[GreenKeys] saving machines

[John Nagle]

> From:epvgk at limpoc.com
> Subject: Re: [GreenKeys] saving machines
> To:greenkeys at mailman.qth.net
> Message-ID:<20110716181759.GA17698 at limpoc.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> On Sat, Jul 16, 2011 at 11:35:49AM -0600, Lee Mushel wrote:
>> >
>> >  I've always been intrigued with "things mechanical" and I've tried to
>> >  determine why this should be so.   I have two of my Model 28 machines always
>> >  ready for demonstration for visitors to my ham radio shack and I must admit
>> >  that over the past three years no one has seemed to exhibit the slightest
>> >  interest even when invited to sit down and do some typing.   [...]
> Without commenting on the other topics, I'd just like to say that my
> experience is quite different from this -- I only have one machine, a
> Model 28, but it's really a hit. We had a party here recently and a big
> contingent ended up clustered around the teletype taking pictures and
> raptly watching it print and demanding to type on it and use it to send
> email or twitter messages. I even had to make a sign explaining FIGS/LTRS!
> Visitors to my house always want to check it out and watch it run, and it
> has a twitter account (@teletweety). It may be that it's a slightly
> younger, somewhat techie crowd, but there's no shortage of interest here.

    Yes, hooking these things up to SMS and Twitter does get more
attention.

    I'm the guy who makes steampunk cases for Teletypes and takes
them to steampunk conventions, where we set up a telegraph office,
complete with cute female operators and messengers.  See
  "www.aetherltd.com" for the hardware, and for video,

     http://blip.tv/aetheric-message-machine-company-ltd

The little Model 14 printer in a glass box is very popular.
It gathers little kids looking at the mechanism, and the
smart ones try to figure out how it works.  Since you can
clearly see the entire decoding process from selector magnet
to typebars in that case, it's a nice educational device.

It's possible to do much more with this gear than just printing
from ITTY.   Be more creative!

				John Nagle