When TVs were first invented, nobody could afford one. Small towns all over the US installed large cabinets outside of every town hall with the biggest CRT screens they could afford in them, which was only about 9” at the time.
People would crowd around them to watch the news every night.
Sometimes they’d do movie nights where they would put up giant curved mirrors to make the picture much bigger, and they’d put up big loudspeakers for the audio. Only problem is that everything would be backwards, so they couldn’t watch movies with subtitles.
Eventually TVs became cheap enough to get in the home, but this was pretty inexpensive entertainment for people, especially during the Great Depression. People would even try to earn a few $ by selling homemade treats during the movie nights.
Back in the old days all subtitles were actually written by humans. TV studios would have huge rooms full of transcriptionists who typed all the subtitles in real time, for every show, on big mechanical keyboards. It’s kind of remarkable they could hear anything over how loud those keyboards were. Eventually Big Stenography started snapping up all the transcriptionist talent so the networks switched to AI transcription, which is why today’s subtitles don’t have the same warmth or depth that classic subtitles have.
That’s a premium piece of tech. A Simmons TCR signal isolator, with mechanical switches. Been decades since I saw one. The new SDRs are technically more efficient, but you could dial this baby in so much better than the autoisolators we work with now. Of course external signal gates are a thing so focusing isn’t really an issue anymore, but damn do I miss spending half an hour hunting for that perfect shade of orange.
I miss the VXJunkies subreddit. Is there an equivalent here?
That’s the oft-overlooked TRS-66 Micro Computer System. One of the first home computers to feature coloured blinky lights; prior to that, home computers were limited to using standard E26 bulbs.
Before we had digital filesystems our ancestors had to use analog filesystems. This one has an analog “browser” called a CRT built into the top of the cabinet, so users could browse their files on the go. It may seem quaint now but it was all the rage back when it came out.
They keep these in hospital rooms and some obscure roadsides for when people need to be walked through moving jizzsm from your body to a drawer for safe keeping and later consumption.
PieFed.World
negativenull
Share on Mastodon
Share on Reddit
Share on WhatsApp
Jeffrey Combs
Prototype Sony WatchMan
You beat me to it. Take my upvote!
Is it an espresso machine?
When TVs were first invented, nobody could afford one. Small towns all over the US installed large cabinets outside of every town hall with the biggest CRT screens they could afford in them, which was only about 9” at the time.
People would crowd around them to watch the news every night.
Sometimes they’d do movie nights where they would put up giant curved mirrors to make the picture much bigger, and they’d put up big loudspeakers for the audio. Only problem is that everything would be backwards, so they couldn’t watch movies with subtitles.
Eventually TVs became cheap enough to get in the home, but this was pretty inexpensive entertainment for people, especially during the Great Depression. People would even try to earn a few $ by selling homemade treats during the movie nights.
Back in the old days all subtitles were actually written by humans. TV studios would have huge rooms full of transcriptionists who typed all the subtitles in real time, for every show, on big mechanical keyboards. It’s kind of remarkable they could hear anything over how loud those keyboards were. Eventually Big Stenography started snapping up all the transcriptionist talent so the networks switched to AI transcription, which is why today’s subtitles don’t have the same warmth or depth that classic subtitles have.
The Crushinator
That’s an old iphone from the 80s.
That’s a premium piece of tech. A Simmons TCR signal isolator, with mechanical switches. Been decades since I saw one. The new SDRs are technically more efficient, but you could dial this baby in so much better than the autoisolators we work with now. Of course external signal gates are a thing so focusing isn’t really an issue anymore, but damn do I miss spending half an hour hunting for that perfect shade of orange.
I miss the VXJunkies subreddit. Is there an equivalent here?
A Dalek with an office job.
That’s the first costume/makeup pass for Brent Spiner.
Original Model Janet from the Beta version of The Good Place.
That’s a console TV on top of the dresser
This is a vintage prototype for a two bay airfryer
Grandma keeps the Atari in the drawers.
R2/D2s father
That’s the oft-overlooked TRS-66 Micro Computer System. One of the first home computers to feature coloured blinky lights; prior to that, home computers were limited to using standard E26 bulbs.
It’s a Comscanner from The Orville
A vintage oscilloscope in its original wrought iron casing. The drawers are for storing solder, probes, and electrolyte syringes.
This is a old filing cabinet with a screen for indexing.
I just love the awful tan fabric speaker cover. Couldn’t go with a metal grate, which would’ve been more hi-tech?
It’s the machine that goes “BING”
Also downloads comics from the future and can boil an egg at thirty paces. You need to stay away from chickens… it’s not pretty when they blow
Steve Ballmer uploaded his consciousness to a filing cabinet?
Early smartphone
PipMan
It’s the machine that goes “PING!” From the maternity ward scene in the Monty Python movie Meaning of Life.
It’s a trash can from 1984.
This isn’t one of those old Kodak cameras where the picture instantly printed out?
The first prototype GameBoy, with drawers below the screen to hold the cartridges.
Pan-dimensional periscope.
It’s the chest of drawers from a dolls’ house. Someone’s put a TV on it presumably so they can watch in bed.
1980s hotel minibar
It’s the dolls house version of the HP 8920A RF Communications Test Set.
Deleted by moderator
I think it’s a TOS tricorder.
Before we had digital filesystems our ancestors had to use analog filesystems. This one has an analog “browser” called a CRT built into the top of the cabinet, so users could browse their files on the go. It may seem quaint now but it was all the rage back when it came out.
Ye olde Spank Deposit.
They keep these in hospital rooms and some obscure roadsides for when people need to be walked through moving jizzsm from your body to a drawer for safe keeping and later consumption.
its one of those drawers you can loot in arc raiders
The green cumulon
It’s the tricorder before the one in TOS
You’re all wrong! Fools!
Everyone knows it’s a Kirk era tricorder.