7 ms·

Digging through the New York Times morgue

65 points by secondary 3y ago

soared 3y ago
https://buttondown.imgix.net/images/eb9dbde1-8457-4080-b2ee-5d7de687d13c.JPG?w=960&fit=max https://buttondown.imgix.net/images/eb9dbde1-8457-4080-b2ee-... Is this a known style of photography? I've never seen an image like it and its very intriguing!
- aristus 3y ago
  They just painted over the background around the subjects, for easier compositing later on. These days it's like a long press on your iPhone, but back in the day clipping was a tedious task.
squirrel6 3y ago
This video, discussed on the blog, is a very fascinating memorialization of when NYT phased out linotype https://vimeo.com/127605643 https://vimeo.com/127605643
- dang 3y ago
  Related: Farewell Etaoin Shrdlu (1978) [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31312035 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31312035 - May 2022 (49 comments) Etaoin Shrdlu - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29071164 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29071164 - Nov 2021 (33 comments) Farewell Etaoin Shrdlu (1978) [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23538028 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23538028 - June 2020 (46 comments) 1978 – 'Farewell, Etaoin Shrdlu' - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16907778 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16907778 - April 2018 (2 comments) Farewell – ETAOIN SHRDLU (1978) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15806072 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15806072 - Nov 2017 (1 comment) Farewell – ETAOIN SHRDL: The Last Day of Hot Metal Typesetting at the NY Times - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13070183 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13070183 - Nov 2016 (1 comment)
- tivert 3y ago
  That film is fantastic. Does anyone know what terminals they're using at the end? It looks like they have two types. At lest one of the computers looks like it's some kind of Data General machine. There's also a shot of what looks like an IBM System 370 front panel like this one: (https://old.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/comments/7l79hs/rare_ibm_370_controller_looking_for_info_and_value/ https://old.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/comments/7l79hs/ra..., https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102668095 https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/10266809...).
  - shrubble 3y ago
    Data General made some graphics display terminals. Judging from the rows of extra function keys they look very similar and some of the backend hardware also is DG.
  - ghaff 3y ago
    Probably a Nova 1200 or something like that though there's a lot of other specialized equipment in that film as well. ADDED: It wouldn't surprise me if the terminals were something specialized for the purpose. Pretty sure they're not DG terminals.
    - tivert 3y ago
      > Probably a Nova 1200 or something like that though there's a lot of other specialized equipment in that film as well. I'm more interested in the terminals. Here are some screenshots from the movie of what I'm talking about: https://imgur.com/a/Vm0LGw4 https://imgur.com/a/Vm0LGw4
      - ghaff 3y ago
        Hmm. It looks like there are a couple of different models there. I can't make out the specifics too clearly but they don't look to my eye like standard minicomputer terminals like DG would have sold. There are too many extra blocks of keys and lights. FWIW, a few years later, the Post brought in a system that Raytheon designed for them. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/10/06/posts-new-look-reflects-era-of-computerization/392125a6-dea7-447b-a6e6-7daa422edd93/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/10/06/p... So I'm guessing they're something either custom or from one of the early phototypesetting companies. This is pretty early days though. It was very common in the late 70s for editorial at small papers to still be working on typewriters and the final copy was re-inputed into phototypesetting equipment.
Simulacra 3y ago
Also this great article about Jeff Roth, the guy overseeing scanning and cataloging. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/14/insider/in-the-timess-morgue-millions-of-news-clippings-and-prints.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/14/insider/in-the-timess-mor...
- ghaff 3y ago
  Yeah, the OP writes "And before you ask: no, the contents of the morgue aren’t digitized…" A lot of the morgue has been; I saw a presentation a few years ago at a Strata Conference. What is true is a lot of the digitized materials aren't available to the public because the Times doesn't have to rights to do so.
  - Simulacra 3y ago
    He helped me with a research project and scanned some photos in. If you are a researcher and ask it seems like his office might help.

65 points by secondary 3y ago

https://buttondown.imgix.net/images/eb9dbde1-8457-4080-b2ee-5d7de687d13c.JPG?w=960&fit=max https://buttondown.imgix.net/images/eb9dbde1-8457-4080-b2ee-... Is this a known style of photography? I've never seen an image like it and its very intriguing!

aristus 3y ago
They just painted over the background around the subjects, for easier compositing later on. These days it's like a long press on your iPhone, but back in the day clipping was a tedious task.

squirrel6 3y ago

This video, discussed on the blog, is a very fascinating memorialization of when NYT phased out linotype https://vimeo.com/127605643 https://vimeo.com/127605643

dang 3y ago
Related: Farewell Etaoin Shrdlu (1978) [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31312035 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31312035 - May 2022 (49 comments) Etaoin Shrdlu - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29071164 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29071164 - Nov 2021 (33 comments) Farewell Etaoin Shrdlu (1978) [video] - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23538028 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23538028 - June 2020 (46 comments) 1978 – 'Farewell, Etaoin Shrdlu' - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16907778 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16907778 - April 2018 (2 comments) Farewell – ETAOIN SHRDLU (1978) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15806072 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15806072 - Nov 2017 (1 comment) Farewell – ETAOIN SHRDL: The Last Day of Hot Metal Typesetting at the NY Times - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13070183 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13070183 - Nov 2016 (1 comment)
tivert 3y ago
That film is fantastic. Does anyone know what terminals they're using at the end? It looks like they have two types. At lest one of the computers looks like it's some kind of Data General machine. There's also a shot of what looks like an IBM System 370 front panel like this one: (https://old.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/comments/7l79hs/rare_ibm_370_controller_looking_for_info_and_value/ https://old.reddit.com/r/vintagecomputing/comments/7l79hs/ra..., https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/102668095 https://www.computerhistory.org/collections/catalog/10266809...).
- shrubble 3y ago
  Data General made some graphics display terminals. Judging from the rows of extra function keys they look very similar and some of the backend hardware also is DG.
- ghaff 3y ago
  Probably a Nova 1200 or something like that though there's a lot of other specialized equipment in that film as well. ADDED: It wouldn't surprise me if the terminals were something specialized for the purpose. Pretty sure they're not DG terminals.
  - tivert 3y ago
    > Probably a Nova 1200 or something like that though there's a lot of other specialized equipment in that film as well. I'm more interested in the terminals. Here are some screenshots from the movie of what I'm talking about: https://imgur.com/a/Vm0LGw4 https://imgur.com/a/Vm0LGw4
    - ghaff 3y ago
      Hmm. It looks like there are a couple of different models there. I can't make out the specifics too clearly but they don't look to my eye like standard minicomputer terminals like DG would have sold. There are too many extra blocks of keys and lights. FWIW, a few years later, the Post brought in a system that Raytheon designed for them. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/10/06/posts-new-look-reflects-era-of-computerization/392125a6-dea7-447b-a6e6-7daa422edd93/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/10/06/p... So I'm guessing they're something either custom or from one of the early phototypesetting companies. This is pretty early days though. It was very common in the late 70s for editorial at small papers to still be working on typewriters and the final copy was re-inputed into phototypesetting equipment.

Simulacra 3y ago

Also this great article about Jeff Roth, the guy overseeing scanning and cataloging. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/14/insider/in-the-timess-morgue-millions-of-news-clippings-and-prints.html https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/14/insider/in-the-timess-mor...

ghaff 3y ago
Yeah, the OP writes "And before you ask: no, the contents of the morgue aren’t digitized…" A lot of the morgue has been; I saw a presentation a few years ago at a Strata Conference. What is true is a lot of the digitized materials aren't available to the public because the Times doesn't have to rights to do so.
- Simulacra 3y ago
  He helped me with a research project and scanned some photos in. If you are a researcher and ask it seems like his office might help.