digital access to the general public sometime in 2012. 

Steampunks Rejoice! Soon you will be able to marvel at a mechanical machine that can compute the product of two 20 digit numbers in only 3 minutes, and without the use of electricity. 

Link

BYTE Magazine covers the 2nd west coast computer fair (1978)

Modern Mechanix has uploaded an article from BYTE magazine, covering the second west coast computer fair in 1978, well worth a peek. 

Key points include the new 5 and 1/4 inch "minifloppy" from Apple, pictured above. 

Link via Boingboing

BYTE Magazine covers the 2nd west coast computer fair (1978)

Modern Mechanix has uploaded an article from BYTE magazine, covering the second west coast computer fair in 1978, well worth a peek. 

Key points include the new 5 and 1/4 inch "minifloppy" from Apple, pictured above. 

Link via Boingboing

The Dawn of Modern Computing: NLS and Douglas Engelbart

Douglas Engelbart, the first mouse, and an early chorded keyboard.

Everyone seems to have their own idea of which machine deserves the title of the first "modern" computer.  Some people point toward the first Apple Macintosh, others towards the IBM PC, the Apple Lisa, the Commodore Amiga,  the Xerox Parc, and so forth, and, while each of these machines undoubtedly played a major role in shaping computers as they are today, none of them is really the first modern computer. They all share a common ancestor that pioneered nearly all of the concepts that are associated with modern computers, NLS (oN Line System), a networked computing platform originally implemented in the 1960s.

Some firsts associated with this pioneering system include:

the computer mouse 2-dimensional display editing in-file object addressing, linking hypermedia outline processing flexible view control multiple windows cross-file editing integrated hypermedia email hypermedia publishing (Hypertext and links)  document version control shared-screen teleconferencing

computer-aided meetings formatting directives context-sensitive help distributed client-server architecture uniform command syntax universal "user interface" front-end module multi-tool integration grammar-driven command language interpreter protocols for virtual terminals remote procedure call protocols compilable "Command Meta Language" The Chorded Keyboard

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates made no secret about the number of ideas that they borrowed (or perhaps stole is the appropriate term) from the Xerox Parc, and much has been written on the subject. What seems to be ignored is that nearly every concept that made the Parc (a machine of 1973) so revolutionary has it's roots in a system that existed as early as 1966. In fact, the only truly original feat it can claim is that it was the first machine that was designed to be easy to use and easy to learn to use, rather than simply efficient. Without the strides made by a small team of researchers at SRI, led by Douglas Engelbart, on a system known as NLS (oN Line System), the Xerox Parc, and by extension MacOS, MS Windows, and most other 'modern' software could have never existed.

After the jump, we've got a video of the system in action.

It is tempting to assume that Engelbart and his team are little more than historical footnotes without any real, direct influence on the development of the PC. To make that assumption you would have to ignore the fact that several of his team members went on to work with Xerox to create the PARC. They wanted to make a machine that had all of the high points of the NLS, without it's limitations and steep learning curve. 

The original mouse

Plus, they invented the mouse. They called it a "bug" instead of a "mouse", but they were responsible for it's inception. That alone makes them, and the system that they built, worthy of memory. 

Some of the things that were capable on NLS systems in the 1960s, have only recently become a reality on modern personal computers. Collaborative document editing, for example, was all but completely unheard of until the launch of cloud based office suites such as Google Docs. 

As of 2005 only one NLS machine was left in existence. The Computer History Museum, working in collaboration with Engelbart set out to clone this system for the preservation of the history it represents. There have been no updates from this project since 2007. In the mean time, the only real glimpse we have into how the system worked is a film made of the system operating in 1968. This film demonstrates some truly remarkable firsts. Often referred to as "The Mother of all Demos", the film is included in it's entirety bellow. 

Doug Engelbart 1968 Demonstration on Vimeo.

For more information on Douglas Engelbart and NLS check out some of the following links:

http://dougengelbart.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Engelbart

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NLS_(computer_system)

http://memoryfailure.net/portfolio/nls.html

http://www.livinginternet.com/w/wi_engelbart.htm

The Dawn of Modern Computing: NLS and Douglas Engelbart

Douglas Engelbart, the first mouse, and an early chorded keyboard.

Everyone seems to have their own idea of which machine deserves the title of the first "modern" computer.  Some people point toward the first Apple Macintosh, others towards the IBM PC, the Apple Lisa, the Commodore Amiga,  the Xerox Parc, and so forth, and, while each of these machines undoubtedly played a major role in shaping computers as they are today, none of them is really the first modern computer. They all share a common ancestor that pioneered nearly all of the concepts that are associated with modern computers, NLS (oN Line System), a networked computing platform originally implemented in the 1960s.

Some firsts associated with this pioneering system include:

the computer mouse 2-dimensional display editing in-file object addressing, linking hypermedia outline processing flexible view control multiple windows cross-file editing integrated hypermedia email hypermedia publishing (Hypertext and links)  document version control shared-screen teleconferencing

computer-aided meetings formatting directives context-sensitive help distributed client-server architecture uniform command syntax universal "user interface" front-end module multi-tool integration grammar-driven command language interpreter protocols for virtual terminals remote procedure call protocols compilable "Command Meta Language" The Chorded Keyboard

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates made no secret about the number of ideas that they borrowed (or perhaps stole is the appropriate term) from the Xerox Parc, and much has been written on the subject. What seems to be ignored is that nearly every concept that made the Parc (a machine of 1973) so revolutionary has it's roots in a system that existed as early as 1966. In fact, the only truly original feat it can claim is that it was the first machine that was designed to be easy to use and easy to learn to use, rather than simply efficient. Without the strides made by a small team of researchers at SRI, led by Douglas Engelbart, on a system known as NLS (oN Line System), the Xerox Parc, and by extension MacOS, MS Windows, and most other 'modern' software could have never existed.

After the jump, we've got a video of the system in action.

Introductions are in order

Photo by Flikr user Shordzi. Licensed CC-BY-SA. http://www.flickr.com/photos/shordzi/

Let us forget, for a moment, that the year is 2011. Let us further forget that, in all likelihood, neither I (the author) nor you (the reader) are persons of great consequence, though I concede that it is entirely possible that we are. Let us forget that we may be separated in both space and time by what seem to be insurmountable distances. 

For now, in this moment, let us only remember the things that tie us together. You are here because, weather you believe it or not, you and I have a common bond. We are nerds, geeks, technophiles. Further, we have a particular, peculiar, historical bent to our passions and obsessions. We are here to ensure that the technologies of our past are rediscovered and remembered by the generations of our future. We are comrades, kindred spirits. 

Join us. 

Join us as we explore the technologies of our fathers, and their fathers. Join us as we explore the technologies of our childhoods. Join us as we explore the technologies that never were, the machines that could have been.  Let us explore yesterday's cutting edge, and steal a glimpse into the technologies that the march of progress has deemed obsolete.

Obsolete! 

What a word. What a vile, despicable word. It's a word dreamed up by marketing departments and corporate executives to ensure the ever marching status quo. Let us rally against obsolescence. 

We do not claim to be historians, experts, or teachers. We have no great and noble purpose, beyond illustrating a past that is so quickly forgotten. Think of us as storytellers, as raconteurs. It is my hope that together we may journey through the technologies of our past and achieve an understanding strong enough to shape the technological progress of our future. 

We are here to share our love of technology, typewriters, telegraphs, turntables, oxford commas, and even things that don't start with the letter 't' and have nothing to do with grammar (such as vintage computers, photography, electric cars, cassette tapes, and a plethora of other symbols of geekdom.) 

Prop your feet up and stay a while.

Submissions welcome

Introductions are in order

Photo by Flikr user Shordzi. Licensed CC-BY-SA. http://www.flickr.com/photos/shordzi/

Let us forget, for a moment, that the year is 2011. Let us further forget that, in all likelihood, neither I (the author) nor you (the reader) are persons of great consequence, though I concede that it is entirely possible that we are. Let us forget that we may be separated in both space and time by what seem to be insurmountable distances. 

For now, in this moment, let us only remember the things that tie us together. You are here because, weather you believe it or not, you and I have a common bond. We are nerds, geeks, technophiles. Further, we have a particular, peculiar, historical bent to our passions and obsessions. We are here to ensure that the technologies of our past are rediscovered and remembered by the generations of our future. We are comrades, kindred spirits. 

Join us. 

Join us as we explore the technologies of our fathers, and their fathers. Join us as we explore the technologies of our childhoods. Join us as we explore the technologies that never were, the machines that could have been.  Let us explore yesterday's cutting edge, and steal a glimpse into the technologies that the march of progress has deemed obsolete.

Obsolete! 

What a word. What a vile, despicable word. It's a word dreamed up by marketing departments and corporate executives to ensure the ever marching status quo. Let us rally against obsolescence. 

We do not claim to be historians, experts, or teachers. We have no great and noble purpose, beyond illustrating a past that is so quickly forgotten. Think of us as storytellers, as raconteurs. It is my hope that together we may journey through the technologies of our past and achieve an understanding strong enough to shape the technological progress of our future. 

We are here to share our love of technology, typewriters, telegraphs, turntables, oxford commas, and even things that don't start with the letter 't' and have nothing to do with grammar (such as vintage computers, photography, electric cars, cassette tapes, and a plethora of other symbols of geekdom.) 

Prop your feet up and stay a while.

Submissions welcome

All on Paper (old news?)

In a stunning and, if I may say, terribly interesting move College journalists from Florida Atlantic University have produced an entire issue of their newspaper the 'old fashioned' way.

The whole thing has a very Don Drapper/Mad Men feel to it, which is  a Good Thing.

They typed on typewriters, took photos on film (which they developed in house), cut and pasted with scissors and glue, and made plates by hand.

I can't tell if they are crazy or brilliant. I want to try it. (Hit the link for the full story.)

Part one: http://journoterrorist.com/2011/07/26/paperball/
Part two: http://journoterrorist.com/2011/08/02/paperball2/
Read the issue yourself: http://issuu.com/upress/docs/up1234-2 


Be sure to read through the comments for some interesting and useful contributions. (Like this gem, the same thing as it was done 'back in the day.')