Sunday, January 14, 2018
More old drones
I've previously noted that remote-controlled planes are more than a hundred years old.
Here's another old reference that comes closer to the modern version.
'David Harding Counterspy' was a long-running radio series produced by the even more long-running Phillips Lord outfit. Through most of its run, Counterspy was a simplistic cop show seemingly aimed at a young audience, well below the expertise and accuracy of similar shows.
In 1950 Counterspy had at least one seriously science-minded writer. This episode has remote-controlled drones remarkably similar in size and function to the modern version. Dual copter fans, small cargo compartment carrying 5 pounds. They were used by drug smugglers to carry the goodies across the Rio Grande without detection by police.
This episode features a sound spectrograph which accidentally recorded an important conversation in an acoustics lab. The cops find somebody who can electronically decode the spectrograph chart. (Unnecessary level of sci-fi; in 1950 you could find an acoustics expert who could simply read the chart by eye. It was a common skill.)
And this one features a sort of tele-medicine. The main character is shot in the head, and the normal surgeons aren't able to remove the bullet safely. They locate the one surgeon who can do the procedure, and he instructs them by long-distance phone. The anatomy of the brain regions and incisions is accurate.
¶ 7:16 AM 
This episode features a sound spectrograph which accidentally recorded an important conversation in an acoustics lab. The cops find somebody who can electronically decode the spectrograph chart. (Unnecessary level of sci-fi; in 1950 you could find an acoustics expert who could simply read the chart by eye. It was a common skill.)
And this one features a sort of tele-medicine. The main character is shot in the head, and the normal surgeons aren't able to remove the bullet safely. They locate the one surgeon who can do the procedure, and he instructs them by long-distance phone. The anatomy of the brain regions and incisions is accurate.
¶ 7:16 AM
