MovieChat Forums > The Andromeda Strain (1971) Discussion > So, can someone explain?

So, can someone explain?

posted 9 years ago by MrZoolook
4 replies | jump to latest

So, while they were building this top secret, trillion dollar, hi tech lab, they installed a teletype printer, right. To enabe the ouside world to send messages, right.

Firstly, since they obviously had a live video feed, why have a teletype anyway?

Second, what exactly did GI Joe do with the teletype that necessitated him having to hear a bell anyway. I seem to remember somehing about having to feed it paper when a message was received. If so, then...

... Lastly, assuming GI Joe was paper feeding the thing, why scrimp on like 5 bucks after spending trillions, and just get a printer with sheet-feed. This removes the fact that he might not hear the bell because he wasn't awake 24/7, without taking breaks for food and toilet, etc...

Makes no sense!

[–] rogueforte 9 years ago

Yeah, the whole communication thing between Scoop and the highest government authorities seems to be seriously flawed. I can only surmise that the intent of having a solitary GI Joe monitor incoming communications was to allow the scientists to do their research uninterrupted with minimal outside interference.

Still, when something as major as dropping a nuke on a town (even a 'small' nuke) was recommended by Scoop, you'd think they'd have a much more reliable means of giving the status of how and when such a recommendation was acted upon than just some low-level, enlisted guy mindlessly sitting by a teletype machine, waiting for a bell to ring so he could feed paper into it.

[–] sir_mathew 9 years ago

I don't think "sheet feed" technology was available in 1971 and the chaff of paper stopping the bell might have also jammed the paper feed sprockets too. To recommend nuking anything probably required a paper-trail so maybe it had to be in print to be authorized or approved. Almost everything back then was on "green bar" paper, for those of you who can remember early printouts.

[–] MrZoolook 9 years ago

According to http://www.designhistory.org/BookHistory_pages/Letterpress.html, continuous printing was first available somewhere between 1843 and 1865, and was in use on printers driven by steam.

Just saying...

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[–] kerryedavis 9 years ago

They didn't have to feed it paper by hand. It was supplied by a roll of paper, as was the one shown where Stone finds the message that was missed, and tore it off from the ROLL of paper that was going through.

But I used machines like that for years, and I don't believe anyone would be fooled by the bell thing. Just for example, one test would certainly include making the bell ring, to test IT. When it didn't, they'd find the problem.

A theater audience would probably believe the bell thing, though.