Museum of Obsolete Objects(youtube.com)
youtube.com
Museum of Obsolete Objects
https://www.youtube.com/user/MoooJvM
9 comments
Agreed.
Wanna know what another obsolete object is, a real one, no longer made and with no functional use anymore?
An lubricant oil can spout.
We stopped selling lubricating oil in cans like at least 35 years ago.
I have vague memories from my childhood of seeing cans of oil stacked in a store, but I can't tell if its a hallucination or memory, or something I actually saw, it would have been when I was very young based on the perspective I can recall them at.
(edited to add the word lubricant)
Wanna know what another obsolete object is, a real one, no longer made and with no functional use anymore?
An lubricant oil can spout.
We stopped selling lubricating oil in cans like at least 35 years ago.
I have vague memories from my childhood of seeing cans of oil stacked in a store, but I can't tell if its a hallucination or memory, or something I actually saw, it would have been when I was very young based on the perspective I can recall them at.
(edited to add the word lubricant)
> We stopped selling lubricating oil in cans like at least 35 years ago.
No, it's still common, but used more in industrial settings. Most machine shops and auto shops will have such a can in easy reach.
No, it's still common, but used more in industrial settings. Most machine shops and auto shops will have such a can in easy reach.
They use pierce top cardboard or metal sided cans?
I'm not talking about metal cans with a screw top or port on it, these were completely sealed, and you had to use an external opener which pierced the metal top.
All of the metal oil cans I've seen in machine shops are larger 5gal ones, that have a screw on port.
I'm not talking about metal cans with a screw top or port on it, these were completely sealed, and you had to use an external opener which pierced the metal top.
All of the metal oil cans I've seen in machine shops are larger 5gal ones, that have a screw on port.
I might be confused, but cooking oil is still quite commonly sold in cans in many countries ? I bet there must be some in the US too if you are there ?
https://www.odysea.com/product/odysea-greek-extra-vrigin-oli...
https://www.odysea.com/product/odysea-greek-extra-vrigin-oli...
Motor Oil in this case.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/134826590749
Here is an example of what one looks like.
Some additional context - https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-10-fi-3748-s...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/134826590749
Here is an example of what one looks like.
Some additional context - https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-02-10-fi-3748-s...
Huh, cardboard cans for motor oil, thanks! Didn’t even realise that was a thing.
Oh, that is great.
For anyone wondering why the card deck has the diagonal stripes on the edge, those are for when you drop the deck and have to put the cards back in order.
And don't get me started on TTS voice-overs! The first time I heard one, I actually thought for a few moments, "There is something wrong with this guy's voice." Then I figured it out.
For anyone wondering why the card deck has the diagonal stripes on the edge, those are for when you drop the deck and have to put the cards back in order.
And don't get me started on TTS voice-overs! The first time I heard one, I actually thought for a few moments, "There is something wrong with this guy's voice." Then I figured it out.
Whoa, that was delightful to watch, especially after learning about the diagonal stripes from your comment.
But do the diagonal stripes actually work? If you dropped the deck and then re-assembled it with a single pair of cards swapped, would you really be able to catch that based on the stripe?
Listening to the machine work was incredibly interesting, too. I wonder how much stress it puts on the cards to be run through the machine each time. Did they have to make "fresh" copies once the cards got worn down by going through the machine too many times?
But do the diagonal stripes actually work? If you dropped the deck and then re-assembled it with a single pair of cards swapped, would you really be able to catch that based on the stripe?
Listening to the machine work was incredibly interesting, too. I wonder how much stress it puts on the cards to be run through the machine each time. Did they have to make "fresh" copies once the cards got worn down by going through the machine too many times?
Cards are from before my time.
The blank cards I've seen had printing on one side, and usually some sort of title area. so you could get orientation correct.
The punched cards I've seen were all hand numbered.
The stripe, I think, was mostly a quick check. if it looks like a line, they're probably in order. if there's a spot that looks weird, you can check that range quickly.
I don't think the failure mode was like someone grabbing your deck and throwing it in the air, it was more they got dropped, stayed mostly stacked, but you could quickly file the strays in the right order. and be pretty confident the cards that stayed stacked were right. if you've got a blurry spot of the line, you can quickly check that section.
so, yes? I think the stripes worked? Again, before my time, this is lore handed down from professors. I think if you secretly swapped 2 cards, and they didn't notice, they would hunt you down and beat you up.
IIRC, the cards did wear down, but there were duplicators, that would read old cards and punch fresh ones. Obviously, if something was torn or damaged, you'd have to fix that by hand. I think I've seen one once, but I don't recall exactly where.
edit- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_519#514 <- that's not what I remember, but they did exist.
The blank cards I've seen had printing on one side, and usually some sort of title area. so you could get orientation correct.
The punched cards I've seen were all hand numbered.
The stripe, I think, was mostly a quick check. if it looks like a line, they're probably in order. if there's a spot that looks weird, you can check that range quickly.
I don't think the failure mode was like someone grabbing your deck and throwing it in the air, it was more they got dropped, stayed mostly stacked, but you could quickly file the strays in the right order. and be pretty confident the cards that stayed stacked were right. if you've got a blurry spot of the line, you can quickly check that section.
so, yes? I think the stripes worked? Again, before my time, this is lore handed down from professors. I think if you secretly swapped 2 cards, and they didn't notice, they would hunt you down and beat you up.
IIRC, the cards did wear down, but there were duplicators, that would read old cards and punch fresh ones. Obviously, if something was torn or damaged, you'd have to fix that by hand. I think I've seen one once, but I don't recall exactly where.
edit- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_519#514 <- that's not what I remember, but they did exist.
> I wonder how much stress it puts on the cards to be run through the machine each time.
Less than almost every other card reader ever made, which is why that Documation unit took over the industry. The hard problem is pulling exactly one card off the bottom of the stack. Most previous readers involved some kind of pusher which had a ledge slightly less than one card thick. The pusher pushed the card through a gate slightly more than one card thick. The IBM 1402 card reader, and all the earlier IBM electromechanical card machines, used that technology.[1] Pushing cards through a gate works only if cards are within tolerance and in good condition. Otherwise, card jams are frequent. Card data processing operations had dehumidifiers, because high humidity would make the cards thicker.
Documation made a breakthrough. There's a crosswise air jet that separates the bottom few cards in the stack before picking. The video shows that. The picking device itself is a vacuum picker. It grabs the bottom card, rotates, and starts the card into the rollers. The card is always pulled by a face, never pushed by an edge. Card thickness does not matter much. It just works.
That air jet trick is still used in some printers and printing presses. It's one of those clever tricks of mechanical engineering that yields a simple, reliable device.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_1402
Less than almost every other card reader ever made, which is why that Documation unit took over the industry. The hard problem is pulling exactly one card off the bottom of the stack. Most previous readers involved some kind of pusher which had a ledge slightly less than one card thick. The pusher pushed the card through a gate slightly more than one card thick. The IBM 1402 card reader, and all the earlier IBM electromechanical card machines, used that technology.[1] Pushing cards through a gate works only if cards are within tolerance and in good condition. Otherwise, card jams are frequent. Card data processing operations had dehumidifiers, because high humidity would make the cards thicker.
Documation made a breakthrough. There's a crosswise air jet that separates the bottom few cards in the stack before picking. The video shows that. The picking device itself is a vacuum picker. It grabs the bottom card, rotates, and starts the card into the rollers. The card is always pulled by a face, never pushed by an edge. Card thickness does not matter much. It just works.
That air jet trick is still used in some printers and printing presses. It's one of those clever tricks of mechanical engineering that yields a simple, reliable device.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_1402
As the counterpart to printing presses, some automated book scanners also work that way-- puffer to separate the pages, vacuum paddle to flip them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmGntnfohrA
Wow: that was nice.
Interesting that the nameplate clearly documented its current draw at startup and while running (1/3 the startup).
Interesting that the nameplate clearly documented its current draw at startup and while running (1/3 the startup).
> current draw at startup and while running
That tells you that the device needs to be on a circuit with a slow-blow fuse or circuit breaker. Motors draw more current during startup. Look up "inrush current" and "motor protection circuit breaker".
(Starting AC electric motors is surprisingly difficult. Tesla's big contribution to electrical technology was figuring out how to start AC motors simply, cheaply, and reliably.)
That tells you that the device needs to be on a circuit with a slow-blow fuse or circuit breaker. Motors draw more current during startup. Look up "inrush current" and "motor protection circuit breaker".
(Starting AC electric motors is surprisingly difficult. Tesla's big contribution to electrical technology was figuring out how to start AC motors simply, cheaply, and reliably.)
Many of these are not even close to obsolete:
* The Computer Mouse is an essential part of every day life.
* Radio Receivers are both common and still in daily use by a huge percentage of the planet.
* Electric Lightbulbs still have many specialty applications that cannot be replaced by other forms of technology (same with the neon lamp).
* Morse Code is still used in the radio and aviation world to identify radio transmitters
* Pocket Calculators are still fairly common, particularly in specialized fields, and are still developed and sold new.
* The Computer Mouse is an essential part of every day life.
* Radio Receivers are both common and still in daily use by a huge percentage of the planet.
* Electric Lightbulbs still have many specialty applications that cannot be replaced by other forms of technology (same with the neon lamp).
* Morse Code is still used in the radio and aviation world to identify radio transmitters
* Pocket Calculators are still fairly common, particularly in specialized fields, and are still developed and sold new.
Faxing is alive and well in medicine, since it's still the "secure" way to transfer documents. There are encrypted email solutions now, secure file transfer, and digital faxing, but I'm sure plenty of doctor's offices still use fax machines.
Though FINALLY phasing out in a lot of places. My major hospital system (through consolidation) now seems to be on a largely electronic heath data system. But, yeah, manually faxing lab work requests to the hospital lab was still a thing just a few years ago.
Yeah, but I left it off, because its clearly an application with no real future, its dying as the networks required for it to work well also die (faxing over VoIP is a special form of hell to support).
Morse code even shows up in some surprising places. The Hyundai Ioniq 5/6 steering wheel doesn't have the usual Hyundai logo. Instead, it has four dots:
• • • •
And that is the letter "H" in Morse code!
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/hyundai/ioniq-5/2023/pho...
• • • •
And that is the letter "H" in Morse code!
https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/hyundai/ioniq-5/2023/pho...
My kid is three years old, and has never seen an incandescent light bulb.
We don’t own a calculator either. One of the only reasons they’re still around is their simplicity, which is desirable in an educational setting. If it wasn’t for that, nobody[1] would use them any more. Excel and computer algebra systems are superior for all practical purposes.
[1] For some values of “nobody”. There’s always the elderly, purists, luddites, or just those slow to adopt.
We don’t own a calculator either. One of the only reasons they’re still around is their simplicity, which is desirable in an educational setting. If it wasn’t for that, nobody[1] would use them any more. Excel and computer algebra systems are superior for all practical purposes.
[1] For some values of “nobody”. There’s always the elderly, purists, luddites, or just those slow to adopt.
The light in your oven is almost certainly incandescent, possibly your fridge too. You can't really use a non-incandescent bulb in high heat applications.
There are other applications too, where the resistance of the bulb itself, and how it changes with the amount of current going thru the device is also important.
There are other applications too, where the resistance of the bulb itself, and how it changes with the amount of current going thru the device is also important.
Fair point about the oven. Older cars still have incandescent headlamps, so technically he has seen them.
In a sense, the exception makes the rule: the fact that only niche applications remain reinforces the point that these are legacy technologies.
In a sense, the exception makes the rule: the fact that only niche applications remain reinforces the point that these are legacy technologies.
Specialized != Legacy != Obsolete
I know lots of legacy technologies that are far from even approaching obsolescence. I know many specialty technologies that used to be mainstream.
Thats sorta my point - like my industry uses 2w analog control loops with inband signaling - while this has been obsolete for new designs in most other industries, in mine its still current technology and continues to be used for new designs and implementations - if for no other reason than its a well understood easy to implement interface.
I know lots of legacy technologies that are far from even approaching obsolescence. I know many specialty technologies that used to be mainstream.
Thats sorta my point - like my industry uses 2w analog control loops with inband signaling - while this has been obsolete for new designs in most other industries, in mine its still current technology and continues to be used for new designs and implementations - if for no other reason than its a well understood easy to implement interface.
> There’s always the elderly, purists, luddites, or just those slow to adopt.
Calculators are still sold in many shops. I can literally cross the street and go buy one at the supermarket. It's not about being "slow to adopt": they're superior to using a computer's calculator or, even worse, a smartphone's calculator app. A smartphone has shitty input controls compared to a calculator and it's not "one button to press" to get it ready. First unlock the phone, then open the calculator, then use the shitty input method.
Also many calculators, since decades, are solar-powered. It makes lots of sense: you're not going to use them in the dark. And they use so little power that a tiny solar panel incorporated into the calculator is sufficient. No need for USB-C crap cables.
You know where you see a lot of these, next to computers, used by people spending their entire the day at the computer and with their phone in reach and used by people doing computation at all times? In accounting offices.
Accountants are neither luddites nor old nor purists nor slow adopters. It just happens that for some kind of computation, a pocket calculator is simply the very top of the chain.
The following picture shows what survival of the fittest looks like:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calculator#/media/File:Casio_c...
Calculators are still sold in many shops. I can literally cross the street and go buy one at the supermarket. It's not about being "slow to adopt": they're superior to using a computer's calculator or, even worse, a smartphone's calculator app. A smartphone has shitty input controls compared to a calculator and it's not "one button to press" to get it ready. First unlock the phone, then open the calculator, then use the shitty input method.
Also many calculators, since decades, are solar-powered. It makes lots of sense: you're not going to use them in the dark. And they use so little power that a tiny solar panel incorporated into the calculator is sufficient. No need for USB-C crap cables.
You know where you see a lot of these, next to computers, used by people spending their entire the day at the computer and with their phone in reach and used by people doing computation at all times? In accounting offices.
Accountants are neither luddites nor old nor purists nor slow adopters. It just happens that for some kind of computation, a pocket calculator is simply the very top of the chain.
The following picture shows what survival of the fittest looks like:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calculator#/media/File:Casio_c...
That gets even more true when you look at the RPN calculators used for engineering, science and business - all have special use cases.
There are even calculators to make construction estimation easier too.
Most people who are just using it as a tool to figure something really quickly have probably moved on to use something less specialized, like their smartphone.
There are even calculators to make construction estimation easier too.
Most people who are just using it as a tool to figure something really quickly have probably moved on to use something less specialized, like their smartphone.
I still see calculators being used by salesmen to show numbers and results of simple calculations. The most recent at a car dealership two days ago.
I like the idea but I watched the morse code one and the speech was almost certainly computer-generated but it hardly had any content anyway.
I’m not going to watch a video but the idea from the title is great.
We casually discard obsolete devices and practices, but learning about them isn’t just a fun glance into the past but is a kind of Chesterton’s fence too.
We casually discard obsolete devices and practices, but learning about them isn’t just a fun glance into the past but is a kind of Chesterton’s fence too.
If you're ever in the Los Angeles area, I recommend a visit to the Museum of Jurassic Technology: https://mjt.org/
A heads up: the picture on the main page is a button to most of the website. I was on my way out and almost missed it.
I get a feeling that it's more of an art project. The voice-over is over-the-top artificial, reminding Stephen Hawking. The demonstrations of the objects are well executed, but content/education-wise on the level of it's so bad that it might actually be good. And of course, the obsolescence of several of these things is very questionable, let alone being able to accurately identify a year since something became obsolete.
This seems like something I would love, but I hate it. The choices are mostly boring and the execution is awful. Did they have to use the most bargain basement synthesized voice?
This appears to be ai-generated and low-quality
One question, how do I join? which exhibit will I be after?
Here's a good video of an obsolete technology - a punched card reader.[1] No voice over. No intro. No outro. No clickbait. Just a beautifully clear demonstration of what it is and how it works.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu55b0GpgE8