clark@ssc-vax.uucp (Roger Clark Swann) (02/24/91)
I was by my local US Post Office this past week and found a sign over
the screen of the fax machine there reading: "This service has been
discontinued." These are the desk sized fax machines operated by
Hotel-FAX and MCI in cooperation with the US Postal Service. They are
transmit only devices with a CRT screen, a voice hand set and a slot
for your plastic money. I remember that it was about a year or so back
that these machines were placed in most post offices around the
country. I think the USPS got a cut of the action.
I for one never saw these things being used. Anyone know the inside scoop?
Roger Swann | uucp: uw-beaver!ssc-vax!clark
@ |
The Boeing Company |
[Moderator's Note: Funny you should mention it. I was at the 60690
post office just a few hours ago (Saturday afternoon) and saw the
machine being used by someone for the first time since it has been
there in several months. I've never seen it in use before; but I tend
to go to the post office at odd hours late at night; Sundays, etc. I
do remember reporting here in the Digest some time ago that this
particular machine was wired to the phone line in a very flimsy way
with the phone wire tacked along under the counter next to it and then
across to a pay phone, where it disappeared in the wall right next to
the payphone; apparently tying into an idle pair someplace. They had
even mounted a new modular jack there that anyone could plug into with
a phone. Maybe it is just your post office that is not going to have
it any longer. PAT]henry@garp.mit.edu (Henry Mensch) (02/24/91)
I've never seen one of these at a post office ... are you *sure* this was a nationwide project? # Henry Mensch / <henry@garp.mit.edu> / E40-379 MIT, Cambridge, MA # <hmensch@uk.ac.nsfnet-relay> / <henry@tts.lth.se> / <mensch@munnari.oz.au> # via X.400: S=mensch; OU=informatik; P=tu-muenchen; A=dbp; C=de [Moderator's Note: When this topic first came up here several months ago two or three writers commented on the machines from various parts of the country. Still, maybe it was not in *every* post office. PAT]
penguin@pro-igloo.cts.com (Mark Steiger) (02/26/91)
In-Reply-To: message from !clark@ssc-vax.uucp USPS Fax??? We never got that up here in the tundra. Sounds neat, though. :) [ Mark Steiger, Sysop, The Igloo BBS 218-262-3142 300-19.2K Baud (HST/Dual)] Internet: Penguin@pro-igloo.cts.com MCI Mail: MSteiger UUCP: ...crash!pro-igloo!penguin ATT Mail: MSteiger ProLine: Penguin@pro-igloo America Online: Goalie5 TELEX: 51623155 MSTEIGER