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Generational Images

UR20Z said:
Whyforhowcome there's a rubber ducky instead of the indian?!?!?

Edit to add:
Trivia: Prior to the "turn on" of color TV, *EVERYTHING* but the indian on that card (Except for the "Please Stand By" that somebody has supered onto it) had a specific purpose. It was used to align the image on the tube in several ways, and even served to test whether the modulation of the signal was correct (the black bars would cause ringing/buzzing/whining in the audio section if the modulation was off, as well as their primary purpose of being places to take measurements (with a pair of calipers held against the screen) that would indicate if the image was set to the correct width)

Any problems with the image due to poor alignment of the TV set would show up as measurable distortions in the various circles and lines, and which one was distorted which way would tell a good TV tech what sections of the circuitry driving the picture tube was out of adjustment, and even give an idea of "which way" (too high or low of a setting) it was off, and by how much.

Once color TV became a real thing, the indian, which previously had been little more than an afterthought (though it was sometimes used as a quick-n-dirty "looks OK, hand it back to the customer"/"looks like something's hosed, tag it for further evaluation" indicator) the indian's headdress tested the color-burst signal.

Even the grey background was part of the testing. When certain parts of the drive circuitry were on the fritz, the grey would flicker, become black (or as black as a TV screen can display), or just plain vanish entirely.

Which was why it came to be called "The Test Pattern".

And now you know...

The Rest of the Story!
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The Duck might have been an addition by a joker, or it could have been a copyright issue....Its hard to know since the guys who designed all that crap are long gone from these shores. I used test patterns for a Sociology project 12 years ago, along with a written memoir of 1960....I was truly astonished at how few people had any kind of clue to the patterns OR my referents.

They're still testing, I reckon
 
Sony-Ericsson P910 from around 2002
Used in the 007 movie “Die another day “
Pressure sensitive screen. More features when the flap was opened.
Worked for years until one day it locked, no access possible. Some years later I found an explanation from a technician about how to do a total reset by a complicated series of button presses. So now it works in production settings, that is English and only the preinstalled aps. No update is possible anymore.
I have kept it to use in an emergency.
AD5DABED-A744-4B22-A9F3-D57EE4AE3FF2.jpeg2C4C1F61-E3AF-4E62-8EE8-EBA6DC0E8715.jpeg
 
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humananimal said:
Sony-Ericsson P910 from around 2002
Used in the 007 movie “Die another day “
Pressure sensitive screen. More features when the flap was opened.
Worked for years until one day it locked. Some years later I found a note from a technician explaining how to do a total reset. So now it works in English. No update is possible anymore. View attachment 426408View attachment 426409
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I miss having a physical keyboard, the Blackberry ones felt so satisfying. A start up company was planning to bring out a 5G Blackberry Android slider phone with a keyboard but it looks like it's cancelled now.
 
These were a thing as " One Word: Plastics" took over the World. This was a semi-liquid plastic that could be put on the straw and blown into a durable bubble. Not at all sure they were safe, as soft plastics usually have a petrochemical in them that never completely plasticizes. That means its on your hands and in your clothing. Given the incredible reception of Teflon in its earlies, and the equally incredible rejection of such materials retroactively today, Id bet a dollar to a donut hole, it's a carcinogen.FB_IMG_1689112415943.jpg
 
saddlebum66 said:
These were a thing as " One Word: Plastics" took over the World. This was a semi-liquid plastic that could be put on the straw and blown into a durable bubble. Not at all sure they were safe, as soft plastics usually have a petrochemical in them that never completely plasticizes. That means its on your hands and in your clothing. Given the incredible reception of Teflon in its earlies, and the equally incredible rejection of such materials retroactively today, Id bet a dollar to a donut hole, it's a carcinogen.View attachment 426857
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Depending on the brand, they used a mixture of Acetone (Nail polish remover), Methyl (AKA "Wood") Alcohol, and MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone - AKA Auto-body paint thinner. HIGHLY toxic. Outright banned by some states nowdays, it's so hazardous to mess with - forms explosive mixes with air at any excuse, then oozes into low spots looking for a spark to trigger a hellish KABOOM) sometimes with some Xylene (fairly rare) and Toulene (Think "Testor's Model Cement") thrown in for "flavor". Just the scent of the stuff should have been a giveaway that it was about as safe as playing Russian Roulette with six holes filled!
 
UR20Z said:
Depending on the brand, they used a mixture of Acetone (Nail polish remover), Methyl (AKA "Wood") Alcohol, and MEK (Methyl Ethyl Ketone - AKA Auto-body paint thinner. HIGHLY toxic. Outright banned by some states nowdays, it's so hazardous to mess with - forms explosive mixes with air at any excuse, then oozes into low spots looking for a spark to trigger a hellish KABOOM) sometimes with some Xylene (fairly rare) and Toulene (Think "Testor's Model Cement") thrown in for "flavor". Just the scent of the stuff should have been a giveaway that it was about as safe as playing Russian Roulette with six holes filled!
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Yeah...My old man used to used MEK for starting fires....til an 'empty' went up.
 
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saddlebum66 said:
He's back?
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Never been gone that I've noticed - just not getting advertised as heavy as back in the day. Can't think of anyplace I've been where you couldn't find a bottle of Mr. Clean in the same aisle with the Pine-Sol, Comet, and Spic-n-Span. Who remembers this one?

Janitor in a Drum, 1970's | Roadsidepictures | Flickr


Wonder if it's still around? Can't recall seeing it lately.
 
UR20Z said:
Never been gone that I've noticed - just not getting advertised as heavy as back in the day. Can't think of anyplace I've been where you couldn't find a bottle of Mr. Clean in the same aisle with the Pine-Sol, Comet, and Spic-n-Span. Who remembers this one?

Janitor in a Drum, 1970's | Roadsidepictures | Flickr's | Roadsidepictures | Flickr


Wonder if it's still around? Can't recall seeing it lately.
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Never seen it here on this side of the Atlantic Ocean
 
I remember it, and given the brand, it had some of the same ingredients as Formula 409, but definitely not the Chickie thst advertized the 409, Lori Saunders.
 
I know what you are but what am I?
saddlebum66 said:
These were a thing as " One Word: Plastics" took over the World. This was a semi-liquid plastic that could be put on the straw and blown into a durable bubble. Not at all sure they were safe, as soft plastics usually have a petrochemical in them that never completely plasticizes. That means its on your hands and in your clothing. Given the incredible reception of Teflon in its earlies, and the equally incredible rejection of such materials retroactively today, Id bet a dollar to a donut hole, it's a carcinogen.View attachment 426857
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I remember these. I'd chew on them after blowing them up.
 
LuvelyLeda said:
It looks old, but kinda new at the same time.. like it was made in the present time of an alternate universe.



This is probably the oldest tech thingy I still use regularly. It's an old ipod shuffle I got as a hand me down from my cousin. Still works, and I still have no reason to get rid of it. It'd be better if it had bluetooth so I could use wireless headphones, but whatever.
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Never cared for the shuffle, personally. Was a big fan of the Gen 5 iPod Nano, though. Beat 4 of 'em to death in daily use before they couldn't be had anymore. That little critter was about as close to perfect as they ever got in the iPod line.
 
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