# 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:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/21 "2020-10-11T16:36:51Z")
Right, cute trick if you remember the numbers, no programming needed. ---
**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 11, 2020, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/22 "2020-10-11T19:35:28Z")
I programmed the calculator to spell out the words adding on a number/letter at a time. When you ran the program, the display would be S, then a pause, then SH, and another pause, then SHE, etc. I was not posting about keying in the numbers all at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/23 "2020-10-11T20:08:59Z")
> [@MrMrmrmr](#): > > I was not posting about keying in the numbers all at the same time. Maybe you are the only one who actually programmed it; I never saw that done. The cool thing about doing it the other way is that you had a story to tell to build up to show the viewer a surprise result. Just spelling out the letters is more impressive as a programming feat but not as interesting to watch. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/24 "2020-10-11T21:35:22Z")
Yeah I remember the ShellOil thing. In the 70’s there was a calculation that if done a certain way, usually a story about a woman getting an operation narrated in a storytelling way as the numbers were added and crunched, then one the result came out, the calculator was inverted to “spell” out the punchline: “b00bLeSS”. The “L” being an inverted seven, the “S”, inverted fives. This trick was shown to me by a thirty-something aunt. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/25 "2020-10-13T06:12:35Z")
I too remember the Shell oil thing, from the late 1970s. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/26 "2020-10-13T15:31:09Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > They were quite funny for about 3 minutes. 7734 40 > [@Kzbre5m](#): > > Then there is the 710 cap on your car engine that confuses some people and is a puzzle German cars are really confusing. They have an “OEL” cap. We pronounced it like we didn’t care to ever check. “Oh 'ell”. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600/27 "2020-10-14T17:57:52Z")
This is the one I remember.!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/programming-ati57-to-spell-out-shell-oil/922600.md?page=1)