I originally went to get the $5.00 typewriter...

[whirlcool]

Back in college I had a summer job working for an auto parts company as a operator of an IBM System 3. What an interesting machine. It was used for inventory control and accounting for a few of their retail locations. The System 3 didn't use standard punched cards, but smaller square ones.
Those round things on the desk were disk drive disks. I think they held 40MB each.
We also had a tape subsystem too.

 

[whirlcool]

A System 3 Punch Card

Here is what the System 3 punch card looked like.

Over a Christmas holiday one year a friend in Chicago who worked for IBM took me on a tour of the computer "show room" for the IBM mainframes at the IBM builing in downtown Chicago. They had everything from System 3's to IBM 370/168 machines in every color imaginable. Blue, Red, Coral, White, Yellow, Tan, Green. The salesman giving us the tour said IBM would supply any color you wanted as long as it was not pink.

The System 3 had an "Emergency Pull" red button too. I was told to only pull it if the machine caught on fire or somebody was getting electrocuted by it. Fortunately, that never happened.

 

[autowasherfreak]

I was just looking on eBay for IBM Typewriters, and auctions for a IBM Mag Card A no mag card unit just the typewriter, and either a Memory 100 or Memory 50 typewriter. For some reason the cords were cut off.

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[autowasherfreak]

Memory 100 or 50

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[ironrite]

Speaking of Punch Cards

I recall my older sister taking me here to see my first real computer. You could see the operators through the glass, wearing white coats running this huge machine. To a kid it was the future.

Phoenix Financial Center, 3443 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona

www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com

 

[petek]

What a neat building. It's similar to the Toronto City Hall which was built in the mid 60's as well
The curvy tall buildings with the circular pod .

 

[autowasherfreak]

Back To Washers

John, would you make a video of the Whirlpool portable washer? It was a nice little washer if you were doing laundry for one person, and kept up with it on a regular basis. Mine was very quiet for the most part.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[jdinstl]

Jim....will do...

Give me a couple of days, as I'm rearranging things around here. But will do.

And you're right, I was surprised as to how quiet it is! I just love the little guy....now to find the matching dryer!

John

 

[petek]

And back to typewriters

I had to take this home from Value Village the other day. Nice little Olympia portable electric. Made in Japan by not sure who made them for Olympia, maybe Brother.

 

[autowasherfreak]

The Olympia could have been made by Brother or Nakajima. Nakajima made the electronic machines for Olympia, Royal, and Swintec. I have one similar to the one in the picture, the space bar needs adjusted, and one key is stuck down.

I had the matching dryer to washer, great little set; kept me from going to the laundromat.

This is the Olympia I've been looking for

 

[jdinstl]

Pete, I like that style of Olympia...function...smart, subtly stylish. I also like the red repeat keys!

 

[autowasherfreak]

Here's my Olympia. I need a new 2 key for it and the zero and period key won't stay up, and the space doesn't seem to come up all the way after pressed. I like yours better John, what's the model number, I will have to look for one.

 

[autowasherfreak]

Opps forgot the picture.