Lauren Weinstein

Isn't it interesting that even though there only rarely are actual "tapes" involved these days, the term "tape" is almost universally used when discussing recordings (almost certainly digital) as in the Trump case.

There are many other examples of words used long beyond their original meaning in tech of course.

We still talk of "dialing" a phone number, even though dials vanished from phones when touch-tone push-button phones became the norm (though rotary dial phones do still exist). Same for TVs -- actual dials vanished long ago from all but the cheapest sets.

We talk of "hanging up" on someone from a phone call, but the term "hanging up" didn't even make sense even with any but the oldest phones that actually had a "hook" that the earpiece of the phone would be hung on (e.g. a "candlestick" phone).

There are lots more ...

Jun 27, 2023 at 5:14pmWeb
Show threadDerek SoJun 27, 2023
@lauren linguistic skeuomorphs
Show threadDoug WarrenJun 27, 2023

@derekso @lauren
"Book 14 of the Skeumorphs series, from Scholastic Press."

[Image of preteen morphing into icon of floppy disk.]

Show thread🐻 John Jun 27, 2023
@lauren "Podcast" is one of my favorite examples. The term has long outlived the iPod and will probably continue to do so
Show threadspheruliticJun 27, 2023
@EponymousBosh @lauren both the “pod” and the “cast” are anachronisms
Show threadShirley EugestJun 27, 2023
@lauren
Video too, film at 11:00.
Show threadInfrogmationJun 27, 2023

@EugestShirley @lauren

The term "Video" seems to have been extended backwards as well as forwards. For decades it generally meant analog electronic (eg video tape) as distinct from film, but I see people using it for film.

Show threadShirley EugestJun 27, 2023
@Infrogmation @lauren
I think you are right.
Now let me go back to playing a video game on my smartphone.📹 😉 ☎️
https://filmdaft.com/when-was-the-first-video-camera-invented-a-brief-illustrated-historical-overview/
When Was the First Video Camera Invented? A Brief Illustrated Historical Overview.

A brief historical overview of the first video camera and movie cameras - from big studios to portable home video cameras.

FilmDaft
Show threadMichaela SueJun 28, 2023
@Infrogmation @EugestShirley @lauren I once read a reference to the "Zapruder tape" 🤣
Show threadShirley EugestJun 28, 2023
@beige_alert @Infrogmation @lauren Film is form of tape, with sprockets, no?
Show threadLauren WeinsteinJun 28, 2023

@EugestShirley @beige_alert @Infrogmation No. Unless one considers "magnetic film" which was widely used for motion picture soundtracks. It's magnetic tape with sprockets, literally.

Sidenote: On a visit to the original Industrial Light and Magic facility many years ago (when they were unmarked buildings in a San Rafael business park), I held in my hand (with permission) the little magnetic film reel from the audio effects library that contained Darth Vader's breathing. Truth.

Show threadShirley EugestJun 28, 2023
@lauren @beige_alert @Infrogmation
Sigh, I've never held Darth Vader's breath
Show threadTony WellsJun 27, 2023

@lauren

I'd post a more detailed reply, but I've just realised when I cancelled Netflix, I forgot to rewind all the movies.

Show threadTony WellsJun 27, 2023

@lauren

Mobile phone, or mobile. I'd guess most kids just call it a phone now, although they seem somewhat averse to actually making a phone call.
One of the most popular retail stores for phones in the UK is still called Carphone Warehouse, although it's been slowing pulled into the 'Currys' stores branding, as has 'PC World', and many have all 3 brands on the storefront.

Show threadLauren WeinsteinJun 27, 2023
@TonyJWells A phone is a phone. Really no issue with that one.
Show threadHeddersJun 27, 2023
@lauren We click on a picture of a 3.5" floppy disk in order to save files!
Show threadsuldrew 🚲🏳️‍🌈Jun 27, 2023
@lauren consider wall mounted and pay phones
Show threadLauren WeinsteinJun 27, 2023
@suldrew Even they (except the very oldest) didn't have "hooks". You really have to go back to candlesticks to find them.
Show threadllewellyJun 27, 2023

@lauren
"digital" computing. Nobody computes on their fingers anymore. : )

ok ok that's just a pun, the real history of the word digital and how it came to mean what it means in the context of computing is much more complicated.

Show threadKat A Klysm Jun 27, 2023
@lauren @lisamelton watching a film/filming something is another. Film isn’t used in video on a wide basis anymore.
Show threadJ Emory Parker 🏳️‍🌈Jun 27, 2023
@lauren "footage" is a good one, refers to literal length of video film
Show thread👩‍🦯The Blind FraggleJun 27, 2023
@lauren Yeah, it really is very interesting!
Show threadH. MantegazziJun 27, 2023
@lauren in Spanish we didn't adopt the tape metaphor, but rather kept with a previous version: engraving
Show threadLauren WeinsteinJun 27, 2023
@hmantegazzi Fascinating.
Show threadLord KelvinJun 27, 2023

@lauren
The touch-tone kitchen wall phone had a handset that "hung up". 'Twasn't the candlestick. So I think that one is valid well into the 1990s at least.

The one that always cracks me up is pointing a smartphone or go-pro (et al) at some occurrence "to film it."

Show threadGene Cowan 🏳️‍🌈Jun 27, 2023
@lauren I especially love the terms people use when recording video on their phone. “Film” or “tape” just sound weird.
Show threadPaul Marques MotaJun 27, 2023

@lauren spherical bombs with a wick we all know from cartoons date from 1886.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/why-we-picture-bombs-as-round-black-balls-with-a-burning-wick

Why We Picture Bombs As Round Black Balls with a Burning Wick

In 1920, the popular newspaper comic strip Jerry on the Job was adapted by Bray Studios into a few animated films. In “The Bomb Idea,” Jerry and another...

Atlas Obscura
Show threadCharlie McintoshJun 27, 2023
@lauren “wearing a wire” hasn’t actually been a wire for decades 👻
Show threadJason MeadenJun 27, 2023
@lauren I still ‘wind down the windows’ in my car, just with a button. I even use the universal sign for wind down the windows - even though almost no cars likely have a handle to wind their window down with.
Show threadJohn BurnsJun 28, 2023

@lauren

Perennial Icon for "Save"... Floppy Disc...

Show threadUna MilutinovichJun 28, 2023
@lauren I installed a rotary dialer app on my phone which can actually make phone calls 🤣
Show threadLauren WeinsteinJun 28, 2023
@unami Yeah, I have one of those installed.
Show threadVirginicusJun 28, 2023
@lauren I tell myself that “dial” stands for “digitally initiate audio link”.
Show threadDavid GoldfieldJun 28, 2023
@lauren @devinprater There’s one more that I thought you would mention, but I’ll let you off the hook for that one
Show threadBenjamin WoodringJun 28, 2023
@lauren Footage is one of them too since it’s referring to the literal lengths of film.
Show threadC.Jun 28, 2023

@lauren

Also much-later #wallphones with a hook you hung the #handset up on. Not as common parlance as "hang up", but going "off-hook" meant something physical. My family still had one in 1982. Harvest Gold.

My favourite bit of phone tech that didn't belong properly in either the analog or digital universes was pushbutton phones that had a selector switch that let you configure them to emit #DTMF tones OR #pulse trains. I had one; phone company charged $2 extra per month for DTMF support.

Show threadMadness832Jun 28, 2023
@lauren We "film" w/ our phones!
Show threadmsilverstar-locked-ishJun 29, 2023
@lauren "put a pin in it"