Sociology and Message formatting - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

8 Jan 1999

At 12:48 PM 1/8/1999 -0800, you wrote:
...
 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(a)siconic.com
...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---
...
 Always being hassled by the man.

                  Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
                   See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
                        [Last web site update: 12/27/98]

 	The Mimeograph (an Edison invention) used ink, as did the Gestetner (sp?)
while the Ditto used alcohol.
	I still have a 1909 Mimeograph in my collection.

	                        Charles E. Fox
	               Chas E. Fox Video Productions
		793 Argyle Rd. Windsor N8Y 3J8 Ont. Canada
	email foxvideo(a)wincom.net   Homepage http://www.wincom.net/foxvideo