The Electronic Secratary - America's First Telephone Answering Machine

The Electronic Secretary (1949) was the first telephone answering machines available in America (even earlier systems were used in Europe, but strangely forbidden in America due to resistance from AT&T and the FCC.)

They were used exclusively for businesses at this time. The original model recorded on wire and used a pre-recorded, professionally voiced 45 rpm record as the outgoing message. Succumbing to consumer demand, the Bell System companies and GTE rented this machine to mostly higher income residential customers by the early 1960s (the rental fees were big.)

In spite of it's availability (and the machines used cassette tape by the '70s), The answering machine was still fairly rare however and never really took off in America until the breakup and deregulation of AT&T in 1983 when they were finally sold direct to consumers outside of the phone companies.

Need A Typewriter?

Sometimes, there's a part of me that still misses using a typewriter.

I just like how it looks, each letter embossed into the paper rather than just photocopied from the office program on my computer.

And it's a delicious thrill for me to have my most formal paper correspondence look like crazed manifestos or ransom letters.....

And yes, typewriters are STILL being made. And you'll never guess for whom.

Eccentric old people?

Conspiracy nuts?

Nope.

They're made for prisoners.

So you're likely getting something SUPER rugged. And they come in clear cases (never underestimate those hardcore criminal minds.) And very few solid metal parts to get "creative" with.

And apparently, they are sold to the public as well.

http://www.swintec.com/clear-typewriters/10-2410cc.html

Feen-A-Mint Commercial

                         
                             


Feen-A-Mint.....sounds like mint-flavoured cocaine. But it was a women's laxative that came in a chewing gum as well as pills. But I remember this commercial for how tacky it was (how you ever noticed in '70s laxative commercials how people just randomly stopped everything to loudly talk about their "irregularity" problem?)

And the daughter here gets the gum while stuffy old mom takes the pills.

Frank N' Stuff Hot Dogs

Frank N' Stuff were Hot Dogs that had chili stuffed inside. They also came with cheese inside instead of chili.

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