A web developer has combined the antique with the cutting edge to produce a tickertape machine that can print tweets.
Adam Vaughan’s device uses thermal printing instead of ink and does not need to be connected to a computer, yet prints a feed of a person’s tweets and mentions on Twitter every 30 seconds.
Tickertapes were used from the late 19th century as a way of keeping people updated about the movement of stocks and shares, information about which was distributed to the devices via telegraph lines.
Vaughan built his Twittertape from scratch over three months, most of which was spent finding the necessary parts from old clocks. Its wooden base hides the thermal printer and a micro-controller.
"I have a keen interest in history and have always been fascinated by ticker-tape machines as a design piece," Mr Vaughan told the BBC.
The device connects to the internet via an Ethernet cable, but Vaughan says a new version of the machine will feature a WiFi connection and a user-control panel which would allow the user to select multiple feeds including RSS and Facebook.
The device, reminiscent of the science fiction steampunk genre that combines the latest technology with Victoriana, was difficult for Vaughan to connect to Twitter because the company has restricted use of its API to third party developers.
