FearnbSep 22, 2024
Angus McIntyre

TIL that my dad used to use a hidden page on the BBC's #Ceefax #teletext service to let my mom know when he was leaving the office.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr54myyy671o

Cambridge teletext event marks 50 years of Ceefax

An event is marking 50 years of on-demand teletext services, including Ceefax, ORACLE and 4-Tel.

Sep 21, 2024 at 9:10pmIvory for Mac
Show threadAngus McIntyreSep 22, 2024

(Sadly, this story may not be true. My mom says she never heard of it, and the layout of our house didn't really favor checking the TV every 15 minutes for updates. It sounds like something that my dad might have talked about doing, or maybe did once or twice as a test, rather than a regular thing).

What is true is that we had one of the first teletext TVs: the “remote" was actually a gizmo with three rotary switches for dialing up page numbers, tethered to the TV by a thick cable!

Show threadBen EvansSep 22, 2024
@angusm That's is a really lovely piece!
Show threadohmrunSep 22, 2024
@angusm My first thought was "Imagine being that close to someone that they care where you are?"
Show threaddominic Sep 22, 2024
@angusm Teletext was the greatest. I used to do the puzzles every day and it kept this autistic youngster out of trouble.
Show threadSteve Dallape ☑️ 🌎Sep 22, 2024
@angusm Living in the US my entire life, I had never heard of Ceefax. I have to say, as a graphic designer, that logo delights me - there's really no other word for it.