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People in 1920s Berlin nightclubs flirted via pneumatic tubes (2017)

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Re: People in 1920s Berlin nightclubs flirted via pneumatic tubes (2017)

#31
The early Blue Man Group [0] shows off-Broadway (before they were the Intel guys) were billed as "Blue Man/Tubes"

They'd run corrugated pipe from each seat in the theater to the waiting hall.

Which meant that while you were waiting for the next show, you could talk to someone who was watching the current show.

Was pretty neat.

PS: Also walked out of the show with a nice black eye, after my pre-teen self went down in the final toilet paper wave and caught the heel of the guy in front of me. Still worth it!

[0] E.g. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=R1N_r2J5hek

Re: People in 1920s Berlin nightclubs flirted via pneumatic tubes (2017)

#32
post #19
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Germany, up until the rise of the Nazis, was a popular destination for Eastern Jews fleeing pogroms, a centre of sexuality research, cutting-edge culture for music and film. We should do a better job of remembering that, because the reason none of that survives is "the Nazis murdered everyone". Particularly given the direct adoption of Nazi-era phraseology in modern political movements.

[flagged]

Luxembergism was the adequate reaction, the Nazi Party, even at that time, was just as corrupt and depraved.

Re: People in 1920s Berlin nightclubs flirted via pneumatic tubes (2017)

#33
post #14
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i can imagine why people aren’t so enthusiastic about role playing early 20th century germans

Germany, up until the rise of the Nazis, was a popular destination for Eastern Jews fleeing pogroms, a centre of sexuality research, cutting-edge culture for music and film. We should do a better job of remembering that, because the reason none of that survives is "the Nazis murdered everyone". Particularly given the direct adoption of Nazi-era phraseology in modern political movements.

Yes, it's sad how little attention that period of German history gets especially abroad. Babylon Berlin is a fantastic German TV production that captures the cultural side of the late Weimar period very well.

Re: People in 1920s Berlin nightclubs flirted via pneumatic tubes (2017)

#34
post #21
post #5

Reminds me, there was a nightclub in Newcastle-upon-Tyne way back in the 1980s which had a telephone on each table. If you fancied someone on another table you'd dial their table phone and strike up a chat. Can't remember the name of the club but it was on Market Street somewhere. Good times!

The club in Newcastle was Tuxedo Junction. there was a short-lived clone of same in Las Vegas in the early/mid 1980s as well.

Story on TJ/NoT: https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-new...>

Re: People in 1920s Berlin nightclubs flirted via pneumatic tubes (2017)

#35
post #31

The early Blue Man Group [0] shows off-Broadway (before they were the Intel guys) were billed as "Blue Man/Tubes" They'd run corrugated pipe from each seat in the theater to the waiting hall. Which meant that while you were waiting for the next show, you could talk to someone who was watching the current show. Was pretty neat. PS: Also walked out of the show with a nice black eye, after my pre-teen self went down in…

> Blue Man/Tubes

Google that on your own risk.

Re: People in 1920s Berlin nightclubs flirted via pneumatic tubes (2017)

#36
post #15

Berlin had one of the largest pneumatic mail systems in the world. A (highly recommended) Berlin Unterwelten tour covers it. There is still a big, beautiful Rohrpost building in Mitte close to the big Synagogue. The Real store at Leopoldplatz has a pneumatic tube system that reaches every cash register. You can see the tubes go up and along the ceiling. I believe that it's one of the failed Walmart stores from their…

> The Real store at Leopoldplatz has a pneumatic tube system that reaches every cash register.

Isn’t this pretty common in hypermarkets? I’ve seen systems of pneumatic tubes running from the registers at Auchans or Carrefours in multiple European countries. I imagine that people don’t notice them just because pneumatic tubes are now so little a part of everyday life that one doesn’t even expect to see them.

Re: People in 1920s Berlin nightclubs flirted via pneumatic tubes (2017)

#37
post #12

Oh yeah? In NYC in the early 2000’s we used crude little close circuit TV things. Anyone remember the Remote Lounge?

Docpop can remember it for you wholesale:

https://docpop.org/2013/10/way-ahead-of-its-time-the-remote-...

Re: People in 1920s Berlin nightclubs flirted via pneumatic tubes (2017)

#38
post #26

This is a titillating combination of remote (don’t know the person) and in-person (you can see them right there across the room. Something that’s impossible to recreate with Tender, etc. There are two fatal flaws to the system that’s described in the article and the more recent examples mentioned the comments, though: (1) first call takes all, you wouldn’t know how many people would be interested in you; and (2) deni…

Regarding the "fatal flaws" in such a system, the same could be said if someone were to strike up a conversation in-person.

If others see that a person is engaged in conversation, they might not be so quick to interrupt (that could come off as rude, and lessen your chances of success).

On the other hand, perhaps you are daring, and when you notice the person who is being DoS'ed frown when they answer the phone, you decide to stand up and actually say hello (effectively rescuing them from their attacker).

Re: People in 1920s Berlin nightclubs flirted via pneumatic tubes (2017)

#39
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every other day I hear a reactionary takes on behaviors that would have been called "sexual bolshevism" at the time. Scary times.

Are you using the term Bolshevism in a positive sense, seriously?

I.. don't think that's what they're doing at all. "Sexual Bolshevism" was used in a derogatory sense by the Nazis, criticizing more liberal sexual views and practices by implying it was related to the Russian Bolsheviks. I think what the above poster is doing is comparing similar critique heard today, to what the Nazis were saying back then.

Re: People in 1920s Berlin nightclubs flirted via pneumatic tubes (2017)

#40
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Germany, up until the rise of the Nazis, was a popular destination for Eastern Jews fleeing pogroms, a centre of sexuality research, cutting-edge culture for music and film. We should do a better job of remembering that, because the reason none of that survives is "the Nazis murdered everyone". Particularly given the direct adoption of Nazi-era phraseology in modern political movements.

Yes, it's sad how little attention that period of German history gets especially abroad. Babylon Berlin is a fantastic German TV production that captures the cultural side of the late Weimar period very well.

Of course, the musical Cabaret as well. Based on Christopher Isherwood's writings.

Unsurprisingly, the film sanitizes things a little bit and makes it into a Liza Minnelli star vehicle--which actually improves on some book problems with the stage version but sort of makes it less interesting overall. Still worth a watch though. The stage version is still playing in London.

The play uses the idea of being able to phone another table as well.

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