RetroTech: Recordable Paper - The 3M Sound Page

In this video I take a look at a multimedia educational format from the 1970s, the 3M Sound Page (AKA Ricoh Synchrofax)
UPDATE
I’ve seen a few comments where the assumption has been made that this device was still in use as an educational tool in the 1990s. I think this is highly unlikely. Here’s my take on this - if you’ve ever gone to school, you’ll know that they rarely throw anything away. I know in my school there were things in storage cupboards that hadn’t been used in decades. My theory is that this was used in the 1970s and then stored away until being discovered in the 1990s by some mischievous children who liberated it and used it to record music off the radio (over the top of the old teachers programmes).
COMPLAINTS RECEIVED (SO FAR)
1) The use of the term ‘ASMR Nuts’
The definition of Nut as used in this context is as follows:
A person who is enthusiastic about a specific thing;
e.g.
Car nut
Football Nut
Health Nut
I am a Technology Nut - and I’m proud of it.
So you’ll have to find something else to pretend to get outraged by today.
2) ‘Fat Shaming’
3) ‘Flat Earth”
The recordings used in this video are taken from educational programmes made in 1974. Your 2018 complaints or observations on something from 44 years ago will need to be addressed to the creator of those programmes.
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------THANKS TO ------
Jerobeam Fenderson for the intro animation: oscilloscopemus...
Muppet Teletext Graphic - courtesy of @ZXGuesser (on Twitter)
Also available here: zxnet.co.uk/te...
---------Outro Music----------
Over Time - Vibe Tracks • Over Time - Vibe Track...
-----Outro Sound Effect-----
ThatSFXGuy - • Six Million Dollar man...

[@marika5353]

As an Ilustrator, i really would love an alternative timeline where instead of casette tapes we used this type of format, and the pages had amezing artwork, or carring a literal folder with all your music on it.

[@adowaaat3983]

That's sounds just amazing

[@deusexaethera]

Well, get to it and make a collection of playable album posters. You already know the technology exists.

[@juango500]

U could be buying smth like "build up our machine" and have bendy artwork on the front or something.

[@marika5353]

@@deusexaethera yeah but even could manufacture this, wich dont know how expensive would be considering, who even still works with magnetic tape now days, very few people has this device and would requiore manufacture that too. is a cool concept but dont think would be that easy to do now days, besides make it a nitch funny thing

[@deusexaethera]

@@marika5353: Kickstarter.

[@primtones]

'70s equipment with '90s pop songs played on KZbin in the '10s. Love those layers!

[@GiuseppeGaetanoSabatelli]

Mats 50s equipment!

[@gabrielgarcia9822]

20 years each

[@LikaLaruku]

With early 1900s Mid Atlantic accents.

[@killerbee2562]

@@LikaLaruku The teacher's voice sounded like a northern southern American accent. Say Tennessee or Kentucky.

[@Exigentable]

@@killerbee2562 Oklahoma. For sure. My grandma speaks like that.

[@Crazy_Borg]

Well, the idea sounded pretty good...on paper.

[@buddyclem7328]

🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔 _You win the Internet!_

[@nosebeareatsfudge3275]

Hou hou, now thats a good one :)

[@Rundumsfliegen]

haha you`re right ;)

[@Cthulu1985]

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

[@cameronlee888]

BA DUM TSS

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

You know I hear Shelly the shoemaker's shoes are a bit shit. Shoddy workmanship, not to mention the shady shell corporations.

[@batlin]

Ah, good old Shelley "The Machine" Levene, shoe-seller extraordinaire...

[@Robert08010]

Surely Not!!!

[@borisbrosowski6630]

So he's kind of a shy shyster?

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

@@borisbrosowski6630 exshactly!

[@DissociatedWomenIncorporated]

@Simple Weirdo "Sheller? I barely know 'er!"

[@Shermanbay]

The "draw a man" test was an integral part of IQ tests for young children in the 1950's at least, and was scored similarly with respect to age. It made up only a part of the complete IQ test which included questions in text form.

[@davidsandlin9686]

Shermanbay interesting factoid. The draw a man draw a woman was part of a psych evaluation test that I had to take when I went to prison in the early 2000’s. They would then call you in and ask you questions like “why did you draw breast on the woman?” Or something similar and then look at you while you asked making a weird face while they scribbled something down on a paper. They would not answer any questions either just ask you questions about the answers you gave on the test. Just because I’m sure someone will ask. I went to prison for drugs.

[@tjimicole2677]

Now that you've answered the question I was going to ask, I'll ask a different questions, @@davidsandlin9686 (if that is your real name). Which drugs?

[@davidsandlin9686]

Tjimi Cole possession of heroin and cocaine. I was an opiate addict and also used cocaine. I’ve been clean since 2012.

[@davidsandlin9686]

customsongmaker they were proportionate to the rest of her. Lol.

[@jetison333]

@@davidsandlin9686 hey congrats on being clean for that long.

[@gisellevelazquez7342]

Forget the vinyl and cassette resurgence -- misappropriated school equipment is going to be THE format trend for 2018!

[@lanswipe]

waiting for hipsters to start buying them

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

lanswipe They need to click into the 3M Thermofax copiers as well, those were classic!

[@OrangeHarrisonRB3]

Giselle Velazquez Nobody tell Jack White these exist or it will be the only format his next single is on

[@TheTomimt]

I liked paper recordings even before you thought they were cool.

[@Malkmusianful]

HD Vinyl? 30-minute sides that sound as good as 18-minute sides? Screw that! I got sheets of paper with ferric oxide recorded on obsolete school equipment - and I got all the hottest hits!

[@RickBoat]

Apparently, the supply of old recording formats will never dry up. The glue on the media must have been great, and the density low cause the DO sound surprisingly good.

[@RickBoat]

Fortunately IDE to USB devices exist.

[@KateOwsley]

VWestlife I went to Google this and the first result is a forum post by you. I also already subscribe to your channel. You're everywhere 😆

[@rybaluc]

It's really hard to understand what you mean. Disk format on what level? Standard formating on what level? Media level - physical recording and encoding?, Data structures like block and error checksums? Or something else? What is represented via interface is different than what you can really read from the media itself and it is translated by controller on drives for those two standards. This is the same for IDE and for SCSI. Main controller is build on drives. What you call today a controller, is only in fact a very simple interconnect interface between drive and computer. IDE/SCSI defines only data communication between drive and computer. No internal low level data structures or physical recording system on medium or raw access to it are defined in those standards. Only real off-drive controllers remaining in those days are floppy drive controllers in PCs and a few memory readers can allow you to use bypass mode to get to individual memory cells on flash cards. You need really dumb access to media like you had in case of RLL and MFM controllers where controller itself was on separate card. Some drives can allow access to raw data or some raw data on media via special manufacture specific commands (undocumented commands or in case of SCSI also pages). But this is drive specific and it is not in IDE/SCSI standard. You can often also access those data via diagnostic interfaces present on drive PCBs or connecting directly to low level reading/writing part but you have to know how to decode data. But again. There is not standard defining specific structure of storage data on media - again very specific to each drive - even between series and sometimes also not easy to get if you are not a data recovery company.

[@GuestZer0]

Idea: music sheets with the actual music recorded on them.

[@androidtechgeek]

Yamaha had a playcard system for certain keyboards. But those just contained digital instructions on a magnetic strip.

[@GamerLoggos]

There is an even older technology that used paper to store music. Ever seen a Player Piano? Those used a large spool of paper with holes punched into it that told the pianos which keys to press. One could say this is the same idea with just a little electronic technology added in.

[@graverboi13]

What a small world. I currently work for Ricoh and live in Oklahoma.

[@jari2018]

And I might buy this obsolete stuff if it can store sounds in 50 year old paper it can hold it for 100 years.

[@meyakabrown4725]

Its not a small world. I just think your unlucky bro. : )

[@jeenkzk5919]

Jonathan Golden greetings to my neighbor north of me....in Hurst, Texas

[@graverboi13]

I would consider myself unlucky if I'd never seen scissortails flying through the Ozarks, but I have. I might be unlucky if I couldn't find everything from warehouse raves to livestock shows in one town, but I can. I'd also consider myself unlucky if Ricoh didn't make me an admin and give me my own office...but they did. So, I might have to disagree with you. Come and visit the Big Friendly anytime, and I'll take you out for some cheese fondue.

[@graverboi13]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJPVn4uiZ8yClc0

[@RichGwilliam]

"Is he going to play the music? The copyright system might recognise them and... ah, right. Never mind. Nobody's recognising this."

[@jayswarrow1196]

Dis'zz Klelion Dein, maaan! Evry-un knowz herz.

[@firepowerg]

"Are your windows nice and clean girls and boys?" How creepy is that?! She sounds like some kind of axe murderer!

[@tvoommen4688]

Remember, this device was mostly used by detention centers !

[@codyofathens3397]

Oh, look, a racism.

[@JohnSmith-eo5sp]

Or that crazy woman in MISERY

[@this_is_patrick]

@xlioilx with that kind of spelling ("sing of", "they would of"), you really don't have the right to criticize anyone's linguistic skills.

[@rippspeck]

More like some German folklore creature that punishes children for not cleaning the windows properly. Like Krampus, you know.

[@admiral5960]

I can imagine some underground indie band making an album for this as promotional work.

[@mcolville]

Man for some reason the idea of kids in the 90s still using these things in school depresses the hell out of me.

[@greysky1252]

I THINK I vaugely remember using something like this in Pre-K in 1991.

[@makaylaserniotti1474]

Gotta love America and the lack of education budget.

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Matthew Colville The schools I went to didn't use VHS machines until the 90's, so they were content with their 16mm film projectors and filmstrip thingys for quite a while, and the occasional 3/4" U-Matic VTR machine stuck on a TV cart that might be rolled into the classroom!

[@Daytona574]

I walked into my kids' elementary school classroom last year, and was amazed to see the same brown cassette player I used in elementary school 30 years earlier.

[@prosfilaes]

Makayla Serniotti this comes from Oklahoma, whose teachers just walked out because it has one of the lowest investment in education in the US.

[@BeIlG]

I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THESE! I believe my class had 2 of these in the 90s. We did different learning groups where for the first 10 or 20 minutes your group learned using this, then after you switch out and the next group takes your spot and you do one of the other learning group activities. It was kind of fun to learn this way in the 90s.

[@jackman9061]

There's something creepy about tje recordings. The sentences also seem to be of different audio quality, some sound like the woman recorded it in a tunnel, there's just so much echo.

[@kinyutaka]

Mono sound tends to do that.

[@nadiayorc]

pretty sure there was some spring/plate reverb or something like that, artificial reverb was a thing even then

[@Cyranek]

i need one of these so I can play my music back in the highest quality

[@applepinez]

yes please

[@citrusui]

how are you here

[@casey6556]

Cyranek Didn’t expect to see you here LOL

[@xbox360e9]

How tf u get here Cyranek

[@Robert08010]

Don't you need a sharpened number two pencil for a needle?

[@MarkZammitronic]

I love how creepy the blank recording pages sound. Gives me the shivers.

[@squidiskool]

And also the creepy views of the system itself...

[@spugintrntl]

@@squidiskool What gets me is how the people giving instructions on how to give IQ tests keep stumbling over words, misreading their script, and genuinely don't seem to care at all.

[@markm0000]

@@spugintrntl Once you peel back the thin curtain, all of western education is exactly like that.

[@ZGryphon]

@@spugintrntl "... you will now have to change to sound page [CLATTER] number s-- eight." He shuffled around to check which page it was and STILL nearly got it wrong.

[@DrFruikenstein]

I've seen a couple of those machines, but never knew what they were. Had I been born a couple years later, I might have had the chance to use one, but at age 7 in '74, I was already reading at a higher level than the material that was presented in this presentation. As a result, the teacher had us reading short stories, and not just learning words. However, in high school (I think tenth grade) on the last day of the year, we were digging around the for some distraction from the bordom of nothing to do when one of the guys found a portable open reel tape deck. The teacher wasn't sure if it still worked as he hadn't used it in fifteen years, but set it up, anyway. It did work, and we all took turns recording with it, and playing it back. It just goes to show that when students start digging around, they will find old equipment, and try it out.

[@piusg]

Once upon a time, the Oklahoma Legislature actually bought things for their students. Huh.

[@absalomdraconis]

Oklahoma's legislature doesn't buy things for education, they have the districts do it instead. This probably never saw a single school room, much less students. It was probably given out for free as advertising.

[@Bigbadwhitecracker]

@@absalomdraconis Yeah, a lot schools have one smartboard to show off to potential donors how high tech their school is and that they should invest in education. But teachers and students are not allowed to use that one smartboard.

[@startreking]

@@rubiconnn Some of us adventurous kids found it rolled into a corner and wanted to play with it, after the teacher gave us the OK we hooked it up to the projector and computer. Calibrating was a breeze. Played with it for like 30 minutes and had our fill of excitement for the class period.

[@davidbono9359]

As somebody who attended Oklahoma public schools in the 1970's, I'm pretty sure our school didn't have any of these.

[@startreking]

@@davidbono9359 Sorry, was talking about smartboards that were around in 2000-ish.

[@nikkola84]

cleion dein was always my favorite singer in teatanik, so sad movie

[@robinw77]

Interesting! Also, I almost spat my beer all over my laptop when you did the music compilation voiceover part haha! Keep up the good work mate!

[@Headroom23]

+Techmoan Let me start by saying you will never run out of "classic" items for your videos. What is "state of the art" today, is obsolete tomorrow. I want you also say I enjoy your videos. They're nostalgic and I love seeing the "classic" technology. Keep producing these great videos. Thank you.

[@HMV101]

As a 78-year old with a lifetime interest in audio/visual history, I thought I'd seen, read or heard about everything. Delighted to discover from this video that I haven't. Many thanks for sharing this. (As proof of my aforementioned passion, each time I attempt to declare my present age, my laptop's predictive text function writes 78rpm )

[@korhonenmikko]

The southern drawl, constant stumbling over words despite the very slow pace, and the subject matter really do make a very melancholy combination.

[@kbbbb7]

Yes, let's all inflict standardised testing on a child's art project, that will help them in life.

[@magicjoybox]

I don't know man, that Southern lady's accent is pretty hot.

[@iagreebut6813]

Southern USA > rest of USA in everyway. The south in my opinion is less racist than most major northern cities. I'm not "white" and I've been everywhere in USA and experienced the opposite of what I've been told in media. The south east is so special, especially my home in the blue ridge mountains. Of course you have bad actors but the south gets a bad wrap because of their history, which is deserved but if people would move on things would be alot better. Most of the people who won't accept change are outside looking in, the people who embrace the culture are the ones who are defining the new south. Today you can be invited into a multicultural cookout as a complete stranger and have the best time of your life in the south. Hospitality is in our blood, so is lard ;-)

[@cptnwcky]

The thing that really makes me sad is that this is tech from the 70's; (which was considered niche at the time) that one can infer still hadn't been completely phased out of the curriculum by the mid 90's. And this was well before shit like "No Child Left Behind" was enacted.

[@absalomdraconis]

@@cptnwcky : No, Oklahoma doesn't actually have a centralised education system. It's far more likely that this was given out for free as advertising. Chances are that this never saw a classroom.

[@paulriggs42]

Those are amazingly good quality, the first time I’ve ever seen such a recording format…. You can just imagine that lady’s voice being used in an Avalanches track.

[@Yapostadodat]

Probably the best tech channel on KZbin, your intro and outro music is so comforting and techy I really need to hear it everyday. Thanks for all your effort; stay well and keep posting.

[@624radicalham]

It's incredible that this runs with the original capacitors and that the white plastic hasn't yellowed like on a Commodore VIC-20 or other plastic devices from that era.

[@alphamone]

It's mostly capacitors from the late 80s to early 90s that have major issues (look up the "capacitor plague" for more info).

[@Knaeckebrotsaege]

@@alphamone Look up capacitor plague? For what? The shitty Wikipedia article where actual facts are constantly getting deleted (which has been ongoing for the past 10+ years) and the same old bullshit stories repeated because mainstream media has mentioned that drivel and therefore counts as a reliable source? No thanks lol

[@PurpleTT99]

Mat, you sir need a peak viewing slot on BBC2 every week. Your vids are better than 99% of other factual programmes on mainstream TV. Bet they've approached you already!?

[@rich_edwards79]

PurpleTT99 -Agreed. Some sort of retro version of the Gadget Show would be a huge hit. But no, just more endless bloody X-Factor and Bake Off crap. No wonder no-one under the age of 40 bothers with the telly anymore.

[@alexlandherr]

I’m amazed that you can make such fascinating videos about technology that isn’t just a sponsored review!

[@DannyBeans]

I lost it at your pronunciation of "Jewl." That was great.

[@abbafan50986]

I love Alians Morseet. Her album 'Jagid lottle peel' was fantastic

[@orbitaaltube]

It sounds like something boards of canada would take samples from. Amazing machine.

[@88njtrigg88]

"Recorded & kept for prosperity." Thank you 'Techmoan.

[@SpiritedSpy]

8:55 honestly that's just downright creepy to me, it's just the way it cuts in.

[@dcflake5645]

Alians Morseet was my favourite back in the day. Sounds like a character from Star Wars.

[@aerohk]

The sound is really good, very impressive! Quality contents, thanks.

[@theastrogamer710]

I wonder why they covered the entire back side of the sheet with the oxide instead of just the circle in the middle where the play head is at, maybe its just simpler to cover the entire side than the specific area that is played.

[@cobrass8033]

The Astro Gamer they could have made the paper circular. Would have been practical

[@theastrogamer710]

But it would make drawing on it harder.

[@cobrass8033]

The Astro Gamer it would be a picture disc on paper instead of vinyl

[@vink6163]

If it was a circle you wouldn't be able to photocopy onto it or use standard printing equipment.

[@mustangrt8866]

so no scratching :(

[@valentinocolaon6060]

This video production quality is better than our national television broadcast

[@DavidPietersen]

This is one of the best channels on KZbin!

[@GreyHulk2156]

Alians Morseet was always the best. :)

[@Stefan-]

Aliens !!! where !!

[@Alexandra.H]

Alien Marmoset and Cleon Deon are timeless!

[@SciPunk215]

I swear I was subscribed to this channel years ago, but it appears I was not. That has been corrected. This channel is one of my favorites. I was afraid Techmoan would run out of audio tech to review, but after this intro I'm not worried.

[@2400dimension]

I love these videos, I grew up around an old tv repair shop that was choc full of strange old tech. Loved exploring it as a kid, love watching your videos as an adult. Thank you Techmoan.

[@mattzww]

I gotta say , a paper player/recorder I did not see that coming 🤔

[@epdm2be620]

mattzww yeah, I really thought he'd made that up. Recording audio on paper, what a daft idea :-)

[@ConstantinSPurcea]

YES! Getting on the earth is round vs. flat bandwagon too with that page

[@derekmyers3258]

this is so fascinating i can't even explain it. as a person who spent enough time fantasizing about any which way audio recording could happen, this completes a dream.

[@michaellineberg4015]

Your videos are very informative and educational, but you always leave me smiling as well! Thank you so much! :-)

[@gotztago]

I need to hear what it sounds like misaligned or folded, it's hard to imagine it would have much tolerance for error

[@ViewpointProd]

a Techmoan and an oddity archive video in the same day, proof that god exists

[@Fluteboy]

9:15 - "Out now on K-Smell Records!"

[@ViewpointProd]

i prefer sergei's catacoumb of classics

[@Colddirector]

Wow, never thought I'd see someone mention oddity archive here.

[@ViewpointProd]

speaking of ol' benny boy, i saw in my notifications he liked a post of mine, i want to litteraly scream, Also, he's fully aware of the audience and fans of both, hell benny boy enjoys techmoan aswell

[@fixman88]

Be N S O N I got a serious Oddity Archive vibe off that part with the music recordings!

[@RBSVader]

What a interesting device this machine is. Here, in USSR (Estonia SSR) school we had only reel-to-reel tapes for english lessons and sometimes simple little devices with red and green light and some buttons, using punch cards with questions on them). If i'll be able to find something interesting, i'll send it to TechMoan, as *i am commander Shepard and this is my favourite channel on KZbin!* (lol). Thank you for nice job!

[@kjamison5951]

My first thought was a black and white spiral printed on the back of the paper, like a record groove, that an optical pickup would read and convert to sound. That could be photocopied. That the entire page is coated in magnetic material is amazing. Thanks for the video!

[@Kelvin5378]

"the earth is round not flat" Flat earthers: triggered

[@0LoneTech]

Never mind the flat earthers, the myth that people wouldn't believe the Earth was round is itself an artificial hoax, designed to belittle ancestors just because they couldn't answer the fallacy (you know, being long dead and such). The arrogance of it is rather apalling. Then the flat earthers got hold of that myth and spun their conspiracy theories around it. Basically, the proof they're talking about was all experiments revolving around how large the Earth was, not its shape.

[@austinchasteeny]

@@0LoneTech facts

[@paulmurgatroyd6372]

Can't it be round and flat at the same time? Almost like a record.

[@memes_gbc674]

@@paulmurgatroyd6372 wait

[@brettvv7475]

@@paulmurgatroyd6372 Sure, but it's not.

[@_loveableidiot]

Hearing the voices of the teachers made me have the thought of "we just listened to voices of dead people"

[@MrGoatflakes]

Sounds like the dead don't sleep easy... 😹

[@Mrcake0103]

"The ASMR nuts are going to love this." lol.

[@piotrnod6489]

yup, he's right about that xD

[@Alex_K221]

Can confirm

[@larrychilders6599]

I remember seeing one in school and this video made it seem like I was meeting an old friend

[@davedaranjo]

The music "infomercial" had me crackin up

[@mcb187]

As someone who had the misfortune of going to school in Oklahoma at one point, I can confirm that them still using, or at least having this equipment in the late 90’s is not out of the realm of possibility. My district was having paper shortages to the point where when I brought a box with 2 reams of paper to my math teacher, she cried.

[@SnapshotOfASoul]

In my high school we had something like this, but not the special school I went to which was all tech'd out (for 2011). The high school still had maps from 1978. :I The main difference is that there was one, and it was used alongside some sort of mirror projector, like the overhead kind most people remember (we had those too) but it would play audio alongside it and we'd answer the questions on a ScanTron at our desks. The teacher would pause each question and let us hear it again if need be. The reason we used this is because it was considered more accessible for two classes I took, both related to wars and social studies.

[@SpiritedSpy]

10:02 that's sounding a little slow, I think you'll find that you need to replace the caps on that!

[@dylandreisbach1986]

When a kids learning device from the 70s gives out more sound information about the round earth and scientific method then all flat earthers today.

[@Salmagundiii]

7:08-8:30: appearing soon on an upcoming Godspeed You! Black Emperor album.

[@safirahmed]

I was expecting the male voice to talk about an IMF mission at 06:02. There was also a different kind of machine in the mid 1970s that would read aloud cards that would move along the slot on the top front of the machine. Users would be discouraged from placing multiple cards one after the other together to make the machine talk phrases quickly.

[@steveh9869]

I was very interested to hear about the IQ test for students utilizing a self-portrait! My mother was grade school teacher in Texas through the 1960’s and she told us all about this method which was employed by Houston, Texas public schools. She felt this activity was ridiculous and couldn’t believe it was part of the overall curriculum. Thank you for capturing this history and having such a great channel!

[@jonathancook9292]

I don't get how it works. Who wouldn't draw a head in a picture of themselves? Also what's drawing ability got to do with intelligence? Sounds incredibly ropey, like they couldn't be bothered to assess what they should.

[@steveh9869]

Jonathan Cook I agree as did my mother. I suppose it was a well intentioned idea that got distorted as it passed through education committees prior to being utilized in the classroom. 🤔

[@jonathancook9292]

It was good that your mother saw it for what it was. Some of these mandatory things have no substance or worth, and unfortunately a lot of people (inc teachers) go along with it as an Emperor's New Clothes. The bad side can be when it tars perfectly healthy children with a label that can stay on their record for years, or cloud a real problem they have.

[@makeminefreedom]

Talk about a missing link in the evolution of electronics. I have never seen this device before not even in the military. Thanks for sharing.

[@hanniballecter4283]

I did hear something like these were used in the military for training

[@Squonk06]

I remember a time when those songs were new and kids actually listened to them. I was one of those kids, in fact. Just another reminder that I'm getting old.

[@TheLionAndTheLamb777]

My kids asked me "why don't you listen to "today's" music. I told them, "sometimes I find some and then I do". They asked, "do you mean that you find some that you like ?". I replied, "no I mean music".

[@jamesgrimwood1285]

Same here, although I used to listen to Alanis on that other failed audio format known as MiniDisc ;-)

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Squonk06 We all do.

[@thepuzzlemaster64]

+Squonk06 For me, I just can't get away from these songs wherever I go, and it bothers me a lot.

[@AaronSmart.online]

That era of music reminds me of Atlantic 252, which sounded only marginally better than that paper!

[@L00PdeL00P]

Incredible the stories these pages tell.

[@Randomninja47]

I was not expecring Alanis, Celine and Jewel to hit me with so much nostalgia but I remember really loving to sing those songs as a kid. Guess I know what I'm looking up tomorrow.

[@xeokym223]

I laughed so hard at the misspelled pop names I almost choked on my iced tea

[@MochaMoonpie]

...and Keith Sweat.

[@djhrecordhound4391]

At first I thought it was something from my childhood, different than this. Maybe it's a device you've already covered...? There was a "word memory audio card" system I remember from (Canadian) elementary school. A little sound box pulled a paper card along a guided track, possibly on top of the unit. Each card had a strip on its back. A head mounted inside the track could play from or record onto the strip. It played long enough (maybe 5 seconds tops?) to fit one word. It's how I learned the concept of tape itself before 10yrs old. I gather it would have been useful in a radio station to help announcers with proper pronunciations of names. Excellent videos, btw. The Grande Pomme de Terre would be pleased...

[@giuseppecatha]

many memories had been left in this machine

[@SmithMrCorona]

ASMR nuts! HA!

[@tyrgoossens]

Haha ... Yes ... Those nuts, not like us normal people. *looks around shiftily*

[@busog97641]

What is the meaning of ASMR? I tried looking for it but what I did find didn't seem to be what the meaning would have been for this video. :')

[@SmithMrCorona]

www.google.com/search?q=asmr&rlz=1C1GGRV_enUS753US753&oq=asmr&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.1575j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

[@tough213]

wow that reminds pe of the general electric play and talk recording paper turntable great vintage find thank you for sharing

[@jonathan_ansell]

We had one of these at primary school, north-east england, 1977. a great teching tool !

[@davidrobinson9290]

We had one of these in primary school in the UK in 1980. I can’t remember much about the pre recorded ones (though we used them occasionally) but I was allowed to record a story onto a blank one and draw my own picture on it.

[@PJE]

Absolutely creepy! I don't remember if it was 'Session 9', 'The House on the Haunted Hill' or both, but in some movie they were listening to disturbing old recordings taken in a mental institution, and these audio sheets sounded a lot like those.

[@tyler5888]

I wonder if it would sound better with chrome or metal paper.

[@TreybertThomas]

I like to think that there are alternate realities in the multiverse where, instead of CDs, albums are released on magnetic paper or something similar. Can you imagine?

[@Coderjo.]

When I saw the first shot of the device, I was reminded of this player I got sometime in my youth that actually had a clear phonograph record on the back of cards you would place in the player and the device would play them by moving the needle around the stationary card similar to how this moves the head around the paper. I also had a few oversize baseball cards for it. I forget what was recorded on them, though.

[@ChrisBennettGameDesign]

9:16 I literally spit my coffee out. ☕️

[@stp22]

More innovation back in those days, truly clever people that created devices like this

[@entritur]

Nice to see my state getting air-time. I can tell you that our education system used really old equipment when i was in school.

[@nickdudesville5154]

"my whole self??? even my weinie?!, teacher ma'am"

[@5476Himself]

obviously you would draw clothes onto yourself, too.

[@Charky_Creations]

You can definitely tell they're from the south!

[@SunnyWu]

What if it was a nudist :D

[@HeromanVII]

My brain is feeling weird. Thanks Techmate. Back to my ASMR face slapping sessions. Side note: I like skits. You're doing great!

[@Milosz_Ostrow]

+Techmoan - Around 1968-1970 a device appeared on the market in the United States that was used in language instruction and speech therapy, featuring a recordable iron oxide strip printed along the long edge of a card-stock "flash-card". As I recall, the strip was 1/4 inch wide, the same width as standard 1/4-inch magnetic recording tape. The card, which was at least the size of a Hollerith computer card, perhaps a bit larger, would be inserted into a slot on the top of the machine with the long edge horizontal and most of the card in full view, where the word or phrase to be practiced might be written. The user would then push a button that would cause a motor to drag the recording/playback head from one end of the card to the other, giving a few seconds of sound playback, whereupon the head would snap back to its home position. The head had two channels: The first channel was for the factory or instructor's use only, and that channel could be unlocked for recording on the same unit with a key or special switch, while the second channel could be used by the student to imitate the instructor and listen to their version through headphones. As I recall, the whole unit was about the size of a shoe box and relatively lightweight. They were also inexpensive enough that a classroom could be equipped with one per student. Sorry, I don't remember who the manufacturer was. Nowadays, of course, the same functionality would be implemented on a computer with no moving parts, using WAV or MP3 files.

[@gallardworth]

That voice sounds like something that would be in a horror movie before someone gets killed

[@MrAranton]

I don't think this came from the past. It must have fallen out of some strange paralell dimension, one in which it seemed believable people would actually pay money to see a fat woman.

[@MDPToaster]

MrAranton Pornhub Premium

[@tallman11282]

Fat women were a relatively common sight in circus sideshows many, many years ago, which that sheet refers to.

[@clifffton]

They paid to see "oddities", the fat lady was just one of them.

[@stranger7968]

Now you can see fat women for free, just go to any supermarket in US. What a time to be alive.

[@UhOhUmm]

Obese people in general were a circus attraction. Doesn't surprise anyone these days.

[@100percentSNAFU]

6:05 flat earthers everywhere are now enraged.

[@Rayman1971]

I remember this now!! We had it in our school in Canada in the 70s!

[@Dang_Ol_Username]

What a trip i forgot all about this! I used this thing when i was very young, for speech therapy... or whatever it was called when you learned proper pronunciation. I think i was in first or second grade. Pretty sure it was just before, or just after 911 so my school must have been one of the last.

[@user-rs1990]

There was an electronic teaching device in yellow/white and it came with sheets of paper that you place on the board and when you press the area containing the word or picture, it would reply with the corresponding word or phrase. And I remember using one in my kindy years.

[@donaldvincent]

Wow, the guy that voiced the part about the "Round Earth" is a voice I hear all the time. He was on a hit song in the 1980's called "19" about the Vietnam war. But I hear him at work where we train people for CPR and AED/First Aid. His voice gives the instructions when you open the AED (Automatic External Defibrillator). I heard that he lives here in Florida with the rest of us weirdo's....

[@pswitch9553]

6:07 There ya go, flatearthers!

[@scottandrewhutchins]

I remember some odd talking book I saw demoed in a toy store, probably an educational toy store (it's long gone--it was in the Keystone Square Mall in Carmel, Indiana, which was torn down many years ago. Eventually the shopping center was turned into condos). I remember the demo had some reading comprehension stuff. All I remember is a baritone voice saying "She could not have appeared in silent movies..." because the time frame was wrong.

[@TonyGearSolid]

I wouldn't be surprised if these were still being used in schools leading into the early 00s, I graduated in 01 and we were still using books from the 70s in some of our classes.

[@singularity1676]

Ricoh was also in the photography field.

[@mata5724]

yep

[@ChristopherSobieniak]

Xavier Tavarez Yeah they do copiers.

[@wryyyy]

Ricoh also made microprocessors, most notably the CPU for the Nintendo NES.

[@Shibzzeg]

Aren't they the guys behind Pentax?

[@wryyyy]

Pentax got bought by Ricoh in 2011. Originally Pentax was a company of their own, but got into economical trouble in the 2000s merged with Hoya, and then sold to Ricoh.

[@Pixel-Days]

Surprisingly good quality for a piece of magnetic paper I should note

[@chuckdieselkicksdisks2380]

Cool...you never cease to amaze me!

[@brianschmidt1998]

These videos have way too good of production quality for the views they get.

[@peepeeland]

Handing out your music demo on a piece of paper would be pretty badass.

[@scanlime]

What a weird object! Thanks for another great video, and for presenting old technology (and old culture) with such attention to detail and a sense of humor ^_^

[@thrwawyacct]

Very interesting hardware! Thanks for sharing! If it made it's way into the education system, it was probably 30 years old before being adopted, just like you told us...