Nostalgia for obsolete technology

[girlbug2]

Actually dialing a phone and rolling down the car window--with a circular motion.

And what about those mini transistor radios that you carried around--mine was from radio shack, shaped like a ball, orange colored, and hung from my wrist on a strap.

Got any favorites?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Actually dialing a phone and rolling down the car window--with a circular motion.

And what about those mini transistor radios that you carried around--mine was from radio shack, shaped like a ball, orange colored, and hung from my wrist on a strap.

Got any favorites?

Stick shift - three on the tree.

Dialing the last four digits of a phone number if the person lived in town.

Making popcorn in a 'popcorn maker' with oil and a crank you turned to keep the kernels from sticking or burning.

MTV when it played music videos (OK, might not fit, but I miss it anyway).

 

[Gordon Nore]

Manual choke on my mid-seventies Honda Civic. That item was a throw back to cars of earlier times, but it sure worked great in the depths of winter in the York University parking lot.

 

[girlbug2]

And I thought making popcorn with a hot air popper was obsolete technology! You are really from back in the day Bill

 

[Gordon Nore]

I got another one. I needed a new watch. I don't tend to spend a lot of money on watches. I just keep wearing it until it doesn't work and then toss it. I remembered this watch from the Mammacher Schlemmer catalogue I get in the mail and ordered it.

It winds up. How's that for old school.

The Authentic G.I. Watch.

This is an exact reproduction of the rugged, dependable hand-wound watch that was supplied in the millions to U.S. Army troops starting in the 1960s. Still requiring manual winding, it is kept as an heirloom by servicemen and their families. This men's watch has been re-issued by Benrus, the original maker, and still conforms to the military's rigid specifications with a stainless-steel water-resistant case, 17-jewel Swiss mechanical movement, and luminous dial and hands. It also includes a unique "hack" feature--the ability to freeze its sweep second hand with a simple pull on the crown--which allowed soldiers to synchronize their watches. Face is 1 1/16" Diam. Watch strap is medium green "tropical weather" canvas. With canvas and leather storage pouch. Requires winding each day. Fits wrists from 7 1/2" to 9 1/2" in circumference.

http://www.hammacher.com/Product/78658?promo=search

 

[Big Don]

The Atari 2600!
I walked into my Sifu's apartment, and what did I see, in its original box? A Nintendo Entertainment System!

 

[Ken Morgan]

Vectrex machine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vectrex

I still have two, with every game released. Still fire it up once in a while.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I got another one. I needed a new watch. I don't tend to spend a lot of money on watches. I just keep wearing it until it doesn't work and then toss it. I remembered this watch from the Mammacher Schlemmer catalogue I get in the mail and ordered it.

It winds up. How's that for old school.

I actually forgot to mention wristwatches. Mine is an Omega Seamaster bumper wind (it winds when you wear it by the movement of your body) circa 1953. Keeps great time.

 

[harlan]

I really liked 'Netscape'.

 

[Andy Moynihan]

www.steampunkemporium.com


Enjoy.

 

[Ken Morgan]

www.steampunkemporium.com


Enjoy.

Way Cool! Thanks Andy!

 

[Guro Harold]

I miss the general paradigm of "Solid State".

It freakin bugs me that every freakin thing needs to reboot, upgrade, crash, or freakin re-install right when I need it the most to turn on or freakin turn off!!!!!

The freakin tv needs to boot up, freakin Wii, freakin phone, freakin everything!!!

I hear now they have robot dolls that lonely people might buy for companionship. What's going to happen to the owner when that freakin thing reboots, upgrades, or re-installs right in the mist of doing it doing it's freakin thing?

 

[Sukerkin]

I have to design failure-proof control systems to run on this stuff, Harold . It's a nightmare woven from the fibres of an excellent idea that has not delivered on it's promises ... tho I think it will one day. After all, the Starship Enterprise never suffered a blue-screen of death or a Restart Now to Install Updates lockout :lol;.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

Ah Bill I am with you on MTV actually playing music!

Also I miss drive-ins! What a cool idea that just faded out!

 

[OnlyAnEgg]

Vinyl albums
Tube technology
Party lines (though a pain, there's nostalgia there)
Cans that needed a church key (or screwdriver)

 

[Ken Morgan]

Also I miss drive-ins! What a cool idea that just faded out!

We still have one here http://www.mustangdriveinguelph.ca/index.html
They still play those corny little ads for the snack bar with the dancing hotdogs!

 

[Scott T]

COLECO!!! (Though I still have mine, with Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong, jr, amongst others)
lap belts (only!) in cars
Hand-crank ice cream makers.
8-track tapes

 

[grydth]

I miss the general paradigm of "Solid State".

It freakin bugs me that every freakin thing needs to reboot, upgrade, crash, or freakin re-install right when I need it the most to turn on or freakin turn off!!!!!

The freakin tv needs to boot up, freakin Wii, freakin phone, freakin everything!!!

I hear now they have robot dolls that lonely people might buy for companionship. What's going to happen to the owner when that freakin thing reboots, upgrades, or re-installs right in the mist of doing it doing it's freakin thing?

What happens when the companion robot upgrades and the owner finds that the robot has been seeing someone else?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Technology I miss on cars:

• Carburetors.
• Ignition points.
• Drum brakes.
• Bias ply tires.
• Molten-hot shiny vinyl seats in the summertime.

Oh, wait, that's technology I *don't* miss! Here's some I actually do miss.

• Steel bumpers.
• Solid axles.
• Wing vent windows.
• Crank windows.
• Glass packs.
• Chrome.

Now that's better...

 

[Sukerkin]

Why don't you miss carburetors and dizzies (distributors), Bill? It used to be that if something went wrong with the ignition cycle you could fix it yourself. Now most people can't. I could probably have a stab at reprogramming the chip but I wouldn't like to .