Task 7: Techno Stuff, looking at other blogs

Hello there
I’m not really that much into techno gear…at least not the contemporary type. Even when I read ‘Librarian Blues’ blog about VCRs and PVRs, I started to go cross-eyed. When I want to buy something new, well, I have young adult kids to help with that. I’m not a complete Luddite though, I love to use new technology but I just don’t want to know all the details. Just show me how to work it and I’m happy. I am interested in the development of technology however. At present I have the good fortune to be working on issues of The Australian Journal from the 1920s. So rather than attempt to talk about ‘modern’ technology and embarrass myself, I thought I would share my favourite security technologies invented in the 1920s. Both inventions were used in crime prevention for Pharmacies. The first is quite reasonable: If a burglar entered the premises, the clerk would flick a switch under the counter and a sign made up of light bulbs and spelling out the word ‘police’ would light up outside. Sounds reasonable to me. The next one is a great lesson in stupid. In this instance, the pharmacist/sales clerk would wear a handgun which was strapped in under the arm. Some kind of wire/spring mechanism was attached to the trigger. The idea was that when the robber shouted ‘stick-em-up’, the pharmacist would lift his arms up and the gun would pop out at just the right height (apparently) and shoot the thief. I do hope no-one asked him/her to reach up and get something off a high shelf.

Cheers