1 00:00:02,102 --> 00:00:02,772 -[Narrator] Today, they’re the most commonly 2 00:00:02,870 --> 00:00:04,700 used devices on the planet. 3 00:00:04,805 --> 00:00:06,775 - Technology is moving very quickly. 4 00:00:06,874 --> 00:00:09,484 - [Narrator] A total revolution in how we talk, 5 00:00:09,576 --> 00:00:11,176 watch, and listen. 6 00:00:11,278 --> 00:00:14,778 - I can just throw away this tape ’cause it’s all digital. 7 00:00:14,882 --> 00:00:18,182 - But today’s high tech wonders weren’t always so wonderful. 8 00:00:19,152 --> 00:00:21,692 (tape whirring) (exciting music) 9 00:00:21,788 --> 00:00:23,958 From turntables to typewriters, 10 00:00:24,825 --> 00:00:26,695 cathode rays to cassettes. 11 00:00:26,793 --> 00:00:31,163 These are the gadgets that were once state of the art. 12 00:00:31,265 --> 00:00:32,975 You’ll never boot up your tech trashes 13 00:00:33,066 --> 00:00:36,766 the same way again on Modern Marvels. 14 00:00:36,870 --> 00:00:38,100 (dramatic music) 15 00:00:38,205 --> 00:00:45,055 (gears clanging) 16 00:00:50,050 --> 00:00:53,220 - [Narrator] Not that long ago, these relics were parts 17 00:00:53,320 --> 00:00:56,090 that lived inside our favorite gadgets. 18 00:00:56,189 --> 00:00:58,929 The ones we absolutely couldn’t live without. 19 00:00:59,026 --> 00:01:02,296 The ones we reluctantly retired to attics and garages. 20 00:01:05,365 --> 00:01:07,025 These seemingly primitive products 21 00:01:07,134 --> 00:01:08,134 were once our connection 22 00:01:08,235 --> 00:01:10,445 to the world and to each other. 23 00:01:11,605 --> 00:01:14,075 And no matter what new innovations we embrace, 24 00:01:14,174 --> 00:01:16,644 we’ll always recall the retro originals 25 00:01:16,743 --> 00:01:18,683 with nostalgic fondness. 26 00:01:18,779 --> 00:01:21,779 Remember that cumbersome cathode ray tube TV set 27 00:01:21,882 --> 00:01:23,552 and it’s annoying antenna. 28 00:01:23,650 --> 00:01:26,590 For decades this clunky icon was your ticket to a world 29 00:01:26,687 --> 00:01:27,987 of news and entertainment. 30 00:01:29,356 --> 00:01:30,856 - We didn’t pay for anything, advertising paid 31 00:01:30,958 --> 00:01:31,788 for everything. 32 00:01:31,892 --> 00:01:33,662 You didn’t have a cable box. 33 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:35,130 You didn’t have wires connecting it. 34 00:01:35,228 --> 00:01:36,858 You didn’t have a satellite dish. 35 00:01:38,565 --> 00:01:40,565 - [Narrator] To get that free TV signal 36 00:01:40,667 --> 00:01:43,137 you either had an aerial roof antenna, 37 00:01:43,236 --> 00:01:45,706 or a pair of rabbit ears sitting atop the set. 38 00:01:48,508 --> 00:01:53,008 The C R T TV owes its size and heft to the large tube 39 00:01:53,113 --> 00:01:56,353 and the lead laden glass screen that protects the viewer 40 00:01:56,450 --> 00:01:58,850 from the harmful x-rays generated inside. 41 00:02:00,621 --> 00:02:04,321 In a C R T, the cathode is a heated filament. 42 00:02:04,424 --> 00:02:06,734 It sits in a vacuum inside a glass tube. 43 00:02:08,095 --> 00:02:11,265 The ray is a stream of electrons that pours off the cathode 44 00:02:11,365 --> 00:02:14,675 becomes focused into a beam and strikes the phosphor coated 45 00:02:14,768 --> 00:02:16,838 back of the screen, making it glow. 46 00:02:19,072 --> 00:02:23,282 A magnet guides the beam as it sweeps 525 horizontal lines 47 00:02:23,377 --> 00:02:26,177 across the screen, odd numbered lines first, 48 00:02:26,279 --> 00:02:28,919 then the even, which makes up a video frame. 49 00:02:30,350 --> 00:02:33,420 This happens 30 times every second to create the picture. 50 00:02:34,755 --> 00:02:37,965 Up until 2010, when US commercial products of C R Ts 51 00:02:38,058 --> 00:02:40,958 had largely ceased new C R T televisions could still 52 00:02:41,061 --> 00:02:44,031 be purchased at your local big box electronic store. 53 00:02:44,131 --> 00:02:45,871 And while they were large and heavy, 54 00:02:45,966 --> 00:02:48,996 they were nothing compared to their earlier counterparts. 55 00:02:49,102 --> 00:02:50,872 - [Samuel] TVs back then, I would say, 56 00:02:50,971 --> 00:02:54,241 at least 150 to 200 pounds to lift, 57 00:02:54,341 --> 00:02:57,341 so you’d need two strapping males to lift that for you. 58 00:02:57,444 --> 00:03:00,884 Now, an old lady can lift one of the flat screen TVs. 59 00:03:02,749 --> 00:03:05,449 - [Narrator] The original television signal was analog 60 00:03:05,552 --> 00:03:08,122 and it looked decent enough because, well frankly, 61 00:03:08,221 --> 00:03:09,521 we didn’t know any better. 62 00:03:10,657 --> 00:03:13,287 Today that analog signal isn’t just obsolete, 63 00:03:13,393 --> 00:03:15,563 it’s actually on the extinct list. 64 00:03:15,662 --> 00:03:18,632 Thanks to the digital revolution powered by the binary code 65 00:03:18,732 --> 00:03:19,902 of ones and zeros. 66 00:03:22,636 --> 00:03:24,096 - An analog signal is a wave, 67 00:03:24,204 --> 00:03:27,374 think of it as a up and down and up and down wave 68 00:03:27,474 --> 00:03:29,784 that’s coming to you versus ones and zeros. 69 00:03:29,876 --> 00:03:33,406 The benefit of digital is we can continually increase 70 00:03:33,513 --> 00:03:37,253 how tight we pack those zeros and ones to get 71 00:03:37,350 --> 00:03:39,150 increasing high fidelity. 72 00:03:39,252 --> 00:03:42,192 In other words, high definition television today 73 00:03:42,289 --> 00:03:45,729 will be considered in 10 years, low definition. 74 00:03:46,526 --> 00:03:48,656 - [Narrator] Digital TV broadcasts began 75 00:03:48,762 --> 00:03:50,002 in the late 1990s 76 00:03:50,097 --> 00:03:53,797 and a decade later analogs fate was sealed. 77 00:03:55,268 --> 00:03:57,438 These flat panel beauties began to line the walls 78 00:03:57,537 --> 00:03:58,737 of electronic stores. 79 00:04:00,273 --> 00:04:02,113 - We have plasma screen TVs. 80 00:04:02,209 --> 00:04:05,349 We have L C D screen TVs, they’re all high definition 81 00:04:05,445 --> 00:04:07,245 and of course we’re showing a beautiful high definition 82 00:04:07,347 --> 00:04:09,217 picture on these. 83 00:04:09,316 --> 00:04:12,346 - [Narrator] Today’s standard L E D TVs like L C D 84 00:04:12,452 --> 00:04:15,022 and plasma technology before them rely 85 00:04:15,122 --> 00:04:17,392 on small streamlined components to deliver 86 00:04:17,491 --> 00:04:19,491 that superior picture quality, 87 00:04:19,593 --> 00:04:22,103 allowing the boob tube to go tubeless. 88 00:04:24,231 --> 00:04:26,801 And they don’t produce X radiation, so no need 89 00:04:26,900 --> 00:04:28,130 for the heavy duty glass. 90 00:04:29,536 --> 00:04:31,296 But if for whatever reason you’re still clinging 91 00:04:31,404 --> 00:04:34,074 to your beloved rabbit ears and C R Ts 92 00:04:34,174 --> 00:04:36,144 You don’t have to part with ’em just yet. 93 00:04:36,243 --> 00:04:38,583 - The converter boxes have come out to actually boost 94 00:04:38,678 --> 00:04:41,048 the signal of the rabbit ears. 95 00:04:41,148 --> 00:04:44,278 C R T TVs can be hooked up to cable or satellite. 96 00:04:46,553 --> 00:04:48,393 - [Narrator] The digital revolution triggered the decline 97 00:04:48,488 --> 00:04:50,318 of many technologies. 98 00:04:50,423 --> 00:04:52,663 Most notably the vinyl L P. 99 00:04:54,628 --> 00:04:56,328 From the fifties to the seventies, 100 00:04:56,429 --> 00:04:59,029 perhaps no single possession was more treasured 101 00:04:59,132 --> 00:05:01,532 by American teenagers then their collection 102 00:05:01,635 --> 00:05:02,775 of vinyl records. 103 00:05:04,704 --> 00:05:07,274 Records on turntables and in jukeboxes 104 00:05:07,374 --> 00:05:10,144 provided the soundtrack to our most cherished memories. 105 00:05:12,846 --> 00:05:15,576 Perhaps you or your parents fell in love to the music 106 00:05:15,682 --> 00:05:17,322 being played on one of these. 107 00:05:19,653 --> 00:05:22,123 First eight track tapes and then cassettes 108 00:05:22,222 --> 00:05:24,062 challenged vinyls reign. 109 00:05:24,157 --> 00:05:27,327 But it was this digitally encoded piece of plastic 110 00:05:27,427 --> 00:05:30,227 that ultimately toppled the records regime. 111 00:05:30,330 --> 00:05:32,470 By the mid eighties, the recording industry 112 00:05:32,566 --> 00:05:34,596 virtually stopped releasing on vinyl. 113 00:05:38,104 --> 00:05:40,574 Of course, if history teaches us anything 114 00:05:40,674 --> 00:05:44,284 it’s that what goes around often comes around. 115 00:05:46,613 --> 00:05:48,653 Since the turn of the 20th century, 116 00:05:48,748 --> 00:05:50,818 audio files have been grooving to the rich sounds 117 00:05:50,917 --> 00:05:52,647 of needle on record. 118 00:05:52,752 --> 00:05:57,122 In 1955 Rainbo Records in Canoga Park, California 119 00:05:57,224 --> 00:05:58,894 began pressing vinyl discs. 120 00:06:00,093 --> 00:06:03,333 - At the time we were probably making around six 121 00:06:03,430 --> 00:06:05,900 to 8,000 pieces a day. 122 00:06:05,999 --> 00:06:09,069 In the sixties we got much larger and we were 123 00:06:09,169 --> 00:06:13,509 in the neighborhood of 30 to 40,000 records a day. 124 00:06:13,607 --> 00:06:18,037 Our heyday was in ’77 when Elvis died. 125 00:06:18,144 --> 00:06:20,214 Within three days of Elvis’ death, 126 00:06:20,313 --> 00:06:24,123 we were pressing 60,000 records a day, seven days a week. 127 00:06:26,786 --> 00:06:28,816 - [Narrator] By the late eighties, Rainbo was back down 128 00:06:28,922 --> 00:06:31,992 to pressing eight to 10,000 vinyl records per day. 129 00:06:35,195 --> 00:06:37,735 But thanks to loyal listeners and avid collectors, 130 00:06:37,831 --> 00:06:40,031 records never completely went extinct. 131 00:06:40,133 --> 00:06:43,303 As their company founder attested in 2009, 132 00:06:43,403 --> 00:06:45,573 a hunger for vinyl was still out there. 133 00:06:45,672 --> 00:06:50,512 - We are pressing close to 25,000 a day, six days a week. 134 00:06:50,610 --> 00:06:52,910 There’s definitely a resurgence in vinyl. 135 00:06:53,013 --> 00:06:55,213 (upbeat music) 136 00:06:55,315 --> 00:06:57,425 - [Narrator] Creating a vinyl record has always been 137 00:06:57,517 --> 00:07:01,047 part science, part mechanics, part craft. 138 00:07:01,855 --> 00:07:04,595 The modern method has its share of high tech tweaks, 139 00:07:04,691 --> 00:07:06,091 but the basics have endured. 140 00:07:08,161 --> 00:07:10,831 In a studio music is recorded as sound waves 141 00:07:10,931 --> 00:07:13,771 onto magnetic tape or a digital medium. 142 00:07:17,037 --> 00:07:18,397 Those sound patterns are fed 143 00:07:18,505 --> 00:07:21,875 into a computer controlled lathe where a heated sapphire tip 144 00:07:21,975 --> 00:07:24,715 cuts a continuous spiral groove into the surface 145 00:07:24,811 --> 00:07:26,881 of a lacquer covered aluminum disc. 146 00:07:28,348 --> 00:07:31,278 The groove is a mechanical translation of the frequency 147 00:07:31,384 --> 00:07:33,024 and amplitude of the sound waves. 148 00:07:35,889 --> 00:07:38,319 Low base tones produce a wide groove 149 00:07:38,425 --> 00:07:40,365 while higher frequencies are narrower. 150 00:07:42,195 --> 00:07:45,255 Next, a lacquer is sent to Rainbo for duplication. 151 00:07:46,499 --> 00:07:48,369 - [Steven] We’re gonna spray it with silver 152 00:07:48,468 --> 00:07:50,468 and then we’re gonna hang it into a tank 153 00:07:50,570 --> 00:07:52,510 and build a nickel surface on it. 154 00:07:53,907 --> 00:07:55,777 - [Narrator] The silver coating makes the surface conductive 155 00:07:55,875 --> 00:07:58,905 to electricity, allowing a current to pass through 156 00:07:59,012 --> 00:08:01,712 and the nickel to adhere to it through electro plating. 157 00:08:03,149 --> 00:08:05,349 - Then we’re gonna separate the two pieces. 158 00:08:07,187 --> 00:08:10,087 And then you had a positive and now you have a negative. 159 00:08:11,524 --> 00:08:14,694 - [Narrator] The A and B side negatives called the master 160 00:08:14,794 --> 00:08:16,834 are placed back in the electro plating tank 161 00:08:16,930 --> 00:08:19,170 to create positives called the mother. 162 00:08:20,767 --> 00:08:23,897 From the mother up to 40 pairs of negative stampers, 163 00:08:24,004 --> 00:08:26,414 which will press the final records can be made 164 00:08:26,506 --> 00:08:27,966 before quality degrades. 165 00:08:31,211 --> 00:08:33,811 Now, science gives way to the mechanics and craft 166 00:08:33,913 --> 00:08:34,783 of record making. 167 00:08:36,182 --> 00:08:37,922 - This is a record press. 168 00:08:38,018 --> 00:08:39,418 We have two labels. 169 00:08:40,587 --> 00:08:43,457 Two stampers which have the information on it. 170 00:08:44,691 --> 00:08:47,331 We glue the stamper onto the mold. 171 00:08:47,427 --> 00:08:49,497 So you got an A side and a B side. 172 00:08:50,663 --> 00:08:52,803 You got an A side and a B side label. 173 00:08:54,601 --> 00:08:57,571 - [Narrator] Workers pour PVC pellets into the machine 174 00:08:57,670 --> 00:09:00,840 where they’re melted and formed into a malleable puck 175 00:09:00,940 --> 00:09:02,240 that will become the disc. 176 00:09:04,177 --> 00:09:06,447 - [Steven] The polyvinyl fluoride or PVC 177 00:09:06,546 --> 00:09:09,346 is about 330 degrees. 178 00:09:09,449 --> 00:09:13,519 The press is about 330 degrees when it closes, 179 00:09:14,954 --> 00:09:19,564 goes under 1,800 pounds of pressure and it squeezes out 180 00:09:20,660 --> 00:09:22,660 and it’s kind of like making a waffle. 181 00:09:22,762 --> 00:09:25,572 Instead of pouring in batter we’re pouring in vinyl. 182 00:09:27,934 --> 00:09:29,404 - [Narrator] About 30 seconds later, 183 00:09:29,502 --> 00:09:31,642 the formed disc emerges on the other side. 184 00:09:32,839 --> 00:09:34,639 - [Steven] After the record gets pressed 185 00:09:34,741 --> 00:09:37,241 and it gets cooled down, it comes out 186 00:09:37,343 --> 00:09:38,883 to the trimming station 187 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:43,820 and the trimming station trims off the excess. 188 00:09:43,917 --> 00:09:47,247 This excess we’ll recycle and use again, 189 00:09:47,353 --> 00:09:50,563 once the record is trimmed that record is finished, 190 00:09:50,657 --> 00:09:54,457 other than quality control and packaging. 191 00:09:54,561 --> 00:09:56,201 - [Narrator] While Rainbo produced vinyl, 192 00:09:56,296 --> 00:09:58,826 they simultaneously cranked out about a hundred thousand 193 00:09:58,932 --> 00:10:01,602 CDs a day on the other side of the factory. 194 00:10:01,701 --> 00:10:04,241 Industry wide, CDs market share dwindled 195 00:10:04,337 --> 00:10:07,467 from over 13 billion dollars in sales in 2000 196 00:10:07,574 --> 00:10:10,484 to just 483 million dollars today. 197 00:10:10,577 --> 00:10:12,677 Thanks in large part to digital downloads 198 00:10:13,847 --> 00:10:16,117 and in small part for the resurgence of vinyl. 199 00:10:17,283 --> 00:10:20,423 But for some, the record was never superseded. 200 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:23,820 This is a digital free zone. 201 00:10:23,923 --> 00:10:26,033 - Welcome to "The Record Collector", 202 00:10:27,460 --> 00:10:30,460 which I established in 1974 with my personal collection of 203 00:10:30,563 --> 00:10:35,503 50,000 78s, another 450,000 L Ps, 204 00:10:37,036 --> 00:10:40,206 300,000 classical, 100,000 jazz 205 00:10:40,306 --> 00:10:41,936 and 100,000 other. 206 00:10:43,109 --> 00:10:46,609 And the records go 13 feet high. 207 00:10:48,581 --> 00:10:50,821 - [Narrator] Sandy is passionate about vinyl 208 00:10:50,917 --> 00:10:53,187 and not shy with his opinion of digital music. 209 00:10:54,554 --> 00:10:57,024 - It’s loses a lot of the body and nuance 210 00:10:57,123 --> 00:11:00,863 to the original performance and authenticity is everything. 211 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:03,630 And if there’s no authenticity and no integrity, 212 00:11:03,730 --> 00:11:07,730 and you’re going to superimpose technical gadgetry 213 00:11:07,834 --> 00:11:11,704 as a good substitute for your musical experience, 214 00:11:11,804 --> 00:11:13,144 I think you’re being had. 215 00:11:14,741 --> 00:11:16,511 - [Narrator] Any record lover would be hard pressed 216 00:11:16,609 --> 00:11:18,839 to find a richer trove of vinyl treasures. 217 00:11:20,246 --> 00:11:25,016 - It is the first complete recording of "Carmen by Bizet" 218 00:11:25,118 --> 00:11:28,848 recorded in 1913, issued in Berlin, Germany 219 00:11:29,923 --> 00:11:32,093 on gramophone records. 220 00:11:32,192 --> 00:11:37,202 The Mozart 40th Symphony recorded in 1926. 221 00:11:37,664 --> 00:11:40,904 Bruno Walter conducting the Berlin State Opera Orchestra 222 00:11:41,868 --> 00:11:43,538 recorded in Berlin. 223 00:11:43,636 --> 00:11:47,536 ("Mozart 40th Symphony" plays) 224 00:11:49,075 --> 00:11:51,335 - [Narrator] It’s not just the classics that live on vinyl. 225 00:11:51,444 --> 00:11:54,684 Today’s big selling artists are back on the turntable 226 00:11:54,781 --> 00:11:56,881 and the kids are finding out what their parents 227 00:11:56,983 --> 00:11:57,853 already knew. 228 00:11:59,052 --> 00:12:00,822 - [Steven] There’s audio file guys 229 00:12:00,920 --> 00:12:02,490 who are still buying records, 230 00:12:02,589 --> 00:12:06,689 but what’s really driving it today is 13 to 24 year olds 231 00:12:06,793 --> 00:12:09,033 who have discovered this new thing called a record. 232 00:12:09,128 --> 00:12:11,258 You know, people always ask you what you do for a living 233 00:12:11,364 --> 00:12:13,634 and I would always say, you know, 234 00:12:13,733 --> 00:12:17,703 I make CDs and records and I would always hear, 235 00:12:17,804 --> 00:12:19,274 "They still make records?" 236 00:12:19,372 --> 00:12:21,072 And you know, I’d tell ’em how many we make 237 00:12:21,174 --> 00:12:22,884 and they’re always amazed. 238 00:12:22,976 --> 00:12:25,706 Recently I was at a party sitting at a table 239 00:12:25,812 --> 00:12:29,982 and same conversation, I said, we make records, CDs 240 00:12:30,083 --> 00:12:32,653 and the comment back to me was, "They still make CDs?" 241 00:12:33,820 --> 00:12:35,350 - [Narrator] Long before the days of television 242 00:12:35,455 --> 00:12:38,995 and recorded music, the masses turned to the printed word 243 00:12:39,092 --> 00:12:41,062 for entertainment and enlightenment. 244 00:12:46,833 --> 00:12:49,503 As we said goodbye to our turntables and rabbit ears 245 00:12:49,602 --> 00:12:52,272 we welcomed a new era, the computer era. 246 00:12:54,140 --> 00:12:56,140 The modern computer is always evolving, 247 00:12:57,543 --> 00:13:00,853 but one thing has remained constant, the trusty keyboard. 248 00:13:02,115 --> 00:13:03,855 The birthplace of the keyboard, 249 00:13:03,950 --> 00:13:07,390 the typewriter became obsolete in the 1980s, 250 00:13:08,821 --> 00:13:10,891 but only after its reign is one of the most ubiquitous 251 00:13:10,990 --> 00:13:12,690 machines of the 20th century. 252 00:13:15,194 --> 00:13:17,364 - The typewriter definitely was a revolution. 253 00:13:17,463 --> 00:13:19,533 Before that you had to hand write everything 254 00:13:19,632 --> 00:13:22,902 and a good typist can type faster than the fastest writer 255 00:13:23,002 --> 00:13:24,372 can write. 256 00:13:24,470 --> 00:13:26,370 Let’s face it, something that I write may not be able 257 00:13:26,472 --> 00:13:29,012 to even be read by anyone, but from a typewriter, 258 00:13:29,108 --> 00:13:30,778 you can all read what’s typed. 259 00:13:32,478 --> 00:13:33,848 - [Narrator] The typewriter attracted women 260 00:13:33,946 --> 00:13:36,916 into the workforce and brought structure and uniformity 261 00:13:37,016 --> 00:13:38,116 to the business world. 262 00:13:40,286 --> 00:13:43,386 It became a virtual appendage of writers, secretaries, 263 00:13:43,489 --> 00:13:44,689 and news reporters. 264 00:13:48,294 --> 00:13:51,504 American inventor, Christopher Sholes and two partners 265 00:13:51,597 --> 00:13:54,467 developed the first commercially manufactured typewriter 266 00:13:54,567 --> 00:13:55,967 in 1874. 267 00:13:57,370 --> 00:13:59,710 - They had Remington and Sons. 268 00:13:59,806 --> 00:14:03,906 It was a manufacturer of guns and sewing machines 269 00:14:04,010 --> 00:14:05,680 make their first typewriters. 270 00:14:07,380 --> 00:14:08,480 - [Narrator] The odd looking contraption 271 00:14:08,581 --> 00:14:10,821 was more of a curiosity at first and slow 272 00:14:10,917 --> 00:14:14,687 to be accepted because business and personal correspondence 273 00:14:14,787 --> 00:14:16,717 had always been conducted in long hand. 274 00:14:17,924 --> 00:14:19,694 Mark Twain, who was reportedly the first 275 00:14:19,792 --> 00:14:23,032 to submit a typewritten manuscript despised it 276 00:14:23,129 --> 00:14:24,799 because he considered it awkward. 277 00:14:25,965 --> 00:14:27,625 Even the earliest Remington’s boasted 278 00:14:27,734 --> 00:14:30,404 that initially confusing letter key layout. 279 00:14:31,804 --> 00:14:34,474 The QWERTY keyboard so-called for the first six letters 280 00:14:34,574 --> 00:14:38,444 on the top row became the universally accepted design. 281 00:14:40,179 --> 00:14:42,079 Some say this arrangement allowed salesman 282 00:14:42,181 --> 00:14:43,281 to type the word 283 00:14:43,383 --> 00:14:46,623 typewriter more easily when demonstrating the product 284 00:14:46,719 --> 00:14:49,319 because all the required letters are in the top row. 285 00:14:52,658 --> 00:14:54,928 But the more practical explanation is 286 00:14:55,027 --> 00:14:57,857 that frequently used letters had to be separated 287 00:14:57,964 --> 00:14:59,334 so the keys wouldn’t stick. 288 00:15:01,601 --> 00:15:03,341 Early on, the machine went through 289 00:15:03,436 --> 00:15:05,766 some design modifications. 290 00:15:05,872 --> 00:15:08,612 - [Mark] We pressed the key and we can see exactly 291 00:15:08,708 --> 00:15:10,308 where it’s hitting the platen. 292 00:15:10,410 --> 00:15:13,050 So this was called a visible typewriter. 293 00:15:13,146 --> 00:15:15,406 This particular one is a Remington 10. 294 00:15:15,515 --> 00:15:18,325 It was basically the design that pre-dominated 295 00:15:18,418 --> 00:15:22,288 for the next 60 years or so. 296 00:15:23,890 --> 00:15:25,220 - [Narrator] In the 1930s, 297 00:15:25,324 --> 00:15:27,894 companies began developing electric typewriters 298 00:15:27,994 --> 00:15:31,764 with limited success and only in the business market. 299 00:15:31,864 --> 00:15:36,344 - The huge development in typewriters was in 1961. 300 00:15:36,436 --> 00:15:38,996 When the IBM Selectric came out. 301 00:15:39,105 --> 00:15:42,515 It had a single golf ball type shaped element, 302 00:15:42,608 --> 00:15:44,878 and you pressed the key and it would spin 303 00:15:44,977 --> 00:15:47,507 to the correct letter and then strike. 304 00:15:47,613 --> 00:15:52,053 Then in the early 1970s, IBM created the 305 00:15:52,151 --> 00:15:54,791 correcting Selectrics typewriter. 306 00:15:54,887 --> 00:15:59,117 ’Cause before that time, you either had to use a eraser, 307 00:15:59,225 --> 00:16:02,165 which usually didn’t work too well and got a lot 308 00:16:02,261 --> 00:16:04,101 of eraser crumbs in the typewriter 309 00:16:05,531 --> 00:16:09,371 or you had to use something like liquid correcting fluid. 310 00:16:13,206 --> 00:16:14,906 - [Narrator] One version of the correcting typewriter 311 00:16:15,007 --> 00:16:18,577 contained a cartridge with an ink coated cloth ribbon. 312 00:16:18,678 --> 00:16:20,808 Another was a correctable carbon film. 313 00:16:22,048 --> 00:16:24,878 After a typo, the user hit the corrector key 314 00:16:24,984 --> 00:16:26,794 followed by the mistyped letter key. 315 00:16:28,788 --> 00:16:31,118 A coverup tape strikes the mistake, 316 00:16:31,224 --> 00:16:32,424 making it disappear. 317 00:16:35,027 --> 00:16:37,857 A carbon film error could be lifted right off the paper. 318 00:16:40,733 --> 00:16:42,943 This primitive delete function may have extended 319 00:16:43,035 --> 00:16:45,395 a typewriter’s lifespan by a few years, 320 00:16:46,572 --> 00:16:49,412 but once computers took hold in the mid 1980s, 321 00:16:49,509 --> 00:16:51,209 there was no fighting progress. 322 00:16:52,612 --> 00:16:54,652 The mighty typewriter that had served us so well 323 00:16:54,747 --> 00:16:57,677 for nearly a century had fallen by the wayside. 324 00:17:00,520 --> 00:17:03,090 A similar fate befell another printing icon developed 325 00:17:03,189 --> 00:17:04,519 in the late 1800s. 326 00:17:05,658 --> 00:17:06,658 The mimeograph. 327 00:17:08,327 --> 00:17:11,097 The mimeograph employed an ink fed drum 328 00:17:11,197 --> 00:17:13,997 around which a cut wax stencil rotated 329 00:17:14,100 --> 00:17:16,640 as successive sheets of paper were fed into it. 330 00:17:18,437 --> 00:17:21,007 - [Daniel] Some of us might remember having to make copies 331 00:17:21,107 --> 00:17:23,437 in the old days, by turning a crank, 332 00:17:23,543 --> 00:17:25,783 getting blue on your fingers and just trying 333 00:17:25,878 --> 00:17:28,378 to get those copies made, smelling that smell 334 00:17:28,481 --> 00:17:30,851 of not just the ink, but the paper itself. 335 00:17:30,950 --> 00:17:32,380 And of course they didn’t look all that good. 336 00:17:36,088 --> 00:17:37,688 Today 300 million tons of paper are produced 337 00:17:37,790 --> 00:17:39,220 worldwide every year. 338 00:17:39,325 --> 00:17:42,735 And US companies spend over 120 billion dollars annually 339 00:17:42,828 --> 00:17:45,898 on printing, but it wasn’t until 1959, 340 00:17:45,998 --> 00:17:49,538 when the mimeograph was replaced by the Xerox 914 copier, 341 00:17:49,635 --> 00:17:51,195 which combined photo conductivity 342 00:17:51,304 --> 00:17:53,414 with electrostatic printing that the world 343 00:17:53,506 --> 00:17:55,266 of business changed forever. 344 00:17:55,374 --> 00:17:57,144 - [Daniel] So we went from a mimeograph where you had 345 00:17:57,243 --> 00:17:59,283 to turn a drum to being able to push a button 346 00:17:59,378 --> 00:18:02,008 and make a thousand copies on the Xerox machine 347 00:18:02,114 --> 00:18:04,824 and have them stapled and collate, 348 00:18:04,917 --> 00:18:07,987 to now making digital copies of things 349 00:18:08,087 --> 00:18:10,917 that maybe will never even be a paper copy. 350 00:18:12,458 --> 00:18:13,528 - [Narrator] But there’s one industry 351 00:18:13,626 --> 00:18:16,226 that must continue relying on paper copies, 352 00:18:16,329 --> 00:18:17,729 at least for the time being. 353 00:18:20,066 --> 00:18:22,836 Since the first continuously published newspaper emerged 354 00:18:22,935 --> 00:18:27,335 in 1704, Americans have looked to their trusty gazettes 355 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:30,410 to keep them aware of the goings on in their community, 356 00:18:30,509 --> 00:18:31,979 their country, and the world. 357 00:18:33,913 --> 00:18:35,783 Reading the morning paper over coffee 358 00:18:35,881 --> 00:18:38,451 is a deep rooted ritual that prepares us 359 00:18:38,551 --> 00:18:39,551 for the day to come. 360 00:18:42,788 --> 00:18:45,658 But after three centuries of success, 361 00:18:45,758 --> 00:18:48,028 does the newspaper have an uncertain future? 362 00:18:49,428 --> 00:18:52,258 In 1990, weekday newspaper circulation in the US 363 00:18:52,365 --> 00:18:55,875 was over 63 million, but the numbers have steadily falling 364 00:18:55,968 --> 00:18:57,568 over the last few decades. 365 00:18:57,670 --> 00:19:02,470 By 2020, circulation dropped to just over 24 million. 366 00:19:02,575 --> 00:19:03,345 But why? 367 00:19:04,210 --> 00:19:06,040 In a word, competition. 368 00:19:07,380 --> 00:19:10,220 Newspapers have encountered competition before, 369 00:19:10,316 --> 00:19:11,716 but now they’re creating it. 370 00:19:13,452 --> 00:19:17,162 The Houston Chronicle, once one of the top 10 US dailies, 371 00:19:17,256 --> 00:19:19,386 is owned by the Hearst Corporation. 372 00:19:22,228 --> 00:19:24,858 The paper launched its website in 1994. 373 00:19:26,032 --> 00:19:28,332 - There’s been radio, there’s been television, 374 00:19:28,434 --> 00:19:30,504 and today we see the internet, 375 00:19:30,603 --> 00:19:33,873 but what we’ve decided to do this time is to embrace 376 00:19:33,973 --> 00:19:37,243 and coexist with the internet and use technology 377 00:19:37,343 --> 00:19:38,713 to our advantage. 378 00:19:38,811 --> 00:19:41,681 - [Narrator] Print and online have joined forces. 379 00:19:41,781 --> 00:19:43,851 - [Scott] The reaction of the people in the newsroom, 380 00:19:43,949 --> 00:19:47,649 they saw the web as an interesting hobby that we had 381 00:19:47,753 --> 00:19:48,923 as a newspaper. 382 00:19:49,021 --> 00:19:51,821 What’s really changed is it’s become mainstream. 383 00:19:51,924 --> 00:19:54,094 - [Narrator] These days, the Houston Chronicles website 384 00:19:54,193 --> 00:19:58,863 chron.com averages about 95 million page views per month. 385 00:19:58,964 --> 00:20:00,874 While circulation of the print edition 386 00:20:00,966 --> 00:20:03,966 hovers around 155,000 per weekday. 387 00:20:07,073 --> 00:20:09,643 Under the supervision of the Chronicles editor in chief, 388 00:20:09,742 --> 00:20:13,252 both news entities collaborate in an endeavor reliant 389 00:20:13,345 --> 00:20:14,605 on hundreds of reporters. 390 00:20:15,781 --> 00:20:19,121 For them, the lines between prints and online are blurred. 391 00:20:19,218 --> 00:20:20,918 Since both additions depend on their work. 392 00:20:21,020 --> 00:20:23,990 - Magazine, leading out with the rate increase in the Dow. 393 00:20:24,757 --> 00:20:28,627 - 19 people are probably buried and dead in the rubble. 394 00:20:28,728 --> 00:20:31,028 - Do we still have the wind energy story? 395 00:20:32,231 --> 00:20:33,831 - [Jeff] They go out and they cover events 396 00:20:33,933 --> 00:20:37,003 and then in a very tight window of time, 397 00:20:37,103 --> 00:20:38,703 they’re bringing that story back. 398 00:20:38,804 --> 00:20:42,014 A headline writer is putting a compelling headline on it. 399 00:20:42,108 --> 00:20:45,878 Illustrators and page layout people are making the stories 400 00:20:45,978 --> 00:20:48,148 attractive and visually pleasing. 401 00:20:48,247 --> 00:20:50,277 They’re adding a contemporary look. 402 00:20:52,318 --> 00:20:54,848 - [Narrator] The finalized layout goes to the print plant 403 00:20:54,954 --> 00:20:56,924 where these giant presses spit out papers 404 00:20:57,022 --> 00:20:58,322 at a dizzying speed. 405 00:20:59,558 --> 00:21:02,588 - And then it is on the doorstep of the reader 406 00:21:02,695 --> 00:21:04,705 by 5:30 in the morning. 407 00:21:06,465 --> 00:21:07,825 - [Narrator] Now compare the expenses 408 00:21:07,933 --> 00:21:10,803 of the printed daily paper to the online version. 409 00:21:10,903 --> 00:21:15,113 - We use about 200 metric tons of newsprint every day 410 00:21:15,207 --> 00:21:18,907 and about 9,000 pounds of ink a day. 411 00:21:20,613 --> 00:21:22,983 - A newspaper website has servers that maybe cost 412 00:21:23,082 --> 00:21:24,352 thousands of dollars. 413 00:21:24,450 --> 00:21:26,490 It doesn’t have multimillion dollar presses. 414 00:21:26,585 --> 00:21:29,685 It does not have the delivery cost the newspaper does. 415 00:21:29,789 --> 00:21:31,589 You don’t have the trucks and the rising gas prices 416 00:21:31,690 --> 00:21:32,490 to worry about. 417 00:21:33,592 --> 00:21:35,462 - [Narrator] And online offers another big advantage 418 00:21:35,561 --> 00:21:36,561 that print does not. 419 00:21:38,030 --> 00:21:40,570 - The biggest difference between online and print 420 00:21:40,666 --> 00:21:43,236 is print is a snapshot of a point in time. 421 00:21:43,335 --> 00:21:44,965 It’s a picture of what the world looked like 422 00:21:45,070 --> 00:21:46,740 at 10:30 last night. 423 00:21:46,839 --> 00:21:49,469 The website is continually being updated throughout the day. 424 00:21:50,476 --> 00:21:51,736 - [Narrator] To feed the online edition, 425 00:21:51,844 --> 00:21:54,714 as well as print, journalists have had to adapt. 426 00:21:56,015 --> 00:21:58,385 - When I was a reporter many years ago, 427 00:21:58,484 --> 00:22:03,364 I could spend most of the day writing a 750 word story. 428 00:22:03,455 --> 00:22:05,885 But today that’s not the case. 429 00:22:05,991 --> 00:22:08,061 - With the development of the web virtually every job 430 00:22:08,160 --> 00:22:09,560 in the newsroom has changed. 431 00:22:09,662 --> 00:22:11,202 Reporters become bloggers, 432 00:22:11,297 --> 00:22:13,367 photographers have become videographers. 433 00:22:13,465 --> 00:22:15,665 You know, editors have become web producers. 434 00:22:15,768 --> 00:22:18,798 Even our editorial cartoonist today is producing animations 435 00:22:18,904 --> 00:22:19,714 in 3D. 436 00:22:21,106 --> 00:22:22,866 - [Narrator] So were newspapers ready to pull the plug 437 00:22:22,975 --> 00:22:23,815 on the press? 438 00:22:25,544 --> 00:22:27,554 - [Scott] Today, if we shut down printed newspaper 439 00:22:27,646 --> 00:22:29,246 and just published a website, 440 00:22:29,348 --> 00:22:31,448 we’d be isolating ourselves from about a third 441 00:22:31,550 --> 00:22:32,980 of the population in Houston. 442 00:22:33,085 --> 00:22:35,885 Because as much as the internet has become ubiquitous, 443 00:22:35,988 --> 00:22:38,118 it has not reached everyone. 444 00:22:39,558 --> 00:22:41,428 - [Narrator] But how long will the two additions continue 445 00:22:41,527 --> 00:22:42,587 to coexist? 446 00:22:44,396 --> 00:22:47,326 - There are a lot of people, 78 million baby boomers 447 00:22:47,433 --> 00:22:51,303 to be precise that are using both right now, 448 00:22:51,403 --> 00:22:53,873 but the young teenagers of today, 449 00:22:53,973 --> 00:22:55,873 they are growing up fully digital. 450 00:22:55,975 --> 00:22:58,945 - We’re in the middle of a media revolution 451 00:22:59,044 --> 00:23:01,614 and revolutions don’t end in a tie. 452 00:23:03,582 --> 00:23:05,882 - [Narrator] Still, there will always be something soothing 453 00:23:05,985 --> 00:23:09,025 about doing a Sunday crossword puzzle in pen. 454 00:23:09,121 --> 00:23:10,321 Okay, maybe pencil. 455 00:23:15,661 --> 00:23:17,461 The smartphone replaced you have tthe MP3 player. 456 00:23:18,998 --> 00:23:20,898 The MP3 player replaced the Discman. 457 00:23:22,434 --> 00:23:24,204 The Discman replaced the Walkman 458 00:23:25,271 --> 00:23:27,271 and the Walkman replaced the turntable. 459 00:23:28,641 --> 00:23:30,541 No matter how much we loved each one, 460 00:23:31,744 --> 00:23:33,754 the availability of more compact options 461 00:23:33,846 --> 00:23:35,076 was certainly attractive. 462 00:23:36,815 --> 00:23:40,345 The same held true for our cameras, phones and organizers. 463 00:23:41,687 --> 00:23:44,457 - The first cameras were definitely not personal cameras. 464 00:23:44,556 --> 00:23:48,486 It was a big giant device that went on a big giant tripod. 465 00:23:48,594 --> 00:23:51,204 You had to be a pro, but then as they were able 466 00:23:51,297 --> 00:23:53,367 to make the camera smaller and smaller, 467 00:23:53,465 --> 00:23:56,195 it started to become something that you and I could do. 468 00:23:57,369 --> 00:23:58,799 - [Narrator] Capturing and sharing memories 469 00:23:58,904 --> 00:24:02,714 became family traditions, but it wasn’t always so convenient 470 00:24:03,909 --> 00:24:05,679 until one company indulged our need 471 00:24:05,778 --> 00:24:07,408 for instant gratification. 472 00:24:08,914 --> 00:24:11,484 - [Brad] You bought a roll of film, put it in the camera 473 00:24:11,583 --> 00:24:14,053 and when the film was all exposed, 474 00:24:14,153 --> 00:24:15,923 you took it to the drugstore or you mailed it away. 475 00:24:16,021 --> 00:24:19,321 The model 95 was introduced in 1948. 476 00:24:19,425 --> 00:24:20,865 And with the introduction of this camera 477 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:23,700 and Polaroid instant film, we could produce pictures 478 00:24:24,997 --> 00:24:26,797 right on the spot, wherever you were. 479 00:24:28,133 --> 00:24:30,603 - [Narrator] Instant pictures, today we take them 480 00:24:30,703 --> 00:24:35,373 for granted but in 1948, Polaroid was revolutionary. 481 00:24:38,110 --> 00:24:41,550 The user took the picture, then pulled the tab. 482 00:24:41,647 --> 00:24:44,277 The negative and receiving sheet slid through a set 483 00:24:44,383 --> 00:24:46,993 of rollers, causing a pod of chemicals embedded 484 00:24:47,086 --> 00:24:48,686 in the receiving sheet to burst. 485 00:24:50,589 --> 00:24:53,429 The rollers distributed the chemicals across the negative 486 00:24:53,525 --> 00:24:56,595 triggering a chemical reaction that processed the image. 487 00:24:58,197 --> 00:25:01,027 90 seconds later, the negative was peeled away 488 00:25:01,133 --> 00:25:02,003 and discarded. 489 00:25:04,203 --> 00:25:08,043 In 1972, Polaroid introduced the SX 70, 490 00:25:08,140 --> 00:25:11,110 which was able to develop images without tabs to pull 491 00:25:11,210 --> 00:25:12,340 and negatives to peel. 492 00:25:14,713 --> 00:25:17,423 It wasn’t that long ago that we had a separate camera, 493 00:25:17,516 --> 00:25:22,516 phone, address book, calendar, music player, and computer. 494 00:25:24,356 --> 00:25:26,526 But today the market is flooded with feature laden 495 00:25:26,625 --> 00:25:30,525 combination gadgets that fit in the palm of your hand. 496 00:25:30,629 --> 00:25:33,269 Each rendering a previous version obsolete. 497 00:25:35,167 --> 00:25:37,067 The aptly named Palm Incorporated 498 00:25:37,169 --> 00:25:40,269 in Sunnyvale, California pioneered the granddaddy 499 00:25:40,372 --> 00:25:41,772 of must have pocket tools. 500 00:25:42,241 --> 00:25:45,081 - In 1997, we came out with the Palm Pilot. 501 00:25:45,177 --> 00:25:49,047 This really represented cultural phenomena 502 00:25:49,148 --> 00:25:51,518 in mobile computing, ’cause it gave you a way 503 00:25:51,617 --> 00:25:56,187 of entering information on the go without a full keyboard. 504 00:25:56,288 --> 00:25:58,558 It was a stylist based interaction where you would 505 00:25:58,657 --> 00:26:00,527 actually write in characters. 506 00:26:00,626 --> 00:26:03,296 It actually forced you to learn a very specific way 507 00:26:03,395 --> 00:26:04,425 to write your letters. 508 00:26:06,799 --> 00:26:08,299 - [Narrator] Despite the added effort required 509 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:11,300 on the part of the user, this glorified address book 510 00:26:11,403 --> 00:26:14,613 was surprisingly successful and entered the vernacular 511 00:26:14,706 --> 00:26:18,736 is a synonym for personal digital assistance or PDAs, 512 00:26:18,844 --> 00:26:20,384 regardless of the brand. 513 00:26:20,479 --> 00:26:22,449 - [Peter] The original Palm Pilot had your contacts, 514 00:26:22,548 --> 00:26:25,618 it had tasks and memos, basic calculator, 515 00:26:25,717 --> 00:26:27,547 and it organized it into one place 516 00:26:27,653 --> 00:26:30,163 with one magical killer app. 517 00:26:30,255 --> 00:26:31,155 That killer app 518 00:26:31,256 --> 00:26:33,956 was synchronization with your computer. 519 00:26:34,059 --> 00:26:37,329 So all of that information was protected. 520 00:26:37,429 --> 00:26:40,169 - [Narrator] While the Palm Pilot was organizing your life, 521 00:26:40,265 --> 00:26:42,265 the cell phone was keeping you in touch. 522 00:26:43,435 --> 00:26:45,795 By today’s standards the earlier versions were pricey, 523 00:26:45,904 --> 00:26:48,174 unreliable and goofy looking. 524 00:26:50,175 --> 00:26:52,905 But it was freedom from the cord and that was worth it. 525 00:26:54,079 --> 00:26:56,619 If you had one of these, you were pretty cool. 526 00:26:58,550 --> 00:27:00,490 The evolution of cellular phones rendered 527 00:27:00,586 --> 00:27:04,686 some old faithfuls obsolete from rotary dial models 528 00:27:04,790 --> 00:27:06,660 and payphones to car phones. 529 00:27:08,127 --> 00:27:10,557 Some predicted the demise of the hallowed landline. 530 00:27:11,997 --> 00:27:14,227 The cornerstone of modern communication had served us 531 00:27:14,333 --> 00:27:17,043 so well since the days of Alexander Graham Bell. 532 00:27:19,638 --> 00:27:23,208 Eventually cell phones evolved to combine the organizer, 533 00:27:23,308 --> 00:27:25,308 the computer, the music player, 534 00:27:25,410 --> 00:27:26,850 and a bunch of other features. 535 00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:30,750 It was called the smartphone and unlike its ancestors, 536 00:27:30,849 --> 00:27:33,519 it had a keyboard and it’s still smaller. 537 00:27:33,619 --> 00:27:36,589 - [Peter] Keyboards are a big story because they are 538 00:27:36,688 --> 00:27:40,158 the transition from handhelds to smartphones. 539 00:27:40,259 --> 00:27:44,929 The unconventional wisdom here is that really big, 540 00:27:45,030 --> 00:27:46,870 full size keyboards work, 541 00:27:46,965 --> 00:27:49,025 but tiny keyboards work just as well 542 00:27:49,134 --> 00:27:51,174 because you’re using your thumbs. 543 00:27:51,270 --> 00:27:52,570 - [Narrator] Even in its early days, 544 00:27:52,671 --> 00:27:54,741 smartphones were a nail in the coffin for many 545 00:27:54,840 --> 00:27:57,680 of our trusty devices, because it really is the sum 546 00:27:57,776 --> 00:27:59,136 of its parts. 547 00:27:59,244 --> 00:28:01,114 - Our first real iconic phone, 548 00:28:01,213 --> 00:28:03,723 which was the Trio 600 in 2003 549 00:28:03,815 --> 00:28:06,685 was one of the first true smartphones. 550 00:28:06,785 --> 00:28:08,715 - [Narrator] Even back in the late 2000s, 551 00:28:08,820 --> 00:28:10,190 people predicted what smartphones 552 00:28:10,289 --> 00:28:12,189 would one day become. 553 00:28:12,291 --> 00:28:13,391 - [Daniel] It’s gonna be your bank. 554 00:28:13,492 --> 00:28:14,992 It’s gonna be your credit card. 555 00:28:15,093 --> 00:28:16,903 It’s going to be your educational tool. 556 00:28:16,995 --> 00:28:18,755 It’s going to be your training tool. 557 00:28:18,864 --> 00:28:20,234 It’s gonna be your radio. 558 00:28:20,332 --> 00:28:22,132 It’s going to be your keys. 559 00:28:22,234 --> 00:28:23,704 It’s gonna be how you buy things. 560 00:28:23,802 --> 00:28:25,202 How you board a plane. 561 00:28:25,304 --> 00:28:27,444 This is gonna be your ticket for your next airplane flight. 562 00:28:27,539 --> 00:28:31,179 You see it’s evolving into many, many aspects 563 00:28:31,276 --> 00:28:33,676 of different infrastructure that’ll be all emerged together 564 00:28:33,779 --> 00:28:35,849 in a wireless way because that phone is going 565 00:28:35,948 --> 00:28:37,848 to get smarter and smarter. 566 00:28:39,284 --> 00:28:40,594 - [Narrator] But will all these advantages render 567 00:28:40,686 --> 00:28:43,316 face to face human interaction obsolete? 568 00:28:44,823 --> 00:28:46,493 - [Daniel] The biggest problem with smartphones 569 00:28:46,592 --> 00:28:48,492 is we don’t always have smart users. 570 00:28:48,594 --> 00:28:51,704 We get addicted to the phone so much that we forget 571 00:28:51,797 --> 00:28:52,927 a very important thing. 572 00:28:53,031 --> 00:28:56,131 There’s a time to plug in and a time to unplug. 573 00:29:00,672 --> 00:29:04,412 Everyone remembers their first love and their first car. 574 00:29:04,509 --> 00:29:06,079 For some, they were one and the same. 575 00:29:07,079 --> 00:29:10,249 Few car aficionado’s are more enamored with their vehicles 576 00:29:10,349 --> 00:29:12,619 then classic Mustang lovers. 577 00:29:12,718 --> 00:29:15,118 They drive their collectibles, shine them up, 578 00:29:15,220 --> 00:29:17,390 show them off and discuss them with other 579 00:29:17,489 --> 00:29:18,919 classic Mustang lovers. 580 00:29:19,725 --> 00:29:21,935 But underneath the hood of their retro babies 581 00:29:22,027 --> 00:29:23,557 is an outdated technology. 582 00:29:24,730 --> 00:29:28,430 This 1968 Shelby KR 500 is equipped 583 00:29:28,533 --> 00:29:31,873 with a 428 Cobra jet carburetor motor, 584 00:29:31,970 --> 00:29:34,140 which exhales a signature vintage roar 585 00:29:34,239 --> 00:29:35,739 that gearheads love. 586 00:29:37,542 --> 00:29:41,282 Up until the 1980s, most cars relied on a carburetor 587 00:29:41,380 --> 00:29:42,950 to power the combustion engine. 588 00:29:44,082 --> 00:29:47,292 Air travels in from outside passed a filter 589 00:29:47,386 --> 00:29:48,586 and into the carburetor. 590 00:29:51,290 --> 00:29:54,430 Pressure on the gas pedal allows a regulated amount of air 591 00:29:54,526 --> 00:29:56,756 and a regulated amount of fuel into the chamber 592 00:29:56,862 --> 00:29:57,802 where they mix. 593 00:29:59,931 --> 00:30:02,631 The throttle valve allows the air fuel blend 594 00:30:02,734 --> 00:30:04,174 to enter the engine. 595 00:30:04,269 --> 00:30:06,399 As mechanics and emissions regulations evolved 596 00:30:06,505 --> 00:30:09,545 over the decades so did engine design 597 00:30:09,641 --> 00:30:13,141 and today’s Shelby GT 500 models are complete 598 00:30:13,245 --> 00:30:14,255 with the works. 599 00:30:14,346 --> 00:30:16,606 Fuel injectors on each cylinder, 600 00:30:16,715 --> 00:30:19,125 a fuel rail, an equalizer too, 601 00:30:20,519 --> 00:30:23,719 a throttle body and an electronic fuel equalizer 602 00:30:23,822 --> 00:30:25,892 pressurized pump. 603 00:30:25,991 --> 00:30:27,691 So what’s the upside to this complicated 604 00:30:27,793 --> 00:30:29,033 fuel injection system? 605 00:30:29,895 --> 00:30:32,435 By replacing carburetors with more efficient systems 606 00:30:32,531 --> 00:30:35,001 like fuel injection, vehicles can now operate 607 00:30:35,100 --> 00:30:36,770 at higher mileage per gallon. 608 00:30:36,868 --> 00:30:40,138 For instance, this older Shelby may get only 12 to 15 miles 609 00:30:40,238 --> 00:30:41,438 per gallon, 610 00:30:41,540 --> 00:30:44,110 while the latest models can get up to 20 miles per gallon. 611 00:30:46,011 --> 00:30:48,311 One downside to the state of the art tech 612 00:30:48,413 --> 00:30:50,423 is the time honored engines could be worked on 613 00:30:50,515 --> 00:30:53,785 by amateur mechanics, but newer versions may require 614 00:30:53,885 --> 00:30:55,085 more expertise. 615 00:30:57,189 --> 00:31:00,159 Just another case of mechanical versus computerized. 616 00:31:01,393 --> 00:31:03,663 For some, no computer chips can ever replace 617 00:31:03,762 --> 00:31:05,862 the soulful roar of the engine 618 00:31:05,964 --> 00:31:07,534 and a familiar smell of exhaust. 619 00:31:10,135 --> 00:31:13,045 It’s not just the insides of cars that demanded a makeover, 620 00:31:14,906 --> 00:31:16,706 bumpers and paint have also evolved. 621 00:31:18,143 --> 00:31:20,853 Imagine today’s freeways full of these lead painted 622 00:31:20,946 --> 00:31:22,706 steel bumper dinosaurs. 623 00:31:24,082 --> 00:31:26,122 - Some of the interesting ingredients that have been used 624 00:31:26,218 --> 00:31:29,318 in the paint are metal flakes, fish scales, 625 00:31:29,421 --> 00:31:32,261 which were added to give another kind of iridescent look. 626 00:31:32,357 --> 00:31:35,427 These paints used to be lead then they went to water base. 627 00:31:36,895 --> 00:31:38,755 - [Narrator] Body styles and bumper designs have changed 628 00:31:38,864 --> 00:31:42,734 to reflect tastes and ever improving safety regulations. 629 00:31:42,834 --> 00:31:44,274 - Back in the 1970s, 630 00:31:44,369 --> 00:31:47,339 when we started the heavy focus on safety standards, 631 00:31:47,439 --> 00:31:50,109 we went to the five mile per hour bumpers, 632 00:31:50,208 --> 00:31:53,438 which when applied to existing automobile designs 633 00:31:53,545 --> 00:31:56,315 of the time were pretty unattractive. 634 00:31:57,182 --> 00:31:59,522 - [Earl] In the seventies we had shock absorber bumpers. 635 00:31:59,618 --> 00:32:01,918 And at the same time, we started with the rubber 636 00:32:02,020 --> 00:32:03,920 across the front chrome of the bumpers, 637 00:32:04,022 --> 00:32:07,432 which became a standard later on in the design of cars. 638 00:32:07,526 --> 00:32:09,226 This is an ’89 Porshe Speedster, 639 00:32:09,327 --> 00:32:12,957 the heavy rubber across here and no chrome to the car. 640 00:32:13,064 --> 00:32:15,834 This is an ’06 Ford Mustang and here you can see 641 00:32:15,934 --> 00:32:19,304 the fiberglass bumper as opposed to the chrome bumpers 642 00:32:19,404 --> 00:32:22,214 and no rubber integrated here. 643 00:32:22,307 --> 00:32:24,537 It’s all part of the whole design of the car. 644 00:32:27,479 --> 00:32:29,309 - [Narrator] But first things first, 645 00:32:29,414 --> 00:32:31,824 before you can enjoy your car’s fuel injectors 646 00:32:31,917 --> 00:32:34,447 and safety features you have to get in. 647 00:32:35,921 --> 00:32:37,291 Even that has changed. 648 00:32:37,389 --> 00:32:40,359 Nearly gone are the days of the metal door and ignition key. 649 00:32:41,560 --> 00:32:44,160 - [Jim] You still have a driver’s side key entry, 650 00:32:44,262 --> 00:32:49,572 but you don’t see a door lock anywhere on the passenger side 651 00:32:49,668 --> 00:32:52,238 door in due course, we’re gonna see an end 652 00:32:52,337 --> 00:32:55,407 to the ignition key door key. 653 00:32:55,507 --> 00:32:56,767 - [Narrator] In the past decade, 654 00:32:56,875 --> 00:32:59,985 modern cars began to incorporate smart key technology. 655 00:33:01,446 --> 00:33:03,276 Smart keys triggered door locks and ignition buttons 656 00:33:03,381 --> 00:33:06,321 simply through sensors that detect the keys proximity 657 00:33:06,418 --> 00:33:07,248 to the vehicle. 658 00:33:10,622 --> 00:33:12,962 - This car was locked, but it senses my presence, 659 00:33:13,058 --> 00:33:15,358 and now is unlocked. 660 00:33:15,460 --> 00:33:17,960 How it did that is with this smart key. 661 00:33:18,063 --> 00:33:19,763 I didn’t have to take it outta my pocket. 662 00:33:19,865 --> 00:33:21,875 Don’t have to do anything, but just keep it on my body. 663 00:33:21,967 --> 00:33:25,137 It’ll actually open the car for me and to start it, 664 00:33:25,237 --> 00:33:28,667 I just sit in the car, hit the button, it starts itself. 665 00:33:28,773 --> 00:33:29,913 Don’t have to stick this in anything, 666 00:33:30,008 --> 00:33:31,578 it’s called smart key technology. 667 00:33:32,744 --> 00:33:34,214 - [Narrator] Perhaps someday all old doors 668 00:33:34,312 --> 00:33:35,752 will unlock instinctively, 669 00:33:37,182 --> 00:33:40,492 but until then this plastic key card, isn’t a bad option. 670 00:33:42,020 --> 00:33:45,160 It’s what has made millions of metal hotel room keys 671 00:33:45,257 --> 00:33:49,457 and those obligatory dangling numbered key chains obsolete. 672 00:33:51,463 --> 00:33:54,433 In the late 1970s to combat key theft 673 00:33:54,533 --> 00:33:57,773 and subsequent hotel crime, the lodging industry started 674 00:33:57,869 --> 00:34:00,869 to do away with a standard metal key in favor 675 00:34:00,972 --> 00:34:03,942 of a reprogrammable disposable solution. 676 00:34:05,777 --> 00:34:10,517 The Flamingo hotel in Las Vegas has over 3,500 rooms 677 00:34:10,615 --> 00:34:13,785 and issues 2.4 million key cards each year. 678 00:34:15,720 --> 00:34:17,260 - Upon registration, we gain access 679 00:34:17,355 --> 00:34:18,855 to the customer’s reservation. 680 00:34:20,926 --> 00:34:22,886 Actually go to the key making application, 681 00:34:22,994 --> 00:34:27,274 punch in for a brand new key, and we’re all set. 682 00:34:32,237 --> 00:34:34,837 - [Narrator] The computer encodes the cards magnetic strip 683 00:34:34,940 --> 00:34:37,340 with a check in, check out dates as well 684 00:34:37,442 --> 00:34:40,482 as the particular room sequential numeric access code. 685 00:34:43,882 --> 00:34:47,752 - [Jay] The locks understand what keys due to come in 686 00:34:47,852 --> 00:34:50,222 based on the previous customers of sequence. 687 00:34:50,322 --> 00:34:52,462 Since we cut this key downstairs just now, 688 00:34:52,557 --> 00:34:54,257 this would be the next one in the sequence. 689 00:34:54,359 --> 00:34:55,529 You’d be get the green light, you’d be able 690 00:34:55,627 --> 00:34:57,097 to access the guest room. 691 00:34:57,195 --> 00:34:59,055 If you were to try to access the room 692 00:34:59,164 --> 00:35:02,334 through a non-sequential or an expired key, 693 00:35:02,434 --> 00:35:05,244 you’d be getting the yellow light, 694 00:35:05,337 --> 00:35:06,697 which would not allow you access. 695 00:35:06,805 --> 00:35:09,015 If you improperly insert the key into the guest lock, 696 00:35:09,107 --> 00:35:10,337 you will get a red light. 697 00:35:12,010 --> 00:35:13,580 - [Narrator] 400,000 Of the key cards 698 00:35:13,678 --> 00:35:16,448 the Flamingo issues each year are never returned. 699 00:35:18,216 --> 00:35:22,386 And at four cents a pop that costs the hotel 16 grand 700 00:35:23,788 --> 00:35:26,088 but it’s a small price to pay for the increased security 701 00:35:26,191 --> 00:35:27,961 and convenience over metal keys. 702 00:35:30,528 --> 00:35:33,028 So how long before the old faithful metal key 703 00:35:33,131 --> 00:35:34,531 goes completely extinct. 704 00:35:35,967 --> 00:35:37,297 - [Daniel] Physical metal keys that we deal with today 705 00:35:37,402 --> 00:35:40,972 will increasingly become obsolete, but it will be slow. 706 00:35:41,072 --> 00:35:43,142 The reason it’ll be slow is there are a lot of us that still 707 00:35:43,241 --> 00:35:46,911 have homes and still have devices that need metal keys 708 00:35:47,012 --> 00:35:50,552 and let’s face it to change all of the locks in your home, 709 00:35:50,649 --> 00:35:53,179 a lot of people are not gonna do that very quickly. 710 00:35:54,986 --> 00:35:56,386 - [Narrator] And there’s something to be said 711 00:35:56,488 --> 00:35:59,088 about the secure feeling of hearing that lock turn. 712 00:36:04,929 --> 00:36:06,399 If your favorite music and videos still live 713 00:36:06,498 --> 00:36:09,368 on the obsolete formats and your players bite 714 00:36:09,467 --> 00:36:12,237 the proverbial dust, are you out of luck? 715 00:36:13,471 --> 00:36:16,441 Fear not, there are ways to salvage and preserve 716 00:36:16,541 --> 00:36:19,081 your treasures in more current formats 717 00:36:19,177 --> 00:36:22,047 like this early method of using media transfer hardware 718 00:36:22,147 --> 00:36:22,947 and software. 719 00:36:24,516 --> 00:36:29,216 - We recognized that everyone had some of the old media, 720 00:36:29,320 --> 00:36:32,690 either L Ps, VHS tapes, tape cassettes, 721 00:36:32,791 --> 00:36:35,591 and they were storing them, but they weren’t playing them. 722 00:36:35,694 --> 00:36:40,164 The actual hardware to play back this medium 723 00:36:40,265 --> 00:36:41,475 is disappearing. 724 00:36:41,566 --> 00:36:42,926 That’s when we conceived that the idea 725 00:36:43,034 --> 00:36:46,004 of transfer technology, turning this into something 726 00:36:46,104 --> 00:36:47,474 you could use. 727 00:36:47,572 --> 00:36:50,812 Basically it takes an analog format and transfers it 728 00:36:50,909 --> 00:36:52,709 into a digital format. 729 00:36:52,811 --> 00:36:56,111 So it’s kind of like old school meets new school. 730 00:36:56,214 --> 00:36:58,184 - [Narrator] And with the introduction of MP3 players 731 00:36:58,283 --> 00:37:00,953 in the late 1990s, turning old school media 732 00:37:01,052 --> 00:37:03,622 into portable files could be done with a click. 733 00:37:03,722 --> 00:37:06,222 - [Felix] The LP dock is the easiest way to convert music 734 00:37:06,324 --> 00:37:07,664 from vinyl to digital. 735 00:37:07,759 --> 00:37:10,329 It’s actually going to record a wav file that you can 736 00:37:10,428 --> 00:37:13,198 then process in your computer if you wanted to, 737 00:37:13,298 --> 00:37:16,028 or just for easy play on your iPod. 738 00:37:17,569 --> 00:37:19,069 - [Narrator] Anticipating that some customers 739 00:37:19,170 --> 00:37:21,240 might be technologically challenged, 740 00:37:21,339 --> 00:37:23,569 they’ve made it as simple as installing the software 741 00:37:23,675 --> 00:37:26,385 on your computer and following a few easy steps. 742 00:37:28,947 --> 00:37:29,777 - [Felix] Once my 743 00:37:29,881 --> 00:37:31,421 recording is done, 744 00:37:31,516 --> 00:37:33,676 I can just go ahead and type the name of the artist, 745 00:37:33,785 --> 00:37:35,695 name of the album and the track title. 746 00:37:37,021 --> 00:37:39,261 - [Narrator] The tape to PC cassette converter 747 00:37:39,357 --> 00:37:40,687 works much the same way. 748 00:37:44,162 --> 00:37:46,462 - [Felix] And now what was once in here, 749 00:37:46,564 --> 00:37:49,534 I can just throw away this tape, ’cause it’s all digital. 750 00:37:51,269 --> 00:37:53,769 - [Narrator] But not all memories are audio. 751 00:37:53,872 --> 00:37:56,012 Odds are you still have a few VHS tapes 752 00:37:56,107 --> 00:37:58,577 or cherished home movies lying around your house. 753 00:37:59,978 --> 00:38:05,648 With a VCR to PC, all of this can now fit onto this. 754 00:38:06,885 --> 00:38:09,055 - Where you can take thousands of videos and just put ’em 755 00:38:09,154 --> 00:38:11,894 on your hard drive and once I have it on my hard drive, 756 00:38:11,990 --> 00:38:14,160 I can go ahead and burn it into a DVD or put it 757 00:38:14,259 --> 00:38:15,659 into a portable device. 758 00:38:18,062 --> 00:38:19,232 - [Narrator] All your old stuff can now live 759 00:38:19,330 --> 00:38:20,700 on your new computer. 760 00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:24,800 But what happens in the future when that new computer 761 00:38:24,903 --> 00:38:26,273 is suddenly old. 762 00:38:28,139 --> 00:38:30,269 It’s inevitable that you’ll eventually bid farewell 763 00:38:30,375 --> 00:38:32,615 to your once treasured electronic gadgets. 764 00:38:34,078 --> 00:38:36,848 You have a choice, you can toss them into the drawer 765 00:38:36,948 --> 00:38:40,418 or the trash, or you can give them the respectful 766 00:38:40,518 --> 00:38:42,348 and responsible end they deserve. 767 00:38:42,453 --> 00:38:45,093 Back when C R T TVs became obsolete, 768 00:38:45,190 --> 00:38:48,490 a recycling facility like this one in Commerce, California 769 00:38:48,593 --> 00:38:49,963 became the resting place. 770 00:38:51,129 --> 00:38:53,699 - Our facility here is about 40,000 square feet 771 00:38:53,798 --> 00:38:56,898 and we take anywhere from 200,000 to 300,000 pounds 772 00:38:57,001 --> 00:38:57,971 of e-waste a month. 773 00:38:59,170 --> 00:39:00,600 - [Narrator] These gadget graveyards serve 774 00:39:00,705 --> 00:39:02,865 as collection hubs for discarded tech, 775 00:39:02,974 --> 00:39:05,414 including TVs, computers, 776 00:39:06,511 --> 00:39:08,611 office equipment, and cell phones. 777 00:39:10,982 --> 00:39:14,222 - The most common item we get here are TV C R Ts. 778 00:39:14,319 --> 00:39:16,549 And we get about 5,000 of them a month. 779 00:39:18,256 --> 00:39:20,586 - [Narrator] These TVs are among the 27 million 780 00:39:20,692 --> 00:39:23,232 that were taken out of service in just one year. 781 00:39:25,997 --> 00:39:28,397 So what happens to them and the rest of the e-waste 782 00:39:28,499 --> 00:39:29,599 that comes here. 783 00:39:30,835 --> 00:39:33,335 - [Dana] We weigh it, we sort it and it’s taken 784 00:39:33,438 --> 00:39:36,468 to the dismantling line where the metals are taken apart, 785 00:39:36,574 --> 00:39:37,784 the plastics are taken out. 786 00:39:37,876 --> 00:39:40,176 The circuit boards are taken out, the glass. 787 00:39:40,278 --> 00:39:41,908 Everything gets demanufactured. 788 00:39:42,013 --> 00:39:45,123 So think of a manufacturing line, but backwards. 789 00:39:47,185 --> 00:39:49,725 - [Narrator] This process is mostly done by hand. 790 00:39:49,821 --> 00:39:52,121 So as not to contaminate the reusable materials 791 00:39:52,223 --> 00:39:56,033 with the harmful ones like the lead found in C R T TVs. 792 00:39:58,663 --> 00:40:01,533 Some of the reusable components need to be compressed 793 00:40:01,633 --> 00:40:02,903 for easier transport. 794 00:40:05,370 --> 00:40:07,610 - [Dana] Imagine a giant trash compactor, 795 00:40:07,705 --> 00:40:10,435 but for plastics and metals, and these are sent off 796 00:40:10,541 --> 00:40:13,541 to processors where they will be melted and remanufactured. 797 00:40:14,746 --> 00:40:17,376 - [Narrator] There just may be life after death, 798 00:40:17,482 --> 00:40:20,582 but be careful because some of that outdated equipment 799 00:40:20,685 --> 00:40:22,855 might contain important data. 800 00:40:22,954 --> 00:40:24,824 - Because everybody has sensitive information 801 00:40:24,923 --> 00:40:26,623 on their computers, whether it’s personal use 802 00:40:26,724 --> 00:40:29,034 or for business use, make sure that when you take it 803 00:40:29,127 --> 00:40:32,527 to an e-waste recycler to ask them to physically destroy 804 00:40:32,630 --> 00:40:35,570 your hard drive, deleting it will not do. 805 00:40:35,667 --> 00:40:38,997 As part of the recycling process we remove the hard drives 806 00:40:39,103 --> 00:40:41,113 from the computer and upon a request, 807 00:40:41,205 --> 00:40:44,905 we will destroy the hard drives by punching three holes 808 00:40:45,009 --> 00:40:49,049 into the disc itself so that the data is unretrievable. 809 00:40:50,949 --> 00:40:52,649 - [Narrator] But it’s not just the information 810 00:40:52,750 --> 00:40:54,990 that might leak into the wrong places. 811 00:40:55,086 --> 00:40:57,786 - The rate of technological change and obsolescence 812 00:40:57,889 --> 00:41:01,159 of course has a dark, deep and bad downside. 813 00:41:02,460 --> 00:41:03,730 - [Narrator] Some environmentally 814 00:41:03,828 --> 00:41:06,058 and socially irresponsible companies export 815 00:41:06,164 --> 00:41:08,674 unwanted electronics overseas, 816 00:41:08,766 --> 00:41:10,326 where they’re dismantled unsafely. 817 00:41:11,302 --> 00:41:13,302 Often by children paid pennies a day. 818 00:41:15,139 --> 00:41:17,169 - [Dana] There are a lot of quote unquote recyclers 819 00:41:17,275 --> 00:41:20,015 that will send their electronic waste to underdeveloped 820 00:41:20,111 --> 00:41:24,011 countries where they don’t have strict environmental laws 821 00:41:24,115 --> 00:41:25,285 and labor laws. 822 00:41:25,383 --> 00:41:27,953 So right now there are villages where people 823 00:41:28,052 --> 00:41:29,752 are actually cooking the circuit boards, 824 00:41:29,854 --> 00:41:32,994 inhaling the toxic fumes and then disposing of the waste 825 00:41:33,091 --> 00:41:35,491 into their water supply as well as their soil. 826 00:41:36,861 --> 00:41:38,331 However, recyclers like us, 827 00:41:38,429 --> 00:41:40,699 we use responsible downstream vendors who have 828 00:41:40,798 --> 00:41:44,068 high tech facilities to handle these hazardous materials 829 00:41:44,168 --> 00:41:45,398 in the proper way. 830 00:41:47,105 --> 00:41:48,775 - [Narrator] Today with technology evolving 831 00:41:48,873 --> 00:41:51,483 at near light speed, don’t get too attached 832 00:41:51,576 --> 00:41:55,176 to your TVs and cell phones ’cause their days are numbered. 833 00:41:56,547 --> 00:41:59,477 - I’m sure that our laptops and our MP3 players 834 00:41:59,584 --> 00:42:01,524 in 10 or 20 years will be collecting dust. 835 00:42:01,619 --> 00:42:04,759 - Innovation and change is not slowing down. 836 00:42:04,856 --> 00:42:06,556 It is speeding up. 837 00:42:06,657 --> 00:42:07,487 Be ready.