Key caps

Post #173,556 by deSitter 9/10/04 1:35:17 PM 9/10/04 1:38:14 PM Reply	Key caps Typewriter repairmen where accustomed to putting new caps on hammer-front-strike TWs. IBM typewriters featured replaceable hammercaps. See this: [link\|http://www.selectric.org/selectric/index.html\|http://www.selectric...ectric/index.html] I think THIS is conclusive, and will now admit that these documents were in fact forged. Amazing. -drl Edited by deSitter Sept. 10, 2004, 01:38:14 PM EDT Expand All History
Post #173,558 by xtensive 9/10/04 1:48:27 PM Reply	Re: Key caps In which case the next question is, who forged them? Did these come straight via a FOIA request? Are these part of Shrubs scrubbed files? Again, however, note that your link states the Selectric Composer - which was capable of this, and for which the link has no sample - could make these memos. They were expensive in '66 when first introduced, maybe not so much four to six years later. The USAF was using the Composer... but where? thanks mx. "I'm man enough to tell you that I can't put my finger on exactly what my philosophy is now, but I'm flexible." -- Malcolm X
Post #173,562 by deSitter 9/10/04 1:56:17 PM Reply	Re: Key caps I don't think the document was produced in Windows/Word, since there are small but important font differences (and I'm very anal about fonts :) It may have been produced in Word Perfect, or with a Mac. Did the Republicans deliberately plant forgeries to take the attention away from Ben Barnes' statements? Where did the documents originate? That after all was the REALLY damning evidence. It is a terrible time when we have to doubt if such subtrefuge is afoot. -drl
Post #173,563 by Andrew Grygus 9/10/04 2:01:13 PM Reply	The expense is irrelevant. I'm plenty familiar with this in the corp. environment from back then and I'm sure it was the same in government. A high capability machine would be purchased for a particular person or project. The person would be transferred, the project would be canceled or some such. At this point the high capability machine becomes an orphan to be assigned to whoever has no choice in the matter (it was often oversize or a bother to use). For example, the expensive programmable accountants calculator I used until 1984 was never programmed again after I left and was passed on to whoever didn't have a say in the matter until it finally died many years later. So the expense or specialized intent of a machine has little bearing on who ends up using it some years (or even months) after purchase. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #173,569 by Arkadiy 9/10/04 2:14:34 PM Reply	According to other bloggers Selectric Composers were not only expensive, but really hard to use. They were driven by specialist to produce fliers and news sheet, not used by officers for documents that were to be hidded in personal file, never to see the light of day unless CUA was desired. Think PowerPoint versus Photoshop. -- ... a reference to Presidente Arbusto. -- [link\|http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001417.html\|Geoffrey K. Pullum]
Post #173,568 by Another Scott 9/10/04 2:14:04 PM Reply	Picture of Selectric Composer 47 kb .jpg [link\|http://www.ibmcomposer.org/SelComposer/description.htm\|Selectric Composer]. [image\|http://www.ibmcomposer.org/SelComposer/images/MyComposer1.jpg\|0\|Selctric Composer\|325\|420] The basic task of the IBM Composer was to produce justified camera ready copy using proportional fonts. It has the capability of using a variety of font sizes and styles. The first IBM Composer was the IBM "Selectric" Composer announced in 1966. It was a hybrid "Selectric" typewriter that was modified to have proportional spaced fonts. It is 100% mechanical and has no digital electronics. Since it has no memory, the user was required to type everything twice. While typing the text the first time, the machine would measure the length of the line and count the number of spaces. When the user finished typing a line of text, they would record special measurements into the right margin of the paper. Once the entire column of text was typed and measured, it would then be retyped, however before typing each line, the operator would set the special justification dial (on the right side) to the proper settings, then type the line. The machine would automatically insert the appropriate amount of space between words so that all of the text would be justified. It doesn't sound like a machine that someone would use to type memos. Cheers, Scott.

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