19 Oct
2005
19 Oct
'05
9:37 p.m.
In a message dated 10/19/2005 6:56:33 PM Eastern
Daylight Time,
julesrichardsonuk at yahoo.co.uk writes:
We've just been offered one of these - I'm
assuming (awaiting further
details) that it's a rebadged Apple II Plus, as in:
... but that doesn't mention the "Digital
Video Presentation" side of
it, or even any video extras over and above what the II Plus has.
Anyone know any more details? Did Bell and Howell ever
do any other
computer-based systems?
I will get some more info from the owner (and they
have the full doc set
apparently), but I'm being impatient :-)
That's interesting, I work at B+H (now Bowe Bell and Howell) and I've never
heard of any of the old stuff at work. BBH is primarily know for mail
processing systems and technologies, neat stuff!
10:46 p.m.
On 10/19/2005 at 6:54 PM Fred Cisin wrote:
Didn't they also run a sort of vocational school, Bell&Howell Institute?
Couild be that some of the rebadged computer stuff comes from their course
materials...
Cheers,
Chuck
Anyone know
any more details? Did Bell and Howell ever do any other
computer-based systems?
Hell and Bowel made and sold all kinds of AV equipment. There were
several things that they sold that had computers, besides their
rebadged ][. 
11:09 p.m.
Chuck Guzis wrote:
On 10/19/2005 at 6:54 PM Fred Cisin wrote:
Didn't they also run a sort of vocational school, Bell&Howell Institute?
Couild be that some of the rebadged computer stuff comes from their course
materials...
I am starting to wonder if it's a vintage piece of kit at all to be
honest! It seems that the company still do (or did until very recent
times possibly) video projectors and other related gadgets.
It may well be it's not even something that old at all and is some sort
of gadget the owner thought we'd like to assist in public displays or
whatever :-)
(In which case it'd likely still be good to have... I'm just surprised
that google reveals no possible info other than this black Apple II+
Anyone
know any more details? Did Bell and Howell ever do any other
computer-based systems?
Hell and Bowel made and sold all kinds of AV equipment. There were
several things that they sold that had computers, besides their
rebadged ][. from way back, which doesn't appear to have
anything by way of fancy
video ability)
Guess I'll have to sit and await more details from the owner! :)
cheers
Jules
Cheers,
Chuck
11:35 p.m.
On 10/20/2005 at 4:09 AM Jules Richardson wrote:
I am starting to wonder if it's a vintage piece of
kit at all to be
honest! It seems that the company still do (or did until very recent
times possibly) video projectors and other related gadgets.
Here's your "rest ot the story":
http://www.macgeek.org/museum/bhapple2plus/
--Chuck
20 Oct
20 Oct
12:35 p.m.
Jules Richardson wrote:
Chuck Guzis wrote:
Bit more info..
apparently the actual unit was made by a company called de Grafe (zero
info via google so far) in the mid-80's, and B&H just acted as agents to
sell it.
Sounds like it has a display, keyboard and tablet, and outputs data to
video tape. No mention of a CPU box, so I'm assuming that's buried in
the display unit at the moment - be interesting to see what it is.
That's all I know so far, but I'm curious... :)
cheers
Jules
On 10/19/2005 at 6:54 PM Fred Cisin wrote:
I am starting to wonder if it's a vintage piece of kit at all to be
honest! Anyone
know any more details? Did Bell and Howell ever do any other
computer-based systems?
Hell and Bowel made and sold all kinds of AV equipment. There were
several things that they sold that had computers, besides their
rebadged ][. 
12:34 a.m.
Chuck Guzis wrote:
On 10/19/2005 at 6:54 PM Fred Cisin wrote:
Didn't they also run a sort of vocational school, Bell&Howell Institute?
Couild be that some of the rebadged computer stuff comes from their course
materials...
Cheers,
Chuck
No, you are thinking of DeVry, which Bell & Howell owned for a time.
Here is a short history:
http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2567.html
My dad worked at B&H in the microfilm division from the early 60s to the mid
80's. I did summer programming there on a black B&H Apple ][ for two or three
years.
Anyone
know any more details? Did Bell and Howell ever do any other
computer-based systems?
Hell and Bowel made and sold all kinds of AV equipment. There were
several things that they sold that had computers, besides their
rebadged ][.
2:06 a.m.
On 10/19/2005 at 11:34 PM Jim Battle wrote:
No, you are thinking of DeVry, which Bell & Howell
owned for a time.
Here is a short history:
http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2567.html
Ah, but that's the problem with online historical documents--they tend to
omit things. Around the mid-70's, deVry was rebadged as "Bell and Howell
Institute", but the name didn't stick:
http://www.buffalotelecom.com/cat_index_2.shtml
http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/Archive/2003/Jan%20'03/j011003.htm
http://www.cadillacnews.com/obit_archive/2004/07/07-10-04/obit02.html
http://getfilings.com/o0001086715-05-000023.html
Either that, or these folks are padding their resum?s.
Anyone remember the B&H reel-to-reel tape recorders from the late 60's that
sounded like a jet engine revving up when the autothread mechanism was
activated?
Cheers,
Chuck
2:27 a.m.
On Wed, 19 Oct 2005, Chuck Guzis wrote:
Anyone remember the B&H reel-to-reel tape
recorders from the late 60's that
sounded like a jet engine revving up when the autothread mechanism was
activated?
Also off-topic.
--
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8:36 a.m.
On Wed, 19 Oct 2005 23:27:37 -0700 (PDT)
Vintage Computer Festival <vcf at siconic.com> wrote:
On Wed, 19 Oct 2005, Chuck Guzis wrote:
I've seen explicit requests from help on off-topic subject matter from the current
'topic police' on occasion. But that's the goose, not the gander, eh?
But this is off topic. (as are comments that solely convey the message that something is
'off topic.')
--
http://sasteven.multics.org/MacSE30/MacSE30.html
Anyone remember the B&H reel-to-reel tape
recorders from the late 60's that
sounded like a jet engine revving up when the autothread mechanism was
activated?
Also off-topic.
8:45 a.m.
On 10/20/2005 at 7:36 AM Scott Stevens wrote:
I've seen explicit requests from help on off-topic
subject matter from the
current 'topic police' on occasion. But that's the goose, not the gander,
eh?
But this is off topic.
I consider myself appropriately chastened for my wandering mind. I'll try
to apply the reins a bit more energetically the next time I'm tempted to
meander off the trodden path.
But I'll put it on-topic a little more and ask if the aforementioned B&H
audio deck contained the first "thread by air" mechanism later used by many
9-track "stick the reel in the slot" tape streamers...
How's that?
Cheers,
Chuck
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