Your Mission

This is may be my last mission. If I decide to accept it. My mission? It is tell you what I am; where I came from; where I am; what has happened since my arrival and what followed technically after me. This briefing may take longer than the usual 30 seconds or so, but hopefully will offer some interesting knowledge and understanding to what I am. 

The most infamous words from an iconic television show that were heard from me were:“Your mission is, should you decide to accept it is” followed by, mission details and then the obligatory, “Good luck Jim. This tape will self destruct in five-seconds.” Fortunately I am not going to self destruct. 

What am I?

I am a reel to reel tape player recorder. I have two reels, one is the feed or supply reel and the other is the take up reel. My motor turns the supply reel, feeding the tape over tape heads.

The magnetic tape head is deployed. This allows messages or music to be recorded. Other functions I have outside recording is play back or one can erase what had previously been recorded. Once the function is complete, my reels are stopped, then my reels are rewound and a new function, playback, record or even erase are chosen.

Since the action of record, playback, and erase are very similar and only determine by which button is depressed. You need to be sure you have pressed the correct buttons. Unlike computer programs, there is no display or audio saying,“are you sure you want to erase?” If you or someone hits the record or erase button by mistake and record over or erase your favorite music or important speech and your hard work goes into oblivion. It is what it is, do not blame me. It's not my fault.

I need a power source in order to function. I can run on AC current or hey, not near an outlet? No worries I can run on batteries. Running on batteries makes me more portable. Since I can operate on batteries, I can go just about any where. Take me to your friend's house. I can entertain kids in cars or waiting rooms, may need to adjust volume but there is a control for that. I am fairly unlimited on where I can go, although I do have some restrictions. We all do. I cannot be out in the sun for prolonged periods of time. You won’t find me sunning at the beach for hours or sitting on the deck or the worse, being left in an hot car in the back window. Oh, my motor may work but my magnetic tape will probably melt or be render useless. The kids that left me in the car will be screaming and crying "It's broken! It's ruined! What are we to do now for the two hour ride home? Buy us a new one." "Sorry kids, should have taken better care of it." So after being left in the sun, I am useless. What use would I be if my tape no was longer functioning? It would sort of be like having a motivational speaker with no voice trying to communicate to an audience in the dark.

My origin goes back to Germany in the late 1920s Although I wasn’t mass produced for consumer use until 1950s. I did gain some popularity in the 1940s. My reel size was varied. They could be up to 10.5 inches and 14 inches in some cases.

You really don't see much of me around any more. My design and technology gave way to the cassette player. I and others like me faded from consumer use the 80s. This was due to the improved cassette .

The cassette was first on the scene in early 60’s. It was very closely related to me, only more compact and was encased in a plastic cover. Making it easier to use. One did not have to set up both the feed reel and the take up reel. You just popped the cassette into a cassette player. It only went in one way. You still had to ht right buttons though. There was some reprieve though, when recording on a blank cassette there was a notch on most cases that one could click making it safe from accidental recording over.

Compact discs or CDs pushed cassettes out of production round 1993 even though they were first introduced in 1983 as a device that offers more storage and a much better sound which is why many music studios continued their use.

I ceased in popularity in the common household use. By the 1990s even recording studios were moving away from me. Although I am somewhat preferred in some music recording studios. Many studios had started using cassettes. Now almost everything is recorded and played back on a digital format. Don’t know what that means? Ask Siri or Gemini or go to Ask.com, I'm sure they will tell you. 

If teens in my day would have listened to music on a reel to reel as long as average teens do now. Due to normal wear and tear on the tape, it after prolonged use will become damaged and unuseful. I reel to reel music tapes were sold to consumers and they were played as much as music is listened to now, the consumer would have to replace my reels at least once a year. Probably why you did not see teens go to a music store and look for Simon and Garfunkel on real to reel tapes.

You may never meet me or see me in action. I am a part of technological lineage, part of history. Learning about me helps you to understand who I was and how I evolved.

 Look at my cousin the telephone. Early models had a dial with numbers 0-9 on the outside, you would place your finger in the coordinating hole by each sequential number of the phone number. Rotate the dial to the stopper and let the dial return to its neutral position. Then repeat for the remaining six to eight numbers. Any one tired yet? 

 Many were probably glad when the push button phones came out. Much like many were glad when the compact cassettes and then compact discs came out. The phones moved through technical changes much like recording devices did. Finally phones moved into digital and wireless age. Now, one does not have to push multiple buttons for a call . you can tap the number of your contact on your cell or you can just say, “Hey Siri call so and so.”

My most rememberable work was in the television show, Mission Impossible.Where I would play those infamous words,”your mission is should you decide to accept it is… this tape will self destruct in five-seconds.”

The show did take some creative license. I didn’t really self destruct but the illusion was created literally with smoke and mirrors. but, dang, I looked good. I mean using a cassette didn't have the same effect. Let's say, the script did not have me destroyed. How would they keep the enemy from finding out what the covert operation was?

Could you imagine hearing after the mission was identified “ Jim, don't take the tape with you or try to come back for it. We are watching you.” Not the same effect and kind of creepy.

I was instrumental in providing Jim Phelps his mission details in many of the Mission Impossible episodes. I was how Jim would receive his orders. Without me there was no mission details given. No mission? No Mission Impossible. No Mission Impossible?

 Then where would Tom all his helicopters be?