[ih] The Xerox Networking "Information Outlet" wall plug

[John Shoch]

Geoff,

Nice to hear from you.
The "information outlet" message was for general PR and advertising.
You can find anything on the Internet (thank-you, Vint and thousands of
others....):
--An early TV ad, on Youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2WgFpyL2Pk
--A print ad:
https://books.google.com/books?id=aScefDgbsnUC&pg=RA1-PA24&lpg=RA1-PA24&dq=xerox+information+outlet&source=bl&ots=MXMn-80BVh&sig=ACfU3U2UFgpj2FTQ75F2Fow7psNXHUWGVQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjksfKP6MHqAhXYqZ4KHZJ_AaYQ6AEwBHoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=xerox%20information%20outlet&f=false
--A lapel pin, on eBay (I don't remember this):

https://www.ebay.com/i/124143360301?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=124143360301&targetid=917185845248&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=9031927&poi=&campaignid=10459991946&mkgroupid=100467642381&rlsatarget=pla-917185845248&abcId=2146000&merchantid=6296724&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI7ab4j-jB6gIVVD6tBh28dABYEAYYASABEgJxH_D_BwE

I think the marketing people had metal "Information Outlet" cover plates
made, perhaps as handouts at trade shows (?).
I do have one, but not the original.

John

On Thu, Jul 9, 2020 at 8:01 PM the keyboard of geoff goodfellow <
geoff at iconia.com> wrote:

> john, vis-a-vis "bringing back memories.":
>
> yours truly recalls that during "that era" Xerox had a TV commercial
> running on [XNS?] networking that featured "An Information Outlet" of an
> [coax BNC connector?  RJ-45? 10 Mbit/s?] Ethernet connection as a "wall
> plug type thing."
>
> yours truly once heard that you had managed to obtain/"rip the outlet" of
> said "Information Outlet" from the set for which said TV commercial was
> filmed?
>
> the question for you is:
> 1. is this true?
> 2. whatever happened to the said "Information Outlet"?
>
> [am hoping it is on display at the Computer History Museum in Mountain
> View,or perhaps "in use" at the Living Computers: Museum + Labs in
> Seattle? :D]
>
> vis-a-vis Louie's Hsi Nan potstickers: yours truly would like to call
> y'alls summary attention to the best modern day equivalent:
>
> *Annie Chung's*
> ORGANIC
> {Chicken & Vegetable, Pork & Vegetable, Shiitake & Vegetable} Potstickers
> most likely available at a local health food store near you:
> https://anniechun.com/products/
>
> indeed those were Very Good Times,
>
> geoff
>
> On Thu, Jul 9, 2020 at 3:48 PM *John Shoch via Internet-history
> <internet-history at elists.isoc.org <internet-history at elists.isoc.org>>
> wrote:*
>
>> Vint C. and Dave C.,
>> Thanks for your nice mention of our networking work at PARC.
>>
>> Jack H., et al.,
>> In the early internetworking days there was a reasonable amount of
>> interaction between PARC and Stanford:
>> --At various times, both Bob M. and I sat in on Vint's classes or meetings
>> at Stanford.
>> --I spent the summer of 1976 (the bicentennial) working in Washington DC,
>> and got to visit Vint C. and Bob K. at ARPA, in Va.
>> --PARC had a nominal ARPA contract, which allowed us to have an IMP.  The
>> ARPA connections led to us participating in the TCP meetings -- Vint was
>> very gracious and welcoming.
>> --Some of it is documented in various TCP and Internet Experiment Notes
>> (IENs) -- meetings we attended, use of the PRNET, etc., etc.
>> --It is correct that we had some constraints on what we could say about
>> the
>> specific PUP design and implementation.  But we were able to take part in
>> discussions about broader internetworking issues.
>> --For example, in our contribution of IEN 20 on internetwork
>> fragmentation,
>> we wrote about alternate strategies, and then about picking one: "...our
>> current attitude is based on instinct, some experience....."  We sure
>> hoped
>> everyone would get the hint.....
>>  https://www.rfc-editor.org/ien/ien20.pdf
>> --Ron Crane and Yogen Dalal, who had worked with Vint at Stanford, later
>> came to Xerox (actually SDD, not PARC).
>>
>> Vint, those were good times.
>>
>> John Shoch
>>
>> PS:  It's almost dinner time here, and the discussion of Louis Kao's pot
>> stickers is really bringing back memories.
>> --After Hsi Nan, in Town and Country, Louis (Louie) ran a restaurant in
>> Menlo Park, one on Univ. Ave. in Palo Alto, a Foster's Freeze on El
>> Camino,
>> and later a restaurant in San Mateo.  I followed him to all of these, if
>> only for the pot stickers (and kung pao chicken).
>> --Some of you may recall Louis and Sandra's son, who was often in the
>> restaurant.  I'm told he has opened restaurants in the E. Bay, but I have
>> not yet been able to visit.....pork dumplings are on the menu.
>> http://www.noodletheory.com/
>>
>>
> --
> Geoff.Goodfellow at iconia.com
> living as The Truth is True
>
>
>
>