[Boatanchors] IBM Selectric Terminal

[James Liles]

An interesting fact about the Selectric.  The chrome plating process on the 
plastic type head was never patented.  GM, Ford, and Chrysler desperately 
wanted the secret to use on their bumpers and other plastic components but 
IBM would not budge.  The reason that it wasn't patented was that any 
process that is "valuable enough and patented will be stolen".  The auto 
engineers didn't crack the code for years.

It was the best output device in it's time, used by nearly every computer 
vendor but a mechanical Freddy Kruger!

Not the right place for this but do any of you remember the first telecom 
storage device that IBM implemented for the 1401?  The sonic delay line that 
could store one 132 character line of data.  Was a spiral of hardened wire 
housed in a 1 foot square by 1 inch container.  It used a transducer to 
twist the wire and another at the other end to sense the twist and re-cycle 
the data with a sync character.

Last but not least, did anyone work with the 90 ohm tri-lead disaster or 
virtual triplex 67's project (NASA) in upstate NY??

Kindest regards Jim K9AXN