Silver and Gold Magazine Winter 2019/2020 | Page 25

GOOD MEMORIES!
Do you remember...?
Blue Flashbulbs – Flash bulbs
were individual, disposable items - used
once, then discarded. Later bulb designs
incorporated plastic coatings, to try to
prevent bulb bursts - or at least contain
the broken glass. These coatings were usually coloured
blue - to give a colour temperature closer to daylight for
use with colour film. Use of this blue spot was continued
in flashcubes & magicubes.
Party lines – Party line systems were widely used to
provide telephone service, starting with the first commercial
switchboards in 1878. During wartime shortages, these were
often the only available lines. To signal specific subscribers
on party lines selectively, telephone operating companies
implemented various signalling systems. Party lines ended
in Canada in the 70’s.
Metal ice cube trays
with levers – Invented by
Edward H. Roberts, a design
engineer at General Electric,
where he worked for 41 years,
retiring in 1978.
TV test patterns
When broadcasting finished
late at night and when
they were off the air, until
programming resumed in
the morning. The image
reflects one of the most
widely-used test images:
RCA’s “Indian Head” test pattern. Each set of elements had
a specific testing purpose – to check horizontal resolution,
brightness and contrast, focus of beam at edges, interlace,
amplitude distortion, and more.
Candy cigarettes
Introduced in the late 19th century, they
were made of chalky sugar, bubblegum or
chocolate, and wrapped in a paper package
so as to resemble cigarettes. They’ve been
banned in most countries.
ONE-RING SCAM
Ever get that single-ring phone call on your cell phone, and
when you answer it, they hang up? You know the one: It’s
usually from a strange overseas country where you don’t have
family or friends, or it can sometimes even be from Toronto…
Well, don’t answer it.
These scammers are trying to annoy you in order to get
you to call back. Sometimes, they number “may seem” local
but it’s really not!
If you call back, you risk being connected to an overseas
phone number. As a result, you may wind up being charged
a fee for connecting, along with significant per-minute fees
for as long as they keep you on the phone. These charges may
later show up on your bill as premium services, international
calling, or toll-calling.
Variations of this scam rely on phoney voice-mail messages
urging you to call a number with an unfamiliar area code
in order to “schedule a delivery” for an order you just made
online, or to notify you about a “sick relative.”
Don’t fall for it!
• If you don’t recognize the number, don’t answer it. If it’s
a legitimate call, they’ll leave you a message.
• If they left you a message with what seems like a legitimate
phone number, check online to do a “reverse lookup” on the
website 411.ca, or dial “zero” on a landline for the operator
to assist with checking its legitimacy.
• If you don’t ever make any international calls, as your
cell phone company to block outgoing international calls
on your line.
• If you do answer it and you’re unsure whether it’s a
legitimate call, ask the caller to provide their phone number
so you can call them back – if it’s a scammer, they will usually
hang up when they hear this.
• Don’t fall for financial-related calls: Whether they say
it’s from a bank, new credit card, or even Canada Revenue.
They will NEVER call you, and if there’s an issue, they will
ALWAYS send you a letter by mail.
Report the incident
If you suspect you may be a target,
don’t be embarrassed – you’re not alone.
Report complaints to the
Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre:
1-888-495-8501
Silver & Gold Magazine ~ WINTER 2019/2020
25