Floppy disk, eh?  Need Viagra?--Matt, N1IBB.

At 01:54 PM 11/4/2015, you wrote:
>Asking someone about a floppy disk is cause for sexual harassment these day=
>s.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]] =
>On Behalf Of Eric Oyen
>Sent: Tuesday, November 3, 2015 10:37 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Useless Knowledge (was Laser Light)
>
>thats almost as bad as knowing job control language for an IBM AS/360 =3D M=
>ainframe. :) Also, working on reel to reel tape machines. Its really =3D to=
>o bad that most people these days don't remember the technology that =3D wa=
>s the predecessor to the current media. You ask a kid today what a =3D flop=
>py disk is and they might look at you like a deer caught in the =3D headlig=
>hts. Or how about coders these days that couldn't conceive of a =3D program=
>  written in basic and having to work tightly in only 8k of ram. =3D Pretty =
>soon, I imagine, keyboards are going to be quaint reminders of an =3D old c=
>omputing past.
>
>DE n7zzt Eric
>
>On Nov 3, 2015, at 8:11 PM, Tom Fowle wrote:
>
> > Knowing how things work, or used to work is never useless.
> > At the least it's interesting.
> >=3D20
> > Used to run 16 MM projectors in highschool in the 60s, but don't =3D
>remember
> > the filter. Maybe those school units didn't have the freeze frame.
> > thanks for the fun
> > tom Fowle WA6IVG
> >=3D20
> > On Tue, Nov 03, 2015 at 02:22:44PM -0600, Martin McCormick wrote:
> >>      A lot of what is left of my brain is useless knowledge by  today's=20
> >>standards. When I worked as a technician with the OSU  Audio Visual=20
> >>Center in the eighties, I repaired 16-millimeter  film projectors=20
> >>among many other things and I have a whole  treasure trove of trivia=20
> >>in my head that doesn't get you very far  today.
> >>=3D20
> >>      Did you know, for instance, that if the film stops 
> moving  for even=20
> >>a fraction of a second that the heat from the projection  lamp is=20
> >>sufficient to melt it? Most projectors had a freeze-frame  function=20
> >>but it only worked because a special piece that greatly  reduced the=20
> >>amount of heat/light was supposed to drop down  between the film gate=20
> >>and the film, itself.
> >>=3D20
> >>      We had a few machines that came in because a mechanical  part that=20
> >>held the filter piece up and out of the way failed and  the piece=20
> >>would slowly swing down and cause the light output to  appear to go=20
> >>very dim.
> >>=3D20
> >>      How does a person who is blind work on a film projector?
> >> Most of the mechanical failures that befall 16-millimeter  projectors=20
> >>cause audible issues also.
> >>=3D20
> >>      Sound film projectors must yank the film through the gate  in a=20
> >>series of 24 very fast jerks per second so that each frame  of the=20
> >>picture is still for 1/24 of a second. When the film  reaches the=20
> >>sound pickup, it must not have any trace of the jerky  motion and=20
> >>moves as smoothly as audio tape. There are failure  modes that cause=20
> >>the film to move more smoothly than it should  through the film gate=20
> >>and other failures that make it move in a  jerky manner through the=20
> >>sound pickup. Those usually make the  machine clatter with an extra=20
> >>loud sound or the sound has a  terrible flutter in the speed which is=20
> >>unacceptable. It is  necessary to examine the film transport to=20
> >>diagnose the problem  and fix the broken parts.
> >>=3D20
> >>      There is a Walt Disney movie which I think might be  "Bambee" in=20
> >>which there is a scene where animals are talking to  each other while=20
> >>under water. Their voices all sound fluttery  like someone with water=20
> >>in their throat. One time, my wife and I  watched this film because=20
> >>she wanted to see it again after many  years and I had never watched=20
> >>it at all. I almost fell out of my  chair when that scene came on.=20
> >>Some technician simply blocked the  rotation of the sound drum and fed=20
> >>that audio in to the movie as  a special effect. I thought it was=20
> >>brilliant and never imagined  that someone would actually want that=20
> >>sound to appear, but it was  perfect for the scene.
> >>=3D20
> >>      I remember running across many weird problems that 
> were  usually the=20
> >>fault of wear and tear on belts, gears and clutches.
> >> That's where I accumulated all this useless knowledge.
> >>=3D20
> >>      So, what makes the film stop and melt? Ripped out sprocket  holes=20
> >>along the edge. That will turn torn-up film in to torn-up  melted=20
> >>film. If this had been back in the really old days, the  film which=20
> >>used to be made of celluloid would have burst in to  flame and started=20
> >>a real fire.
> >>=3D20
> >> Martin
> >>=3D20
> >> Colin McDonald <[log in to unmask]> writes:
> >>> ah, I love teachable moments!!!
> >>> They call me a walking encyclopedia of mostly interesting, but =3D
>useless
> >>> facts...