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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)

#91

Post by brnt »

worklaptopacct wrote: post #90
resonantjacket5 wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

(Mainly usa context) Most of what people commonly call "us supermarkets" are also "hypermarkets". But basically it's combining not only department stores but also with grocery stores. For example Target used to not include groceries until recently. For Walmart it's the difference between their 'regular' Walmart and the Walmart Supercenters. (Target also has their SuperTarget variant) Most of Fred Meyer's are 'hyperma…

As a Pole, I don't think I've heard the term "hypermarket" in like 10 years. There was a boom for all that exaggerated Western-style consumerism, but this kinda died down as medium-sized discount stores took over the majority of the market. Family trips to a shopping center might be a thing of the past - but also I'm not a kid anymore.

Depends a bit on where you are. In France it's definitely a thing if you live outside of the major cities. In the Netherlands, active government intervention stopped these car-only hypermarkets ("weidemarkten").

Gotta say though, Poland has both, but indeed has a full range from small Zabkas to Auchans at the edge of town (probably not a coincidence it's French brands operating the hypermarkets).

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

#92

Post by rplnt »

insaneirish wrote: post #65
nicbou wrote: 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…

New York City had it, too: https://untappedcities.com/2017/10/03/an-illustrated-history... 27 miles of tubes.

Prague has/had over 50 km. Was used up until early 00s. Loads of it still exists, it's the last surviving municipal tube system, though not functional at the moment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_pneumatic_post

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

#93

Post by coldtea »

idontwantthis wrote: post #89
bergie wrote: post #88

Chaos Communication Congress often features the “Silk Road” network of pneumatic tubes, powered by regular vacuum cleaners. People obviously send a lot of viagra spam, but I’ve even seen vodka shots delivered through it. You build your own tube capsule that first needs to be “certified” by running through a test track. Lots of detail for example in https://events.ccc.de/congress/2014/wiki/Projects:Seidenstra...

What on Earth does any of this mean?

A hacker conference (organized by the Chaos Computer Club I'd guess, a famous hacking club of many decades),

runs, during the conference (and surely just for fun)

their own "silk road" (a clandestine marketplace, named after the namesake "dark web" online marketplace, where people bought drugs and other illegal services)

on top of a pneumatic tube network - a network of connected physical pipes used to send messages pushing them using air (e.g. some paper note inside a container). Pneumatic tubes were a physical "instant messaging" system used in early 20th century offices and large organizational buildings.

This "for fun" pneumatic tube network is powered via regular vacuum cleaner motors (as opposed to the air pressure being produced by some dedicated motor).

In this network, inside the conference area, people send lots of BS spam messages for fun, and sometimes even vodca shots (inside some container) from one point to another.

People attending the conference can build their own tube capsule (their own message/small item container to be transmitted through the tubes), but they first have to show that they can run through a test track (a smaller test pneumatic pipe line), so that they don't stuck/create issues when they put them into the main network.

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

#94

Post by krisoft »

FirmwareBurner wrote: post #10
butterisgood wrote: post #4

I love getting pneumail!

Amazon is announcing the new Pneumail Prime Cannon, it fires your orders directly from the van mounted turret, across your fence and into your living room through your window.

Delivero have these super unrealistic estimates sometimes. The food is still being cooked at the other side of town but they estimate it might be delivered in a minute.

Always makes me think of cannon or ballistic missile based burito delivery. Because even with that the estimate is probably overly optimistic.

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

#95

Post by jaclaz »

rplnt wrote: post #92
insaneirish wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

New York City had it, too: https://untappedcities.com/2017/10/03/an-illustrated-history... 27 miles of tubes.

Prague has/had over 50 km. Was used up until early 00s. Loads of it still exists, it's the last surviving municipal tube system, though not functional at the moment. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prague_pneumatic_post

A page dedicated to these (city wide) pneumatic networks:

http://www.douglas-self.com/MUSEUM/COMMS/pneumess/pneumess.h...

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

#96

Post by krisoft »

intrasight wrote: post #67

100 years later and with supercomputers in our pockets, we can't do any better - because these devices are so locked down.

I mean, can’t we? If a place wants to they can just add a wifi network with a captive portal which leads patrons to a table-to-table chat system. Or a QR code per table with a flashing light next to it so you know your table have a message even if you haven’t got your phone out.

I bet it will be cheaper and easier to maintain than installing pneumatic tubes to every table too.

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

#97

Post by throwaway290 »

idontwantthis wrote: post #89
bergie wrote: post #88

Chaos Communication Congress often features the “Silk Road” network of pneumatic tubes, powered by regular vacuum cleaners. People obviously send a lot of viagra spam, but I’ve even seen vodka shots delivered through it. You build your own tube capsule that first needs to be “certified” by running through a test track. Lots of detail for example in https://events.ccc.de/congress/2014/wiki/Projects:Seidenstra...

What on Earth does any of this mean?

If the top-level comment was edited after yours, disregard, but if not... did you put in any effort before you come in with such entitled incredulity? I spent like 30 seconds and it was understood without knowing anything about Chaos etc, it's very on topic with TFA, can the bar be any lower? How are you able to read say any technical documentation?

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

#99

Post by ant6n »

nicbou wrote: 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…

>> A (highly recommended) Berlin Unterwelten tour covers it.

This tour: https://www.berliner-unterwelten.de/en/guided-tours/public-t...

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

#100

Post by weinzierl »

nicbou wrote: 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 largest still in use system is allegedly in a hospital in Munich (Großhadern Clinic).

Also the largest German electronics store (think German version of Radio Shack) had such a system in their main store in Hirschau. I was endlessly fascinated about this as kid when the containers with my BC547s, 1N4001s and NE555s where popping out of the tubes.

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