Post the very best in obsolete and failed technology

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redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

ChlamydiaJones posted:

Yeah, Capacitance Electronic Disk system, I had one and around 100 movies for it. I kept that drat thing working for years and years. I had to take it apart every 3 or 4 movies to adjust the bits that removed the disk from the carrier since they bent incredibly easily. Other than them being VERY temperamental they were INCREDIBLY HEAVY. One copier paper sized box of them would rip the bottom out of the box if it wasn't reinforced with duct tape. They produced a VERY nice quality picture and the sound was great as well. Also if the disk got scratched or the player got bumped it would skip in audio AND video which was a fairly cool effect!

The best disk that I had though was "Urgh! a music war" which didn't even make it to youtube until like 5 years ago. ALL of the VHS copies were pirated from the CED due to problems with licensing and copyright since the movie was exclusively released to CED (which then failed). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urgh!_A_Music_War . Also neither the LPs nor the DVD release in 2006 include Invisible Sex � "Valium" so the ONLY place you can find that one is pirated from CED. THAT disk I cleaned up and still have along with

First, thanks for making me aware of Urgh!

Secondly, look at this thing:

There's an hour of video on there, per side. Considering that disc is supposed to be physically read with a stylus, and that disc rotates at 450 RPM (500 for PAL) and I for one consider it a minor miracle that the things even worked to begin with.

# ¿ Jul 13, 2012 19:34

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# ¿ May 6, 2024 09:42

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

Mister Snips posted:

Even though touchscreen keyboards are actually completely fine and easy to use, stylus keyboards and writing recognition are awful.

But UI design on palm and windows mobile literally did not change at all. Ever. They were the best on the market so why improve? And when apple kicked their asses into gear in 2007 nobody actually wanted to invest money in a real competetor because "haha how can apple compete with us" and welp long story short that's how webos died and how android is A Thing

the palm centro came out three months after the iphone did

I never owned one but I did a bit of QA on those before they came out. They feel much cheaper than they look (the stylus in particular feels like it's going to snap in your hand at any second).

# ¿ Jul 15, 2012 22:22

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

Lankster NZ posted:

Back to old school Mp3 player chat for a minute.

I bought this baby here, the iRiver HP-140, way back in 2003 (approaching our 10 year anniversary )and I still use it pretty much daily running RockBox firmware.

She's been the jukebox for many a party, affectionately known as "The Brick" by all who witness her delightful bulk. She's been dropped countless times and although the remote crapped out years ago the player itself is still going strong.

I was also one of those "but it's so much better than an ipod" guys, but in this case the was definitely justified in my books.

The only thing making me want to upgrade to something newer is that 40gb just isn't cutting it for my music collection anymore.

You call that a brick? Here's a brick:

I had that. On the pro side, it sounded great and the built-in FM transmitter worked like a charm. On the other hand, it was kind of temperamental and, well, just look at that thing.

# ¿ Aug 3, 2012 04:36

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

Trebek posted:

[quote="Datasmurf" post="406993696"]
/quote]

I'll nominate "bass boost" as an obselete technology. Everything had them, no one had idea what they did. Come on IPhone, where da BASS BOOST!?

I'd agree, except there's actually a bass boost option for headphones in Windows 7.

# ¿ Aug 29, 2012 20:05

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

iamathousandapples posted:

How about Reliant Robins anyone? I know they're not in the scrap heap(yet) but soon. I just found out about them and they're absolutely adorable

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bIn_ZgHJaE

Is that an orchestral version of Torgo's Theme at 53 seconds in?

# ¿ Sep 5, 2012 17:21

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

Thulsa Doom posted:

If you (or anyone else) ever pulls it off, be careful. Those old tubes have capacitors in them that can kill you even if they're not plugged in.

The tube IS a capacitor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_4qc9Jyt5A

# ¿ Sep 16, 2012 21:20

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

Parallel Paraplegic posted:

In the 7 series they made a note to actually laser-cut the pipelines so there was no way to turn them back on, though

Weren't there some graphics cards you could upgrade by re-drawing in the traces with a #2 pencil?

# ¿ Sep 19, 2012 17:32

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

Checks suck, and anyone who requires a check will without exception also accept a money order. The big advantage is that when you buy a money order, that money is out of your account then and there; instead of leaving whenever they take their sweet-rear end time cashing the fucker, and denying your bank the chance to eat another slice of your rear end with an overdraft or bounce.

But really, who loving cares? This ain't the thread for it. gently caress you, have a Sapphire Ball Stylus:

The big advantage of the Pathephone Sapphire Ball needle over a regular phonograph needle is that the ball slides through the groove rather than scratching. Or something, here's an old ad for it

At the very least Pathephone made a drat fine gramophone:

# ¿ Sep 30, 2012 21:09

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

gently caress CHECKS, EAT ENIAC

# ¿ Sep 30, 2012 21:13

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

Jedit posted:

What effort? It's the payer who has to make the effort to set up a standing order. All a landlord would have to do is look at his bank statement once a month to make sure it went through, and if he's not doing that anyway then he's a goddamn imbecile.

Desert Bus posted:

Is this a device for tobacco smoke enemas?

Yes, and it can also be used to blow the smoke from voided checks up your rear end

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

# ¿ Sep 30, 2012 21:32

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

chizad posted:

Going back to bank/check chat, I'm 30 and while they were never my primary payment method, I've written a fair amount of checks. Although to be fair, most of those were rent checks. The apartment I lived in at college didn't have any sort of online payment/bank transfer setup, and after college one of my friends bought a house and I moved in with him. We probably could have set up some kind of electronic system (even if it was through something like PayPal), but it was easy enough for me to just cut him a check once a month. The apartment I live in now didn't have any kind of online payment (or even automatic debit) when I first moved in, but they added it a few months later. Automatic debit is free, but paying online does have like a $30 convenience charge.

Also, another place I haven't seen anyone mention that checks are still common/required here in the US (or at least Missouri) is the government. Looking back through my current checkbook, as recently as late 2009/early 2010 I had to write checks to pay my personal property tax and sales tax/plates/registration for my car. Personal property tax you could pay online with a CC, but there was a surcharge (I mean, convenience fee) of a few percent), and if you missed the deadline you had to pay in person since they shut down the online system on 1/1 every year. I live in Kansas now, so I'm not sure if things are any different in MO on the DMV front.

Eben Grumpy of Iowa was a little slow in paying John Sputter $30 he owed him. Sputter threatened to sue, so Grumpy painted a check on a door and dropped it on him from a third-story window next time he came over. A court ruled the door was legal payment.

I hope that happens to you.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2012 00:03

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

Jedit posted:

Bonking for money is starting to come in in the UK, but it's still not common.

And here I thought it was the world's oldest profession :confused:

# ¿ Oct 2, 2012 22:24

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

Dick Trauma posted:

I was offsite for work yesterday at a building that is over 80 years old. I've been there plenty of times over the last year and a half but while taking a shortcut encountered some awesome (and obsolete) technology.

This pipe looks like it melted.

Check out this awesome door. You're looking at the original instant messaging: pneumatic tube transport! You open it with the long handle which first lifts a small hatch to break the seal, and then the full door opens.

Put your message or other paperwork into a capsule, close it up, and drop it in here. When you close the door the pressure builds back up and sweeps the carrier to the collection point elsewhere in the building.

Here's a wall mount drop-point in a corridor.

This is a picture I found on the internet of what a collection point looks like. You can see a capsule on the counter as well.

EDIT: I looked up the name on the door and found Grover Brothers and Wood Company, founded in Detroit in 1915. If you can believe it the company still exists and still makes PTT, but now they're called TransLogic.

I really want for this to make a comeback, if only to make an interesting way to order food in offices and apartments. Burritos via tube!

# ¿ Oct 20, 2012 17:40

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

RC and Moon Pie posted:

Radium Springs was a very popular place to swim for years and one of Albany, Ga.'s ritzier sections, back when Albany had ritzy sections.

Swimming is not allowed now, but it's because the water is too dirty. Guess the radium content is too minute to do anything.

And then, these:

Man, I bet things were really terrible until they figured out how to make a condom without any seams.

# ¿ Oct 28, 2012 20:13

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

That steamstick looks pretty good except for the goddamn loving useless gears

MadScientistWorking posted:

Actually its a problem endemic to a lot of film stock because if I remember correctly the next technological development in film stock still degraded but wasn't actually explosive.

That would be cellulose acetate film. Wiki:

quote:

Decay and the "vinegar syndrome"

The first instance of cellulose triacetate degradation was reported to the Eastman Kodak Company within a decade of its introduction in 1948. The first report came from the Government of India, whose film was stored in hot, humid conditions. It was followed by further reports of degradation from collections stored in similar conditions. These observations resulted in continuing studies in the Kodak laboratories during the 1960s.
Beginning in the 1980s, there was a great deal of focus upon film stability following frequent reports of cellulose triacetate degradation. This material releases acetic acid, the key ingredient in vinegar and responsible for its acidic smell. The problem became known as the "vinegar syndrome."[3]
[edit]The progression of degradation
In acetate film, acetyl (CH3CO) groups are attached to long molecular chains of cellulose. With exposure to moisture, heat, or acids, these acetyl groups break from their molecular bonds and acetic acid is released.[4] While the acid is initially released inside the plastic, it gradually diffuses to the surface, causing a characteristic vinegary smell.
The decay process follows this pattern:
Acetic acid is released during the initial acetate base deterioration, leading to the characteristic vinegar odor. This signal marks the progression of deterioration.
The plastic film base becomes brittle. This occurs in the advanced stages of deterioration, weakening the film and causing it to shatter with the slightest tension. These physical changes happen because cellulose acetate consists of long chains of repeating units, or polymers. When the acetic acid is released as these groups break off, the acidic environment helps to break the links between units, shortening the polymer chains and leading to brittleness.
Shrinkage also occurs during this process. With the cellulose acetate polymer chains breaking into smaller pieces, and with their side groups splitting off, the plastic film begins to shrink. In advanced stages of deterioration, shrinkage can be as much as 10%.
As the acetate base shrinks, the gelatin emulsion of the film does not shrink, because it is not undergoing deterioration. The emulsion and film base separate, causing buckling, referred to by archivists as 'channelling.' Sheet films are often severely channelled in the later stages of degradation.
Crystalline deposits or liquid-filled bubbles appear on the emulsion. These are evidence of plasticizers, additives to the plastic base, becoming incompatible with the film base and oozing out on the surface. This discharge of plasticizers is a sign of advanced degradation.
In some cases, pink or blue colors appear in some sheet films. This is caused by antihalation dyes, which are normally colorless and incorporated into the gelatin layer. When acetic acid is formed during deterioration, the acidic environment causes the dyes to return to their original pink or blue color.

# ¿ Nov 26, 2012 00:57

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

Jibo posted:

I remember being really upset when this was cut because I really wanted to run around and shoot people as my butt. Ah youth.

Wasn't this supposed to be used in another game as well? I want to say Majora's Mask but I don't really remember.

This is WAY earlier than Majora's Mask (1983) but here's Journey: The Arcade Game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3BDXlMtyUo

Yes, THAT Journey. The original idea was the cabinet would have a camera on it and you would be playing as yourself. Sometime in testing, the inevitable happened and one of the testers took a picture of his balls. Incidentally, that wasn't even the first official Journey licensed video game; there was Journey Escape for the Atari 2600 two years prior.

# ¿ Dec 4, 2012 20:49

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# ¿ May 6, 2024 09:42

redmercer: Sep 15, 2011; by Fistgrrl

Phanatic posted:

If by "perfected" you mean "they modulated a beep to make it sound like something other than a beep," yeah. Even at its cleverest (Like in "Space Hulk,") it still sounded a lot like modem handshaking:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Space_Hulk_briefing.ogg

Are you sure you linked to the right file, there? I'd be flat-out amazed if I heard that come out of a PC speaker. I can't find it, but the PC speaker intro to The Crescent Hawks' Revenge sounds a lot more what you'd expect a tortured beeper to sound like

# ¿ Dec 17, 2012 19:29

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