Compact Cassettes
The news of the passing of the Dutch engineer who invented the audio Compact Cassette, Lou Ottens, got me to thinking how useful and handy these were back in the day and efficient - even a provision to prevent accidental ereasure. The quality of the audio wasn't up there with reel-to-reel, but they paved they way for portable music. Even after portable compact disc (which Mr. Ottens was involved in the development of) players came out, portable cassette players were the best way to go - easier to fit into a pocket and slower battery drain - though it took many years to get the player down to the size of the cassette itself. Until at least MP3 players came out, which like everything else digital revolutionized everything.
Compact Cassettes
The news of the passing of the Dutch engineer who invented the audio Compact Cassette, Lou Ottens, got me to thinking how useful and handy these were back in the day and efficient - even a provision to prevent accidental ereasure. The quality of the audio wasn't up there with reel-to-reel, but they paved they way for portable music. Even after portable compact disc (which Mr. Ottens was involved in the development of) players came out, portable cassette players were the best way to go - easier to fit into a pocket and slower battery drain - though it took many years to get the player down to the size of the cassette itself. Until at least MP3 players came out, which like everything else digital revolutionized everything.