Sociology and Message formatting

From: Sam Ismail <dastar_at_ncal.verio.com>
Date: Fri Jan 8 14:48:36 1999

On Fri, 8 Jan 1999, Jim Strickland wrote:

> > > Shure, today they are no longer produced with typewriters and
> > > Spiritusumdrucker (sorry missing word - a copyingdevice using
> > > special sheets and spirit for duplication), but rather on PCs
> > > or high class DTP stations, but thats just the tool.
> >
> > Spiritusumdrucker! What a fantastic word! I think that would be a
> > mimeograph?
>
> I always heard them called ditto machines. Print in blue ink that wipes off.

Sure but I think the actual latin name for them is mimeograph.

> We had them in grade school. We did NOT have a photocopier - they were

Me too. I used to have ditto duty making copies for the teacher. I also
used to make up mazes and got to use the machine to make copies for the
classmates.

> apparently monstrously expensive to purchase and maintain at the time.
> By the time I got to high school inexpesive photocopiers were readily
> available, although we used the ditto machines even then. The
> photocopier was fine for short runs or things where copy quality was
> important. The ditto machine was faster and much cheaper per copy.
> Of course I'm sure the ink on the master and the solvent on the
> machine are carcinogens... (just kidding)

By the time I was in high school dittos were a distant memory. To put it
in (classiccmp) perspective, by that time inkjets were still on the
horizon and dot matrix printers were still the shit.

Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar_at_siconic.com
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Received on Fri Jan 08 1999 - 14:48:36 GMT

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