My father sold fax machines in the 60s. He also worked with state legislatures to pass laws designating facsimiles as “True Copies” of original documents acceptable for court proceedings.
Bike couriers, and runners, those were the days, no electronic data transfer just kids using public transport with all the receipts from the day and the accounting tally from every satellite store to the central accounting office in Union Square.
I also recall the statement that computers would save billions of trees. Whoever thunk that one up? We use to make 1 original and two carbon copies. Now its 25 copies to a link and to 40 emails for their download if need be.
I think Ted is having Brutus on. Though Ted might remember the vacuum cylinder system used in large offices to send printed documents from one section to another. Anything outside of the building would be sent via courier or registered mail. So, the fax was a revolutionary invention. I used to repair fax machines.
At least, with those old interoffice mailers, we got same day service. As opposed to the USPS, which now takes several days to get to the next town over.
I love Uncle Ted’s self-effacing outlook on life. But it is amazing to think of the evolution in technology during my 40 year career. I can remember things like dictabelts and the IBM Selectric being seen as new high tech.
In the last millennium, I worked on a project for an international telecom. They offered research grants to employees, and my project collected the purpose of the project and progress reports. Every year, I re-wrote the software to use whatever new data tech was available: paper or fax that someone entered into the program, then diskettes, then e-mail, then ftp, then web. It kept me busy AND I got to travel to the UK once a year for “requirements gathering”.
An aside: I love how goComics is taking advantage of the latest tech and disallowing things like “and {slash} or” because “URLs are not allowed in the comments.”
Most, if not all, of us have watched tech come and change and change and change and it will be changing forever. It’s fun to think about what the future will bring.
AllishaDawn about 2 months ago
I figured he was at least up to carbon copying on the type writer.
Yakety Sax about 2 months ago
Remember mimeographs? That smell.
Zykoic about 2 months ago
Me; Smoke signals, but full duplex with error correction.
Ahuehuete about 2 months ago
Remember those “inter office mailers”?
Renatus Profuturus Frigeridus Premium Member about 2 months ago
As soon as I was hired, I was that carrier pigeon: “Go to Mr… in the room nr … and tell him that…”
zzeek about 2 months ago
Uncle Ted must be a lot older than he looks. Must eat a diet consisting of a lot of preservatives. ;-)
nosirrom about 2 months ago
My father sold fax machines in the 60s. He also worked with state legislatures to pass laws designating facsimiles as “True Copies” of original documents acceptable for court proceedings.
GROG Premium Member about 2 months ago
Remember telex machines?
cracker65 about 2 months ago
Uncle Ted is cool.
Kidon Ha-Shomer about 2 months ago
Bike couriers, and runners, those were the days, no electronic data transfer just kids using public transport with all the receipts from the day and the accounting tally from every satellite store to the central accounting office in Union Square.
Just-me about 2 months ago
Oh c’mon Uncle Ted. Don’t you remember using a telegraph via Western Union?
ChessPirate about 2 months ago
Twitter before Twitter? ☺
CorkLock about 2 months ago
I also recall the statement that computers would save billions of trees. Whoever thunk that one up? We use to make 1 original and two carbon copies. Now its 25 copies to a link and to 40 emails for their download if need be.
mckeonfuneralhomebx about 2 months ago
Flintstones was a carrier pterodactyl.
preacherman about 2 months ago
I think Ted is having Brutus on. Though Ted might remember the vacuum cylinder system used in large offices to send printed documents from one section to another. Anything outside of the building would be sent via courier or registered mail. So, the fax was a revolutionary invention. I used to repair fax machines.
jasonsnakelover about 2 months ago
Carrier pigeons are extinct now.
ladykat about 2 months ago
We used telexes and snail mail.
pat sandy creator about 2 months ago
cleaning up after the carrier pigeons was always a hassle…
Zebrastripes about 2 months ago
Ha! He’s as sarcastic as they come! LOLI remember turning the mimeograph for copies and the smell was pungent!
However, I loved my typewriter…Miss it, in fact!
assrdood about 2 months ago
At least, with those old interoffice mailers, we got same day service. As opposed to the USPS, which now takes several days to get to the next town over.
raybarb44 about 2 months ago
Oh come now Uncle Ted. We did have the Pony Express for those letters and documents that just had to get there overnight……
MuddyUSA Premium Member about 2 months ago
And thanks to those birds Uncle Ted enjoys retired life!
KEA about 2 months ago
Uncle Ted likes playing mind games, but of course in my day we used 2 tin cans and a length of string.
andersjg Premium Member about 2 months ago
Those pneumatic tubes between floors in those old buildings.
Brent Rosenthal Premium Member about 2 months ago
I love Uncle Ted’s self-effacing outlook on life. But it is amazing to think of the evolution in technology during my 40 year career. I can remember things like dictabelts and the IBM Selectric being seen as new high tech.
kathleenhicks62 about 2 months ago
And the U.S. postal service- -so called.
PoodleGroomer about 2 months ago
Leather pouches and horseback couriers.
cuzinron47 about 2 months ago
Just remember what things were like when you started Brutus, and that was what things were like when he finished.
rick92040 about 2 months ago
We used teletypes. We had the faster 100 word per minute vs the older 60 word per minute versions. Before that we used morse code.
Meg: All Seriousness Aside about 2 months ago
In the last millennium, I worked on a project for an international telecom. They offered research grants to employees, and my project collected the purpose of the project and progress reports. Every year, I re-wrote the software to use whatever new data tech was available: paper or fax that someone entered into the program, then diskettes, then e-mail, then ftp, then web. It kept me busy AND I got to travel to the UK once a year for “requirements gathering”.
An aside: I love how goComics is taking advantage of the latest tech and disallowing things like “and {slash} or” because “URLs are not allowed in the comments.”
tauyen about 2 months ago
we used to use sneaker . net to move files (go comics takes umbrage at making the term one word)
dbrucepm about 2 months ago
I tell them at work we didn’t have white out, we kept spackle at our desk for when we made a mistake chiseling our stone tables
Robert4170 about 2 months ago
I remember keypunch cards.
goboboyd about 2 months ago
Sneaker Net… with pigeons.
Chris Sherlock about 2 months ago
Uncle Ted must have worked a really long time ago!
Moonkey Premium Member about 2 months ago
Most, if not all, of us have watched tech come and change and change and change and it will be changing forever. It’s fun to think about what the future will bring.
Chris about 2 months ago
I’m sure it was teaching them where to go was the problem though. :}