#at&t

[science70]

AT&T/Bell Telephone Company employment opportunity ad, 1972.

[thegikitiki]

Two Phones That Ring As One...

Bell System Telephones, 1966

[yourobedientserpent]

Teledystopia

@teidar dropped this in our Discord server this morning, and it reminded me of something from my middle school years.

Back in the '70s, we had an assembly at my school to listen to a presentation by some shill from The Phone Company about telephone technology and the Dazzling Amazing Future of Telecommunications.

(Like I said, it was the '70s.)

It included a pretty accurate version of compact portable phone technology.

"You'll never be out of touch! People will always be able tp reach you, wherever you are! You could be surfing on the beach at Maui, and your boss could call you to talk about work!"

He seemed utterly baffled when someone asked, "what if you don't want people to call you? Who wants their boss to call them on vacation?"

How could anyone not want this glorious future utopia of constant communication?

I will note that his version of Amazing Future Phones were strapped to your wrist at all times. Someone asked, "couldn't you just take your phone off and leave it in your hotel room?" and he answered, "well, no, you couldn't."

I suspect that whoever wrote up his presentation never really thought about these questions, but I've never forgotten that at least one guy at The Phone Company literally wanted to chain these fucking things to your wrist.

[fuzzyghost]

AT&T Genesis Telesystem (1984)

[goshyesvintageads]

American Telephone & Telegraph Co, 1962

[cravinganescape]

(1970s) Mod II by AT&T / Bell Labs was the first picture phone to exist on the market. Not only did it connect phone to video, but users were able to share documents with each other !

[fadinghours]

📸 Sinna Nasseri for The New York Times

[pretty-little-fools]

[science70]

Indiana Bell Switching Center, Columbus, Indiana, 1976.

Architect: Paul Kennon/Caudill Rowlett Scott (CRS)

Photography: Carol M. Highsmith

[thegikitiki]

Surround Yourself with Phones...

Bell Telephone System, 1964

[youngexwivesclub]

Interview for the AT&T Block Party

[stone-cold-groove]

New radar sky-watch to guard arctic frontier. Western Electric ad - 1952.

[fruitiermetrostation]

[goshyesvintageads]

Western Electric Co, 1953