Who was Etaoin shrdlu

Found what turned out to be an INCREDIBLY interesting documentary on the invention and history of the LInotype machine. Turns out that they have no backspace or delete key, and the keyboard layout is AFU. AFU in VERY LARGE CASE!!! LOL. The layout results in the above nonsense down one side of the keyboard, and some operators, if when they made a mistake, would run their fingers/ knuckles down the left keys, generating that phrase, and then trash that "line 'o type" into the melt pot again.

Etaoin shrdlu - Wikipedia

IT ALSO came out that the phrase "out of sorts" came from the printing industry, when, if you did not have, or not enough type of "some sort" in the "sorting" trays, you were "out of sorts."

My grandfather ran Linotype machines for newspapers way back when. He worked for a company called Line Marshall in Macon a long time ago. Told me the story many times how he saved a man's life. They had the machines in two rows in the printing building. He said they were between 3 and four feet apart. Somehow one of his coworkers got into a position where he had his hand on one machine in one line and had to put his other hand on another machine in the opposite line to steady himself. When he did, PawPaw noticed he was jolted. He knew the man was being electrocuted. Evidently, one of the machines was not grounded properly. PawPaw grabbed a shop broom with a wooden handle and knocked the man off and saved his life. PawPaw was later in charge of the Printing presses for The Wesleyan Christian Advocate in Macon, where he got his hand hung up in a printing press. He was never able to fully straighten his fingers after that, but it didn't really bother him much. I have fond memories of going there as a kid and seeing him run the presses.

WOW. There was a LOT of stuff on and in those machines that could hurt you. One of the men in this movie was talking about "the squirt." When the machine developed a problem in the hot lead supply chain, something plugged, etc, it could squirt hot lead out somewhere "unexpected" The operator needed to be aware of the operation of the machine. Someone mentioned these were "pre OSHA." They just ASSUMED that "you knew what you were doing" and "were paying attention"

67Dart273 said:

WOW. There was a LOT of stuff on and in those machines that could hurt you. One of the men in this movie was talking about "the squirt." When the machine developed a problem in the hot lead supply chain, something plugged, etc, it could squirt hot lead out somewhere "unexpected" The operator needed to be aware of the operation of the machine. Someone mentioned these were "pre OSHA." They just ASSUMED that "you knew what you were doing" and "were paying attention"

Click to expand...

Reminds me of running a steam locomotive or tractor. You gotta know what's goin on, cause if you don't you might not have another chance to learn. lol