Welcome! We're thrilled you've taken time out of your busy day to visit us here at the Museum of Obsolete Technology, what we affectionately call MOOT. Our tour will be starting in just a few moments, but as we wait for the last few folks to join us, a little history.
Yes, I know it looks like the back of my office. But as it got cleaned out in the midst of a stay-at-home order, a bevy of historical artifacts emerged. Most were relegated to the back corners not because they were broken, but because they had been superseded by newer equipment. And in fact, when dusted off and plugged in, most fired up almost immediately, providing a fascinating glimpse into what was the leading edge of hi tech at the time. Of course, today almost all of these items, originally bought at top dollar, have been reduced to an app on your phone. But it helps to remember from where it all came.
OK, let's begin. As we move past the bookshelf you will see our first display. Called "Hold Still and Smile!" this showcases some of the various photographic tools used over the past 20 years. First are several "Point and Shoot" cameras. Interesting fact: unlike today, when you just snap a shot and upload it to the world, taking a picture used to mean using these cameras and "film" to record the image, then sending that out to a laboratory to be "developed," a process which could take a week. Yes, it was as laborious as it sounds! Next we see a Single Lens Reflex, or SLR camera. While the "Point and Shoot" cameras were designed to take quick snapshots, serious photographers used SLR's with their customizable controls and interchangeable lenses to create better images. Note the size - hardly fits in your pocket - and yes, they weighed a lot! Finally we have a Polaroid Instant Camera, a device which took a 4" square picture, which it spit it out into your hand to develop in 60 seconds. Magic!
Our next exhibit, called "Playback," spotlights some of the various ways we used to watch video programs. Today of course we just punch up Netflix or YouTube and select from almost any program in existence. It wasn't always that way. Most homes used to have this first large box, called a VHS deck. This used "tape," which was a roll of magnetic recording material which could record and playback video programs. You could also buy or rent prerecorded tapes of popular movies to watch. Eventually, VHS tapes gave way to the next machine, a DVD player. Like VHS, you could buy or rent prerecorded DVD's with programs on them, and even record your own. Few people were able to program these machines, however, with the result that the clocks on the front usually just flashed 12:00PM forever.
Those were both for the home market. Professionals had an almost infinite variety of machines and formats available to them, all designed to provide higher quality. And so in "Roll Tape" you will see just a sample of the machines and tapes used. That first behemoth is a ¾" UMatic machine, so called because that was the width of the tape. Next to that are tapes for machines for BetaSP, DVCAM., Mini DV, Hi8, along with several variations of each. Like Apple and Android, though they all did the same thing, each was thought to be a better idea, and no, none were compatible with any other.
Those? Yes, I know they look like phones, but they're not. Called "Can I Have Your Number?" that exhibit features electronic address books. They replaced paper and pencil notebooks, and came in a variety of styles. There you see a Palm Pilot, a Visor, a Treo and a Zaurus. Each could record names, addresses and phone numbers, and some even had calendars built in as well. But you had to use a phone with a wire connected to make a call - no calling from your car!
Our next exhibit is called "Bigger than Your Pocket." Here we see the evolution of the what is now your Smartphone. First is a Kaypro Portable Computer. So called because it had a handle, it was the size of small suitcase and weighed just as much. Note its build-in 6" green-only screen, its detachable keyboard, and its two 8" "floppy disk drives," one for the "program," what we now call an app, the other for the content, in this case about 5 documents per disk. Next we see a "desktop" machine. While it is about the same size as the Kaypro, you had to add a screen, a keyboard and a mouse in order make it work. Faster and more powerful, it had a "disk drive" which functioned like a today's flash drives, but with a fraction of the capacity. These machines also took several minutes to start up: users back then had to have a lot of patience!
That's about all the time we have. If you are not in a rush, I highly recommend a side trip to the Annex, which is located in the storeroom under the stairs in the basement, for our exhibit called "Turn It Up!" It features various ways we used to listen to music, including amplifiers and giant speakers. You'll see different ways of recording and playing back music using magnetic tape on giant open reels, as well as a miniature version you could carry with you called a "cassette." I don't want to give away all the surprises, but it also features a display showing how music was coded onto large plastic disks which were read by placing them on a "turntable" and putting a "needle" on them. It's mind boggling!
As you exit, don't forgot stop in the gift shop and get your free souvenir, a blank DVD. They are on the spindles by the door, and make great coasters. Thanks for visiting us here at MOOT, the Museum of Obsolete Technology!
Oh, and please close the door on your way out.
-END-
Marc Wollin of Bedford had lots of stuff stashed away. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Yes, I know it looks like the back of my office. But as it got cleaned out in the midst of a stay-at-home order, a bevy of historical artifacts emerged. Most were relegated to the back corners not because they were broken, but because they had been superseded by newer equipment. And in fact, when dusted off and plugged in, most fired up almost immediately, providing a fascinating glimpse into what was the leading edge of hi tech at the time. Of course, today almost all of these items, originally bought at top dollar, have been reduced to an app on your phone. But it helps to remember from where it all came.
OK, let's begin. As we move past the bookshelf you will see our first display. Called "Hold Still and Smile!" this showcases some of the various photographic tools used over the past 20 years. First are several "Point and Shoot" cameras. Interesting fact: unlike today, when you just snap a shot and upload it to the world, taking a picture used to mean using these cameras and "film" to record the image, then sending that out to a laboratory to be "developed," a process which could take a week. Yes, it was as laborious as it sounds! Next we see a Single Lens Reflex, or SLR camera. While the "Point and Shoot" cameras were designed to take quick snapshots, serious photographers used SLR's with their customizable controls and interchangeable lenses to create better images. Note the size - hardly fits in your pocket - and yes, they weighed a lot! Finally we have a Polaroid Instant Camera, a device which took a 4" square picture, which it spit it out into your hand to develop in 60 seconds. Magic!
Our next exhibit, called "Playback," spotlights some of the various ways we used to watch video programs. Today of course we just punch up Netflix or YouTube and select from almost any program in existence. It wasn't always that way. Most homes used to have this first large box, called a VHS deck. This used "tape," which was a roll of magnetic recording material which could record and playback video programs. You could also buy or rent prerecorded tapes of popular movies to watch. Eventually, VHS tapes gave way to the next machine, a DVD player. Like VHS, you could buy or rent prerecorded DVD's with programs on them, and even record your own. Few people were able to program these machines, however, with the result that the clocks on the front usually just flashed 12:00PM forever.
Those were both for the home market. Professionals had an almost infinite variety of machines and formats available to them, all designed to provide higher quality. And so in "Roll Tape" you will see just a sample of the machines and tapes used. That first behemoth is a ¾" UMatic machine, so called because that was the width of the tape. Next to that are tapes for machines for BetaSP, DVCAM., Mini DV, Hi8, along with several variations of each. Like Apple and Android, though they all did the same thing, each was thought to be a better idea, and no, none were compatible with any other.
Those? Yes, I know they look like phones, but they're not. Called "Can I Have Your Number?" that exhibit features electronic address books. They replaced paper and pencil notebooks, and came in a variety of styles. There you see a Palm Pilot, a Visor, a Treo and a Zaurus. Each could record names, addresses and phone numbers, and some even had calendars built in as well. But you had to use a phone with a wire connected to make a call - no calling from your car!
Our next exhibit is called "Bigger than Your Pocket." Here we see the evolution of the what is now your Smartphone. First is a Kaypro Portable Computer. So called because it had a handle, it was the size of small suitcase and weighed just as much. Note its build-in 6" green-only screen, its detachable keyboard, and its two 8" "floppy disk drives," one for the "program," what we now call an app, the other for the content, in this case about 5 documents per disk. Next we see a "desktop" machine. While it is about the same size as the Kaypro, you had to add a screen, a keyboard and a mouse in order make it work. Faster and more powerful, it had a "disk drive" which functioned like a today's flash drives, but with a fraction of the capacity. These machines also took several minutes to start up: users back then had to have a lot of patience!
That's about all the time we have. If you are not in a rush, I highly recommend a side trip to the Annex, which is located in the storeroom under the stairs in the basement, for our exhibit called "Turn It Up!" It features various ways we used to listen to music, including amplifiers and giant speakers. You'll see different ways of recording and playing back music using magnetic tape on giant open reels, as well as a miniature version you could carry with you called a "cassette." I don't want to give away all the surprises, but it also features a display showing how music was coded onto large plastic disks which were read by placing them on a "turntable" and putting a "needle" on them. It's mind boggling!
As you exit, don't forgot stop in the gift shop and get your free souvenir, a blank DVD. They are on the spindles by the door, and make great coasters. Thanks for visiting us here at MOOT, the Museum of Obsolete Technology!
Oh, and please close the door on your way out.
-END-
Marc Wollin of Bedford had lots of stuff stashed away. His column appears regularly in The Record-Review, The Scarsdale Inquirer and online at http://www.glancingaskance.blogspot.com/, as well as via Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
2 comments:
I would like to donate my Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 100 portable computer to your collection. If interested. I can also supply a Tandy Portable Disc Drive (TPDD) along with 100 KB 3.5-inch single-sided double-density diskettes still in their original packaging. These are true collector items.
Classics! I'm ashamed to say i have even more stuff that didn't make it into the column. But you are not alone... numerous people have contacted me to offer everything from a Flip camera to 8mm film and more... we'll need to open a branch! thx for reading! M
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