Signs of missing the point on a past technology

A friend sent me the Craig's list advertisement here. When I first read it, I had a sharp intake of breath. Then a long, outward sigh of recognition. Someone had missed the point. In selling antiques there is always someone who removes the old varnish and spiffs up the ancient piece of furniture, thus ruining its antique value. Well, this one is either a very long pull of a very long leg or someone who has missed the technology bus and is still running along on roller skates.

Annealing molybdenum: the making of vacuum tubes

Wow! What a treasure is this old promo film (parts one and two, be sure to watch the "high quality" version, unless you have dial-up connection), titled "Electrons on Parade" for the making of RCA vacuum tubes of the 1940's. These are octal-based tubes. The first ones pictured are the very rugged metal-cased tubes frequently used by the U.S. military services. There is a HUGE amount of hand-work involved in the process. I never realized they had so much automation, even back in these days.

I found reference to the film being dated 1942. Early television transmissions are shown. The police cars are about 1940, I believe. And the ham radio gear in part two is really old. Brief review on the Web shows the electron microscope was invented in 1938. Failure to mention the war effort also seems to date the film as probably being created just before the war started.

For those interested in vacuum tubes, this is one of the best views of early construction I've seen and the only movie of that effort. Comments welcomed.

Building a triode

What can I say? The Holy Grail of music has seemingly (at least during our lifetimes) been the perfect amplifier. That piece of electronica which can reach the world with music.

Or if you're a ham radio operator, reach the world with your own voice or digital signal or Morse Code: to communicate completely and sufficiently with those whom you'd like to carry on a conversation.

The linked blog posting deals with a video that celebrates a kind of amplifier. The first amplifier, to be exact. The triode vacuum tube as realized by Lee De Forest so long ago. That tube started in many ways the modern electronic age. It is when the writer found, as the MAKE blog post says,

...this documentary about the 2006 European Triode Festival in the Netherlands, celebrating the 100th anniversary of this game-changing electronic component. To celebrate, a copy of the De Forest Audion (the first triode) was replicated. This video documents the build.

One of the most watched videos of the whole MAKE blog was one where a triode was constructed.