NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] When AT&T Ma Bell Ruled: 1970s Bell System (Western Electric) "Promo" Film (Dig That Soundtrack!)
When AT&T Ma Bell Ruled: 1970s Bell System (Western Electric) "Promo" Film (Dig That Soundtrack!) http://j.mp/lnyc6X (This message on Google Buzz) - - - http://j.mp/kXavgQ (YouTube / ~8.5 minutes) As tempting as it may be to stick with the doom and gloom meme all the time, I wanted to offer this fun little gem as we enter the weekend, showing Ma Bell at her peak of pre-divestiture power (a state of affairs that AT&T seems hell-bent to recreate today). This tightly edited and professionally scored clip was obviously made for the Bell System's "Western Electric" manufacturing unit, probably in the mid to late 1970s -- showing the manufacturing, testing, and use of phones such as the WE 2500. It does not include titles or credits, and ends abruptly. It has no narration, but the soundtrack is pure 70s and includes spacey sci-fi sound effects, plus various footage that might have been inspired by "2001: A Space Odyssey" perhaps. Where else can you see a technician testing phone handsets from inside an environmental chamber "space suit" rig? Ma Bell at AT&T's pre-divestiture peak of influence! The countdown leader (apparently originally included with this clip), is notable for the flash of a woman that appears (handy for color correction -- I've seen this leader featuring her on other clips over the years as well). Speaking of color correction, the original clip had suffered extreme differential dye fading and was subsequently heavily skewed toward deep red in color. I have done my best to correct this for more comfortable viewing. Enjoy. --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein (lauren@vortex.com): http://www.vortex.com/lauren Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org Founder: - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org - Global Coalition for Transparent Internet Performance: http://www.gctip.org - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/laurenweinstein Google Buzz: http://j.mp/laurenbuzz Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com