Monday, October 12, 2009

slugs (not escargot)


The first major evolution in telephone tokens occurred in 1907 when a Chicago druggist named Henry Goetz patented a round token with a cut in it running from the center to the edge. The token could only be used in machines with an attachment over the coin slot that admitted tokens of the same shop.

when i first watched 'last tango in paris' i was struck by the process of making a call in a cafe. actress maria schneider traipsed up to the counter and asked for a phone slug then proceeded to occupy a teeny booth so as to make a call to her mom. through the frosted glass door we could see her place one foot up onto something, revealing a very long leg encased in a very short mini dress. as she exited the booth she brushed past a women who was cleaning her false teeth in the teeny sink. paris seemed so elegantly old world. anyone who has seen the film knows the consequences of 'jeanne' (maria) telling her mother she was going to look at an apartment....

in paris one only sees cell phone use on occasion. in manhattan one only sees non cell phone use on occasion. just one of the differences.