Chapter Six
Progress and Creativity
In 1954, Western Electric produced a five-minute video in which a perfectly coiffed redhead leads us step by step into the brave new world of rotary dials.1 First, look up a number in the phone directory, she tells us in a cheerful voice that makes it seem as if it’s all going to be OK. “It saves time to keep the number in front of you when you dial.” Great tip! Now, pick up the handset and listen for the dial tone.
Things continue to go well as she demonstrates on a dial the size of a small pizza. “When dialing, notice that I brought my finger around until it firmly touched the finger stop. And now I remove my finger and let the dial go back by itself.”
But then comes a moment of unexpected sternness: ...
