🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <markd.654870032@sunchat> ma...@iti.org (Mark Delany)
writes:

>And of course the author referred (somewhat derogatorily) to the 029
>punch machine.
>
>Hell lad! We use to queue up for a chance on the 026!

     026!  You lucky sods!  We had to use a 024 and then run the
cards through the interpreter (557?) in the next room to see what
we had punched.

     Well, not really - I learned how to clear 029s using just a
card torn in half lengthwise (Card saws?  We don't need no steenking
card saws!) and there was always at least one jammed 029 in the room
(cuz nobody else knew how to clear them :-).

     Does anybody else remember the 557 interpreter?  The type wheels
were too big to print any more than 60 characters across the card, so
you'd have to do a second pass to print columns 61 through 80 below
the first row of print.  One time I got bored and rewired the plug
board to scramble the columns.  And the card jams!  That thing could
do the most beautiful little lengthwise accordion pleats.  Almost as
much fun as freaking out the 519 reproducing punch by feeding it
lace cards.

Charlie_Gibbs@mindlink.UUCP
"I'm cursed with hair from HELL!"  -- Night Court