Aug 31, 2025
APF Electronics Inc, 1979
seen from Iraq
seen from Uruguay
seen from Nepal
seen from Azerbaijan
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Australia
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Philippines
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
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seen from United States
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seen from China
seen from Malaysia
APF Electronics Inc, 1979
The Electronic Calculator - In Business, Home and School by Claude Birtwistle (1976)
“Many people think of ‘computers’ as a dark, mysterious force that somehow pulsates ominously in an unknown recess, ready to bite if not properly respected.”
Today many people wouldn’t be able to do their work at all without computers, but during the Ford administration only a few offices in the White House used them. The Domestic Council had started using computers to organize its paperwork in the fall of 1975.
Not everyone was enthusiastic about the new system, though, which prompted George Humphreys, the Domestic Council’s Associate Director for Environment, to send this memo to Domestic Council Executive Director Jim Cannon on January 29, 1976. He urged that the computer continued to be used despite others’ complaints. “As a mechanical method of stowing information for quick retrieval, the computer can be extremely useful to you,” he wrote. “I strongly urge the retention of the concept and the machine.”
The Domestic Council continued to use the computer to control correspondence and track the status of enrolled bills through the remainder of the administration. As incoming material was received, a computer ID number was assigned and a Domestic Council Correspondence Profile form was attached to the material. Information from the form was then entered into the White House computer and included control number, type of document, correspondents, subject and action taken. The Computer Office kept track of the documents as they progressed through the Domestic Council offices and closed out each document case as the action was completed.
Image: Memorandum from George W. Humphreys to Jim Cannon Regarding Computer Use, 1/29/1976, from the White House Central Files Subject File, folder CM 36 Exec.
Emergency!’s Biophone 3502
According to Wikipedia (who never lies) the biophone used on set now belongs to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. Here are some excellent close-up pics of the tech from their website:
Presto Vertical Broiler aka "The Meat Toaster" as seen in Watermelon Man (1970)