Fossil Thoughts

**Baxter** · 03-08-2021 13:45

I go to dinner in a pub sometimes and i look around to see almost everyone using their phones. Thumbs moving like crazy and phubbing to the nth degree the users ignore any semblance of polite conversation and it reminds me of what passed for "real" communication of yesterday.

Back in the 60's and 70's I was a Telegraphist in our Australian PMG (Postmaster Generals Department) and we used to use all weird and wonderful machines that pre-dated mobile phones etc. Does anyone remember those TRESS tape machines. I used to sit at one one and type away like crazy for my entire shift hour after hour on those things. We had no nice screens in front of us to see what we typed, we just sensed when we mis hit a letter and back spaced and erased it and then typed in the correct letter. The tape coiled towards the floor and then up into a transmitter where the pin wheel picked up the small holes and dragged it through the transmitter. We REALLY had to whack those keys seeing as it was electro mechanical and needed to punch holes in the tape unlike a computer keyboard of today with soft touch typing.

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Were we better off then or now? What do you guys think?

**Stumptonian** · 03-08-2021 14:09

My first job after I finished high school was at a stock brokerage.
The operators in the 'Wire Room' were amazing in their ability to read these tapes and, like you said, knew instinctively where they had made a mistake and how to fix it.

Since they were transmitting confirming information regarding stock purchases across Canada it was kind of important that their transmissions were accurate.

**Flying Helmut** · 03-08-2021 14:11

I still have reels of superficially similar "ticker-tape" from my father's engineering firm open days.

**gully_raker** · 03-08-2021 16:02

Must admit I had never seen anything like that before.
My only knowledge was of Morse Code & the old hand operated Monroe Adding/calculating machines from the 1950's & an Abacus!

**Jager** · 03-09-2021 09:31

My first computer use in college was with a paper tape storage. I thought it was a rather step down from the punchcards we used in High School.
Karl

**Hedeby** · 03-09-2021 09:52

Always struggled to find somewhere to plug my slate in...

**flash** · 03-09-2021 10:25

Originally Posted by Baxter

..Were we better off then or now? What do you guys think?

Probably better off then before all the 'tards & f'wits began communicating and believing whatever they see on twatter and such... there should be a test or something before you're allowed on.

**Dan-Sam** · 03-09-2021 11:40

Originally Posted by Baxter

...
Back in the 60's and 70's I was a Telegraphist in our Australian PMG...
...

I am far to be such experienced, but I am curious, Gary, how many characters in a minute? I know there were three classes for soldiers: for 60/min, 90/min and 120/min. One of my colleagues was awarded with the 1^st class for 120/min and told me he was more listening a music of telegraph than short and long signals.

**Windy Jack** · 03-09-2021 15:33

Originally Posted by Baxter

I go to dinner in a pub sometimes and i look around to see almost everyone using their phones. Thumbs moving like crazy and phubbing to the nth degree the users ignore any semblance of polite conversation and it reminds me of what passed for "real" communication of yesterday.

Were we better off then or now? What do you guys think?

That's a big question! But, seeing that you were focusing on communications, so will I.

It is sad to see people sitting together, but with their attention on their mobiles, not on the people in the room with them. In the past, there was more likelihood of people actually noticing each other and talking together. However, there were still occasions where people sat in silence, maybe hastily shovelling food into their mouths.

We are better off now when it comes to distant communication. This Forum is a classic example. The obvious camaraderie and genuine concern between Forum members no matter what part of the world they are in is clear.

**Baxter** · 03-09-2021 18:07

Originally Posted by Dan-Sam

I am far to be such experienced, but I am curious, Gary, how many characters in a minute? I know there were three classes for soldiers: for 60/min, 90/min and 120/min. One of my colleagues was awarded with the 1^st class for 120/min and told me he was more listening a music of telegraph than short and long signals.

History is interesting! If I remember rightly the transmitter used to work at a constant 50wpm which meant most operators had to be typing at that or higher all the time unless they stopped the transmitter. (if you did that you could expect a visit from the supervisor pretty quickly too). Those rates you speak of, were they for morse code?

Also, we never used to really read what we typed either. It was character pattern recognition and it was just like music to us too as every character sounded slightly different when the key was struck.