# Ubiquitous items from relatively recently youngsters may not recognise **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 19, 2023, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362 "2023-03-19T15:27:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 31
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2025, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/601 "2025-10-09T12:27:31Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Likely very few, sadly. I’m sure that today, they’d just plot it out on a computer, and that would be that. I’m sure very few people saw the items in that drawing set even fifty or sixty years ago. You mention a “perfectly-shaped serif on a letter N” , so I’m guessing you used it for calligraphy. I did some calligraphy back in high school ( over 40 years ago) , even took a couple of classes - but I never used or even heard of a ruling pen. I used dip pens that consisted of a holder and a changeable nib or sometimes special markers. I’m guessing a lot of people who used ruling pens for technical drawing 40 years ago never saw the type of pens I used. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/602 "2025-10-09T16:56:29Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Is it? Easy to say to just use a fancy e-device, but is every school handing out free tablets to every student? I live in a middle class suburban school district. Yes, they lent a Chromebook to every student in the district. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2025, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/603 "2025-10-09T17:42:14Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > But there was something about using a ruling pen, with which you could make no mistake, and crafting a perfectly-shaped serif on a letter N. They’re still used for calligraphy lettering (that is, the letter strokes, not only for ruling), though I’ve not used one myself. I’ve been practicing handwriting in detail for the last year and a half and ruling pens get a page or two in several of the guide books I’ve been studying. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/wtiFdG277Mo/hqdefault.jpg "Awesome Ruling Pen Calligraphy Compilation and Bonus DIY Ruling Parallel Pen") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtiFdG277Mo) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2025, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/604 "2025-10-09T20:39:45Z")
Hood ornaments from [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQzftljIRfnvpEjg17HiqFJBvxx0asJods_tg&s) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQzftljIRfnvpEjg17HiqFJBvxx0asJods_tg&s) to [![](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ90zKTuW17rkOuepz2sah8f4c1IBWlNvqjQA&s) ](https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ90zKTuW17rkOuepz2sah8f4c1IBWlNvqjQA&s) ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/605 "2025-10-10T13:30:55Z")
THANK YOU for clarifying this for the teeming masses. I have always known the difference and have always been mildly annoyed when people confused the two, usually in the context of the smell of the copies. Ditto had the distinctive odor of alcohol. I don’t recall whether mimeo had a specific or consistent smell; different companies’ inks may have smelled different. But I never associated mimeo with a particularly pleasant smell, unlike ditto. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/606 "2025-10-10T13:42:37Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > I recognized it immediately. It’s a drawing set. Ruling pens, compasses, extenders, and so on. I’ve used those things before. Likewise. But quickly moved onto Rapidograph pens. The pens in the set pictured had to be dipped in ink. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/607 "2025-10-10T16:48:54Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > But quickly moved onto Rapidograph pens. At least they never clogged. Radiograph pens are like inkjet printers…little precious prima donnas that require your daily usage otherwise they get upset and clog. The larger ones are not such a concern, but the thin ones we like so much can clog to the point of being unrecoverable. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/608 "2025-10-10T16:53:49Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > Radiograph pens are like inkjet printers…little precious prima donnas that require your daily usage otherwise they get upset and clog I would be more concerned about the ionizing radiation. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/609 "2025-10-10T17:04:56Z")
> [@minor7flat5](#): > > At least they never clogged. Radiograph pens are like inkjet printers…little precious prima Gawd, ain’t that the truth. I used a 0000 for years. Used it for tiny, tiny text. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/610 "2025-10-10T17:13:37Z")
I used the drafting set with graphite that clamped in (same as in the drawing compass), then inked the lines with Rapidographs. They were better than India ink pens but nibs did clog, so I’d soak them in hot water. I tried nail polish remover once: goodbye nib. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/611 "2025-10-10T17:30:08Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > I tried nail polish remover once: goodbye nib. Yeah. We had one of those ultra sonic cleaners. They still failed beyond recovery though ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/612 "2025-10-10T17:40:30Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Anyone here remember thermal printers - i.e. a device that required special heat-sensitive paper to print anything? Not as a printer, but back in the 70s, my dad had an IBM computer terminal in our house, so he could do remote overtime work, and it used thermal technology to print everything on a continuous roll of paper. I thought that it was called the [Silent 700](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_700), but I don’t remember it being a TI product. In any case, it was very similar to that one. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/613 "2025-10-10T17:45:06Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Anyone here remember thermal printers - i.e. a device that required special heat-sensitive paper to print anything? fax machines and receipt printers. How did you know if the receipt printer was one? Leave the receipt in you car in LA and it would soon be a sheet of solid gray. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/614 "2025-10-10T17:53:00Z")
Thermal printer paper also seems to react interestingly to alcohol. I handled one recently right after using some hand sanitizer, and it left a perfectly-detailed thumbprint on it. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/615 "2025-10-10T17:53:19Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Leave the receipt in you car in LA and it would soon be a sheet of solid gray. Friction from a hard object is usually enough to activate the thermal ink. Use a coin or key, scratch a line on the print side of the paper. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/616 "2025-10-10T17:54:06Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > > [@minor7flat5](#): > > > > Radiograph pens are like inkjet printers…little precious prima donnas that require your daily usage otherwise they get upset and clog > > I would be more concerned about the ionizing radiation. But at least you can read your notes in the dark. 😁 > [@Horatius](#): > > I thought that it was called the [Silent 700](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_700), but I don’t remember it being a TI product. In any case, it was very similar to that one. At that time several outfits made those. I had an similar HP version on one job. I don’t recall seeing an IBM-branded one, but I bet there was such thing. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/617 "2025-10-10T17:56:55Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Friction from a hard object is usually enough to activate the thermal ink. Use a coin or key, scratch a line on the print side of the paper. You can easily draw with your fingernails on thermal paper. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/618 "2025-10-10T18:08:08Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Friction from a hard object is usually enough to activate the thermal ink > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > You can easily draw with your fingernails on thermal paper Yes, I write my mileage on gas receipts with my fingernail. Thermal paper usually contains lots of BPA. Some people claim just handling it is bad, and perhaps it is if you handle it frequently. In any case, don’t lick or eat the thermal paper. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/619 "2025-10-10T18:09:19Z")
Yes!! I used one of those in the early 1980s - it was from TI. It had the cradle built in that you’d have to set the phone receiver into. I was doing system support and if something crashed at night, it was a hell of a lot better than driving 15 miles to the office. > **[Silent 700](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_700)** > > The Silent 700, introduced in 1971, was a line of portable computer terminals manufactured by Texas Instruments in the 1970s and 1980s. Silent 700s printed with a 5 × 7 dot-matrix heating element onto a roll of heat-sensitive paper. Some models were equipped with an integrated acoustic coupler and modem that could receive data at 30 characters per second. Other models could be directly connected to computers at 300 bits per second (bit/s), and were sometimes used as the system console wh A pai... ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2025, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362/620 "2025-10-10T18:16:41Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > > [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > > > I tried nail polish remover once: goodbye nib. > > Yeah. We had one of those ultra sonic cleaners. They still failed beyond recovery though Um, they sell bottles of “Rapido-eze technical pen cleaner”; you are not supposed to soak the whole thing in a bottle of acetone. They also had nibs with (hard) jewel points that were meant to last longer. I think inkwells and other writing accessories are still, like typewriters, recognizable, though who knows for how much longer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362.md?page=30) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ubiquitous-items-from-relatively-recently-youngsters-may-not-recognise/981362.md?page=32)