# Programming aTI57 to spell out ShEll OiL **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 9, 2020, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600 "2020-10-09T23:51:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MrMrmrmr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrmrmrmr/32/5828_2.png) [@MrMrmrmr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrMrmrmr)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2020, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/1 "2020-10-09T23:51:04Z")
Am I the only one to remember doing this? The TI 57 was a programmable calculator in the late 1970s, if you had it display a 5, then 54, then 543, etc, you would turn it upside down and 710 77345 read as shell oil. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/2 "2020-10-10T00:17:45Z")
I believe that trick worked with just about any calculator at that time. ---
**Author:** ![MrMrmrmr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrmrmrmr/32/5828_2.png) [@MrMrmrmr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrMrmrmr)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/3 "2020-10-10T00:19:18Z")
Yes sir, any calculator you could program. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/4 "2020-10-10T00:23:37Z")
Words you can spell with a calculator: > **[Upside-Down Calculator Word Game - Word List | Dr Mike's Math Games for Kids](https://www.dr-mikes-math-games-for-kids.com/calculator-word-game-upside-down-list.html)** > > The word list for the upside-down calculator word game on this site. ---
**Author:** ![MrMrmrmr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrmrmrmr/32/5828_2.png) [@MrMrmrmr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrMrmrmr)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/5 "2020-10-10T00:40:09Z")
Thanks but I was playing the OG card. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/6 "2020-10-10T00:48:36Z")
What is “Playing the OG card”? ---
**Author:** ![MrMrmrmr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrmrmrmr/32/5828_2.png) [@MrMrmrmr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrMrmrmr)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/7 "2020-10-10T00:57:34Z")
I am an original gangster in programming. Not really, I have programmed a calculator, and a basic stamp, and a Hurco CNC milling machine, but other than that I am completely ignorant about programming. I was just trying to connect with people who had the same fond memory of high school. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/8 "2020-10-10T01:06:32Z")
I always made my calculators spell out “hELLhOLE,” since that was what I thought of school, but I’m not sure why you’d need a programmable one? ---
**Author:** ![MrMrmrmr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrmrmrmr/32/5828_2.png) [@MrMrmrmr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrMrmrmr)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/9 "2020-10-10T01:14:14Z")
You pressed a button and then it was displayed like a theater marquis , each letter appears by itself, and then another letter is added, etc, until the whole message is displayed. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/10 "2020-10-10T01:22:18Z")
`5318008` ---
**Author:** ![MrMrmrmr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrmrmrmr/32/5828_2.png) [@MrMrmrmr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrMrmrmr)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/11 "2020-10-10T01:25:06Z")
You know what sucks about an iPad , you want to look at something upside down, and it rotates the screen. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/12 "2020-10-10T02:33:35Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > 5318008 ( . Y . ) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/13 "2020-10-10T02:35:30Z")
> [@MrMrmrmr](#): > > You know what sucks about an iPad , you want to look at something upside down, and it rotates the screen. - Screen glue will stop that. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/14 "2020-10-10T02:37:37Z")
> [@MrMrmrmr](#): > > You know what sucks about an iPad , you want to look at something upside down, and it rotates the screen. Quick controls (swipe down from the top right corner), click the lock icon with the spinning arrow around it. Done, rotation is locked. Useful for reading in bed. ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/15 "2020-10-10T02:57:22Z")
I remember that as part of a story. “If 142 [group 1] fought 154 [group 2] over 69 oil wells for 5 days, who would win?” and you’d type in 14215469 and multiply it by 5 to get 71077345. This was in the 70s and things were really tense in the Middle East, so you can probably guess who the two groups were. ---
**Author:** ![Kzbre5m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kzbre5m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kzbre5m)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/16 "2020-10-10T11:11:00Z")
Then there is the 710 cap on your car engine that confuses some people and is a puzzle – or a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/17 "2020-10-10T22:01:34Z")
The 710 cap on my engine just shows a pictograph\* of an “oil can”. None of the kids know what an oil can is… \*pictograph= ‘meaningless in any language’ ---
**Author:** ![Kzbre5m](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f08c70/32.png) [@Kzbre5m](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kzbre5m)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/18 "2020-10-10T22:28:04Z")
Just like the 3-1/2" floppy drive = “save”… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/19 "2020-10-11T01:22:38Z")
Yeah, I played those same games on my TI SR-50 back in the mid 70’s. Booklets on how to do stupid calculator tricks made the rounds back then. They were quite funny for about 3 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/20 "2020-10-11T16:16:03Z")
I hadn’t thought of this in about forty years, but the thread title brought back memories of not only ShEllOiL but the other words my brother and I figured out how to produce in the calculator display window. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600.md?page=2)