PAUHinfo: The History of the Cassette Tape

The Compact Cassette, commonly known as a cassette tape, was an important recording technology for much of the late-20th century. Since its introduction in the early 1960s, cassettes have been used for a variety of purposes. Just as the cassette provided a technological advantage over its predecessors, new technology would make the cassette obsolete by the turn of the 21st century.

Technology

The Compact Cassette is a plastic case containing a spool of 3.81 mm magnetic tape spooled between two reels. The tape is run at a rate of 4.76 cm/second. A tape head in the tape player or deck, in contact with an exposed portion of the tape, interprets an analog signal from the tape's magnetic surface.

The Compact Cassette is essentially a self-contained reel-to-reel system using a narrow strip of tape and enclosing both reels within the plastic housing. When it first came into market, the storage capacity and sound quality of audio encoded on cassette tapes was quite poor due to its small size, but developments in analog encoding resulted in great improvements over the life of the technology.

Introduction

The Compact Cassette was introduced as a brand name product by Dutch electronics firm Philips. Through 1963 and 1964, Philips rolled out the cassette tape as a sound recording medium for its North American and European markets.

The Compact Cassette was initially marketed as a medium for recording personal dictation, but early improvements in the audio quality led makers to believe that the cassette was a viable alternative to vinyl records. Philips licensed its Compact Cassette to other electronics firms free of charge, and the popularity of the cassette began to take off.

In 1971, a new process for using chromium dioxide on the surface of the tape was discovered. The resulting leap in quality led to the cassette becoming a new standard for the recording industry.

Popularization

In the 1980s, Sony began marketing its portable cassette player, the Walkman, worldwide. This led to an explosion in the popularity of the cassette.

Car radios featuring cassette tape decks became standard, supplanting the short-lived 8-track. Cassette tapes became the standard for home audio, and vinyl records quickly disappeared from the shelves of music sellers.

Other Uses

Besides serving as a recording medium for audio, the Compact Cassette had a number of other applications. Because a single tape could be re-recorded many times, it became the medium of choice in early telephone answering machines.

Cassettes were also produced that could be run on a continuous loop, thus making them ideal for commercial applications such as the music played over speakers in retail stores.

Some early desktop computer makers used the cassette tape as a storage medium for data. Apple and Hewlett Packard each offered computers with built-in tape drives.

Decline

The Compact Cassette remained popular until digital technology made advances in the 1990s. Home computers with hard drives (as well as CD-ROM drives and floppy discs) made the tape's data storage use unnecessary.

The Compact Disc, which had been in production since 1982, finally became inexpensive enough to compete directly with cassettes. Its larger capacity and the ability to make digital copies without any loss of quality led consumers to embrace the CD, leaving the Compact Cassette behind as an obsolete technology.

PAUHjoke: Day Off!

One Monday morning, two light bulp factory maker workers, are talking.

The woman says, "I can make the boss give me the day off."

The man replies, "And how would you do that?"

The woman says, "Just wait and see." She then hangs upside-down from the ceiling.

The boss comes in and says, "What are you doing?"

The woman replies, "I'm a light bulb."

The boss then says, "You've been working so much that you've gone crazy. I think you need to take the day off."

The man starts to follow her and the boss says, "Where are you going?"

The man says, "I'm going home, too. I can't work in the dark."

PAUHjoke: RM100!

Teacher: Why are you late?

Student: There was a man who lost a hundred Malaysian Ringgit.

Teacher: That's nice. Were you helping him look for it?

Student: No. I was standing on it.

PAUHauto: Infiniti ETHEREA

Called the ETHEREA, it's the Japanese firm's take on a luxury hatchback and previews how a future entry-level model could look.

And if the concept's wild styling is anything to go by the production car will be the among the most distinctive in its class, which already includes the BMW 1-Series, Audi A3 and Lexus CT200h hybrid.

Using an evolution of the established design language, the ETHEREA's front end ties in neatly with the rest of the existing range, but the full-length panoramic roof and curved C-pillar, first seen on the Essence concept, give it a unique identity. Infiniti claims it blends elements of coupé, sedan, hatchback and even crossover into its design.

“ETHEREA is about a new type of luxury for younger buyers,” said Toru Saito, Corporate Vice President and Leader of the Global Infiniti Business Unit. “It is not just a smaller version of a typically conservative and traditional luxury car.”

PAUHauto: Jaguar B99 @ Bertone 99

It’s a double whammy for Jaguar, with the debut of a stunning new compact saloon concept hinting at a future design direction and a replacement for the X-Type.

The deep red machine has been created by famed Italian styling house Bertone – but only after being briefed by Jaguar’s creative chief Ian Callum and advanced design boss Julian Thomson.

The result is called the B99, a name which draws together Bertone and the years since the company was first launched.

The 4.5-metre long D-segment car features barn-style doors leading to a minimalist interior of soft premium leather and brushed aluminum. Apart from the driver’s four analogue dials and the centrally mounted pop-up gear selector, everything is hidden behind high-gloss African wood panelling.

The only element of the car taken from today’s Jaguar range is the grille of the XF, but even that has been angled forward to give a more aggressive stance. The lightweight aluminium body shell features sleek, unfussy styling above large seven-spoke alloys.

Drive will come from a hybrid powertrain developed by Bertone Energy, the company’s newest division, but there’s no word on performance figures yet.

Bertone has not been chosen for this project by chance. It has history with Jaguar, and has previous created the 1957 XK150, the 1966 FT concept car, the 1967 Pirana, and 1977 Ascot.

PAUHjoke: Siapa lebih bodoh?

Pada suatu tengahari Jumaat di sebuah negeri di Pantai Timur, ada dua orang kaya sedang berselera makan di sebuah restoran tertutup. Sementara menunggu orang solat Jumaat di masjid selesai, maka mereka pun bersembanglah seadanya. Kiranya mereka ini ponteng solat Jumaat berjemaahlah pada hari tersebut. Salah satu topik hangat yang disembangkan adalah tentang pemandu kereta masing-masing.

Datuk Din: "Tok Mat, mung tau dok, drebar aku tu memang bodo giler. Kalu mung dok caye, meh aku test tunjuk ke mung. (Datuk Mat, kau tahu tak, pemandu aku itu memang bodoh bendul. Kalau awak tak percaya, mari aku tunjukkan contoh.)"

Lalu terus Datuk Din memanggil pemandunya, Si Abu.

Datuk Din: "Abu, mung ambik pitih sepuloh riyal nih. Aku nok mung gi kedai kerete belikang aku kerete Ferrari Modena sebuoh! (Abu, kau ambil duit RM10 ni. Aku nak kau pergi kedai kereta, belikan aku sebuah kereta Ferrari Modena.)"

Abu: "Baik bos, sekarang jugok saye gi. (Baik tuan, sekarang juga saya pergi.)"

Abu menjawab dengan taat lalu terus pergi ke kedai kereta yang dikatakan tuannya.

Datuk Din: "Mung nampok dok? Aku kabo ke die ape bende pong, die buat je sume. (Kau nampak tak? Aku arah apa saja, dia buat tanpa membantah)."

Datuk Mat: "Hok oloh, tu tadok bende lagi. Kalu mung nok tau, drebar aku lagi bodo ko'o. Meh aku pulok tunjuk ke mung! (Ala, itu tak teruk lagi. Kalau kau nak tahu, pemandu aku lagi teruk bodohnya. Mari aku pula tunjukkan pada kau.)"

Lalu Datuk Mat memanggil pemandunya pula untuk diberi arahan.

Datuk Mat: "Ali, mung gi balik rumoh aku kejap, mung tengok ade dok aku kat rumoh nun? Pastu mung mari kabo ke aku semula. (Ali, kau balik rumah aku sekejap, cuba tengok aku ada kat rumah atau tidak. Nanti datang sini beritahu aku, ya!)"

Ali: "Ok Tok, saye gi dulu. (Baik Datuk, saya pergi dulu.)"

Selepas Ali berlalu pergi, Datuk Mat pun berkata pada Datuk Din.

Datuk Mat: Betul dok ape aku cakap? Die tadok otok nok mikir? Mane buleh aku ade due tempat serentok! (Betul tak apa aku cakap? Dia tak ada otak nak fikir ke? Mana boleh aku ada di dua tempat dalam satu masa!)"

Tidak berapa lama kemudian, kedua orang pemandu tadi bertembung sesama mereka di satu simpang.

Abu: "Wei Ali, mung tau, bos aku tu bodo giler aaa. Die bui ke aku sepuloh riyal, pastu mintok aku beli Ferrari Modena kat kedai kerete. Mane buleh! Mung kang tau hari ning hari Jumaat. Mane ade kedai bukok! (Oi Ali, kau tahu, bos aku tu bodoh betul. Dia kasi aku RM10 suruh aku pergi kedai kereta beli Ferrari Modena. Mana boleh! Hari ni kan Jumaat. Mana ada kedai yang buka!)"

Ali: Mung ingat bos mung je bodo? Tok aku tu lagi bodo! Ade ke die suruh aku balik tengok die ade ke dok kat rumoh? Kang die buleh telipong je bini die kat rumoh tanye die ade ke dok dinun!! (Kau ingat tuan kau saja bodoh? Tuan aku lagi bodoh! Ada ke patut dia suruh aku balik rumah untuk lihat samada dia ada kat rumah atau tidak. Padahal dia boleh telefon isterinya kat rumah dan tanya samada dia ada kat sana atau tidak!)"

PAUHauto: MINI Rocketman Revealed

At 3,419mm long and 1,907mm wide, the baby MINI is about 40cm longer and 50cm wider than the original.

The Rocketman borrows 
technology from owner BMW’s forthcoming Megacity electric 
car, which uses 
a carbon fibre spaceframe to reduce weight – and rather than hide it, MINI has left it exposed around the grille and front apron.

At the rear, the hexagonal 
lines mirror the nose, and MINI’s famous ‘Coke-can’ exhaust pipe
 gets a central position in the bumper. The quirky, handle-
style tail-lights project on to 
the bodywork, rather than face straight out, and incorporate 
the brake and indicator lamps.

The trademark Union Jack 
roof makes a return as a full-length glass panel, using the car’s structural beams to create the diagonal and horizontal lines.

Getting in to the Rocketman isn’t as difficult as you might 
think thanks to the double-hinged doors which allow for a wide opening.

Despite the cabin’s small dimensions, MINI claims it is spacious enough for four adults, and the seats can be arranged into three different layouts. As 
a two-seater, the front chairs move as far back as needed, while the instrument cluster 
can also be moved.

Then there's a fourth chair in the rear, which is a temporary device that folds down out of 
a backpack attached 
to the rear seat.

There's a 
clever boot too. It consists of two parts, with the upper section 
a traditional roof-hinged hatch and the bottom part a drawer.

There’s no official word 
on what sits under the bonnet 
of the newcomer, but it’s likely that any production model 


will be powered by BMW’s 
forthcoming three-cylinder 
petrol and diesel engines. All MINI has said is that the Rocketman will be capable of 94mpg.

PAUHinfo: Biography of Muammar Gaddafi

1971: A young Muammar Gaddafi in army fatigues

Muammar Abu Meniar el-Gaddafi was born in the North African desert, south of Sirte, Libya in 1942. (The exact date is unknown although some sources day June 1, while others say sometime in September.) The son of a poor Bedouin nomad, Gaddafi lived in his family's remote desert camp until he went away to school at age 9.

July 1973: Gaddafi waves to demonstrators gathered in Benghazi to show support for his return to office after he resigned as leader of the Revolutionary Command Council. The council refused to accept his resignation

While a student at a secondary school at Sebha, Gaddafi was inspired by the speeches of Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser and he became a committed Arab nationalist.

1977: Gaddafi with Cuban leader Fidel Castro

Gaddafi organized his fellow students into revolutionary study groups at Sebha; he continued the practice at the University of Libya in Tripoli, where he received a history degree in 1963.

1986: Posters of Gaddafi and Uncle Sam on a wall in Libya. The US accused Libya of masterminding a bombing in west Berlin in 1985. Tensions culminated in a US air and sea bombing raid on Libya in March 1986

Following his graduation, Gaddafi entered the Libyan Military Academy in Benghazi where he found many of the cadets were sympathetic to his anti-Western nationalism.

1992: Gaddafi visits Palestine Liberation Organisation leader Yasser Arafat in hospital after Arafat was injured in an air crash

Commissioned into the Libyan army in 1965, he began laying groundwork for an overthrow of the Libyan monarch, King Idris, whom he considered a pawn of the Western European nations. Within four years, Gaddafi took control of the army and on September 1, 1969, he seized power in a carefully planned coup.

March 2004: Gaddafi with Tony Blair. The prime minister's visit to Libya followed Gaddafi's agreement to dismantle Libya's arms programme, accept responsibility for the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and for the 1984 murder in London of WPC Yvonne Fletcher

Assuming command of the government as chairman of the ruling Revolutionary Council, Gaddafi declared himself commander-in-chief of Libya's armed forces and its government, with the rank of colonel.

June 2009: Gaddafi with Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi at Ciampino airport in Rome

Gaddafi soon began implementing his long-dreamed plans for Libya by nationalizing all foreign banks and oil companies and insisting on closing down all European military bases in Libya. In 1970, Gaddafi seized the private assets of Libya's Italian and Jewish residents, driving them from the country.

February 2011: Gaddafi attends a ceremony in Tripoli to mark the birth of the prophet Muhammad

Since assuming power, Gaddafi has given heavy support to a wide variety of terrorist groups and regimes including: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Uganda, the Palestine Liberation Organization and its sub-groups, as well as the Irish Republican Army.

February 22, 2011: Gaddafi addresses the Libyan nation on state television, vowing to fight protesters and die a martyr

Heavily supported by the Soviet Union, he fought a unsuccessful war against Egypt and a disastrous war against Chad and its ally France for control of the northern regions of Chad, attempting to force the French out of Chad.

Hosni Mubarak and Muammar Gadaffi

Gaddafi has provoked several incidents with the USA, one of which led to an American retaliatory bombing raid on his headquarters in Tripoli on April 15, 1986. Gaddafi escaped with only minor injuries and to this day he remains in firm control of his government.

Will Muammar Gadaffi stepdown soon?

Today, Gaddafi who has ruled Libya for more than 40 years, became increasingly isolated on the world stage as estimates suggested that 640 to more than 1,000 civilians were killed in the backlash by his forces.

October 20, 2011: Here is the mobile phone image that purports to show Muammar Gaddafi's body in the streets of Sirte.

As of October 2011, Gaddafi loyalists were in control of his birthplace Sirte and smaller villages around Libya, while Muammar Gaddafi remained at large. He was reportedly receiving support from loyalists near the Algerian and Niger borders. On October 20, Lybian officials claim to have defeated the remaining loyalists in the town of Sirte, resulting in the death of Gaddafi himself. On 20 October 2011, Al Jazeera reported that the National Transitional Council military chief had confirmed that Gaddafi had died of wounds following his capture.