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Richard · 09-14-2008, 08:13

FWIW - FALSE...but interesting to ponder.

http://www.snopes.com/history/american/gauge.asp

On the other hand, here is a true interesting History lesson which came from the OSS Society.

Martin Tytell was a typewriter repairman and expert -- that's it. But in his 70-year career, which ended on his retirement in 2000, Tytell was so influential that when he once made a mistake on a typewriter that was set up for Burmese (he accidentally inserted the slug for one character upside down), the mistake became standard -- even in Burma (now Myanmar). His Manhattan shop, where he advertised "Psychoanalysis for Your Typewriter", was frequented by writers like Dorothy Parker, newsmen like David Brinkley, and politicians like Dwight D. Eisenhower. Mail addressed simply to "Mr. Typewriter, New York" were delivered to him. When a museum curator needed a hieroglyphics typewriter, Tytell was able to build it. Tytell even invented a reverse carriage for languages that read from right to left. Tytell started early: he got the contract to service the typewriters in a hospital before he even
graduated from high school. In 1943, The Office of Strategic Services asked him to convert a batch of 100 machines to type in 17 different languages. When he was done, they were airdropped to O.S.S. units along the front lines. "I'm 83 years old and I just signed a 10-year lease on this office," he said in 1977. "I'm an optimist, obviously." As for typewriters themselves, "I hope they do survive," he said. "Manual typewriters are where my heart is. They're what keep me alive." Some do survive, but Tytell died September 11 from cancer. He was 98.

Richard

09-14-2008, 08:13	#3
Richard Quiet Professional Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: NorCal Posts: 15,370	FWIW - FALSE...but interesting to ponder. http://www.snopes.com/history/american/gauge.asp On the other hand, here is a true interesting History lesson which came from the OSS Society. Martin Tytell was a typewriter repairman and expert -- that's it. But in his 70-year career, which ended on his retirement in 2000, Tytell was so influential that when he once made a mistake on a typewriter that was set up for Burmese (he accidentally inserted the slug for one character upside down), the mistake became standard -- even in Burma (now Myanmar). His Manhattan shop, where he advertised "Psychoanalysis for Your Typewriter", was frequented by writers like Dorothy Parker, newsmen like David Brinkley, and politicians like Dwight D. Eisenhower. Mail addressed simply to "Mr. Typewriter, New York" were delivered to him. When a museum curator needed a hieroglyphics typewriter, Tytell was able to build it. Tytell even invented a reverse carriage for languages that read from right to left. Tytell started early: he got the contract to service the typewriters in a hospital before he even graduated from high school. In 1943, The Office of Strategic Services asked him to convert a batch of 100 machines to type in 17 different languages. When he was done, they were airdropped to O.S.S. units along the front lines. "I'm 83 years old and I just signed a 10-year lease on this office," he said in 1977. "I'm an optimist, obviously." As for typewriters themselves, "I hope they do survive," he said. "Manual typewriters are where my heart is. They're what keep me alive." Some do survive, but Tytell died September 11 from cancer. He was 98. Richard __________________ “Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of (another)… There are just some kind of men who – who’re so busy worrying about the next world they’ve never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.” - To Kill A Mockingbird (Atticus Finch) “Almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.” - Robert Heinlein Last edited by Richard; 09-14-2008 at 08:18.
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