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’90s Life Hacks That Are Totally Useless Now (31 Pics)
With everything that’s going on in 2020, the ’90s seem like paradise. With its weird trends and retro tech, the ‘90s bring out a bit of nostalgia in a lot of us who were kids or teens then. Just in case you’ve forgotten about what life was like in that era, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered.
Bored Panda has a nostalgia trip waiting for you. We’ve collected a whole bunch of ‘90s life hacks that seem quirky when we read them from the 2020s. Like what to do if your Tamagotchi goes off to live on a ‘farm’ and what to do if your old school mouse is lagging. Upvote your fave ‘90s tips and tricks, dear Pandas, and share your own old school life hacks in the comments! When you're done enjoying this list, have a look through our post about outdated problems that no one today relates to anymore.
Technology and trends have changed a lot in the last few decades. Ramona Pringle, the Director of the Creative Innovation Studio and Associate Professor at the RTA School of Media at Ryerson University, spoke to Bored Panda about the fast pace of changes in technology, what we can expect to see in the future, and how important entertainment that connects us is. Scroll down for our interview with her.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
If You Want To Download A Song, Start Downloading Before Bed. It Should Be At Like 99% By The Time You Wake Up
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#2
If Your Mouse Is Lagging, Take Out The Ball And Clean It. It's Probably Just Dusty
Hanneke Legerstee 6 years ago
And make sure the egg yolk is hard boiled for at least 10 minutes!
#3
Use Sites Like Mapquest To Print Directions For Where You're Heading. Never Get Lost Again
2WheelTravlr 6 years ago
I started with paper maps, then AAA Triptik booklets, then Mapquest printouts, then stand-alone GPS units, now I tell Google to take me there and I get turn-by-turn plus traffic delay updates. Innovation is a wonderful thing.
#4
Never Shut Down Your Computer Unless You See The "It's Now Okay To Shut Down Your Computer"
#5
If The Game Isn't Working, Just Take It Out And Blow On It
Foxxy (The Original) 6 years ago
Pretty much every time you go to play the games. I know they say you aren’t supposed to but it always worked.
#6
If You Have A Quick Message For Someone, And You Are Near A Payphone But Don't Have 25 Cents, Dial 1-800-Collect And When It Asks To Say Your Name, Say The Message Real Fast. ::ring Ring:: "Hello?" "You Have A Collect- Call From [ma-Practiceisovercomepickmeup], Will You Accept The Charges?
![If You Have A Quick Message For Someone, And You Are Near A Payphone But Don't Have 25 Cents, Dial 1-800-Collect And When It Asks To Say Your Name, Say The Message Real Fast. ::ring Ring:: "Hello?" "You Have A Collect- Call From [ma-Practiceisovercomepickmeup], Will You Accept The Charges?](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/18-5ed78eef83a2d__700.jpg "If You Have A Quick Message For Someone, And You Are Near A Payphone But Don't Have 25 Cents, Dial 1-800-Collect And When It Asks To Say Your Name, Say The Message Real Fast. ::ring Ring:: \"Hello?\" \"You Have A Collect- Call From [ma-Practiceisovercomepickmeup], Will You Accept The Charges?")
Hello it Smee 6 years ago
I remember all the late 90's B list celebrities promoting 1 800 collect call plans.
#7
When Burning Your Next Ripped Smashmouth, Nirvana Or Alanis Morisette Cd, Make Sure You Close All Open Programs To Avoid Buffer Underrun
#8
When You Get A 2-Day Rental From Blockbuster In The Evening, You Actually Have Until The Morning Of The Third Day To Return It Without A Late Fee
#9
Keep A Disposable Camera In Your Glove Compartment. If You Get Into A Car Accident You Can Use It To Take Photos For Insurance Purposes
Hello it Smee 6 years ago (edited)
I remember so many weddings having these for guesses to take pictures. So many blurry pictures.
#10
If You Get A Prank Call, Just Dial *69 To Call Those Bastards Back And Confront Them
Jackie Burnham 6 years ago
And *67 will make your phone number come up as blocked on caller Id so if they *69'd you they wouldn't get a number
#11
Can't Afford A Magic Eye Poster? Simply Take A Photo Of Some TV Static, Stick It To Your Wall And Tell Everyone It's A Dolphin
#12
In Simcity, Press Ctrl+shift+c And Enter 'Motherlode' For An Extra 50,000 Simoleans
#13
Grab The Free Aol Floppies At Comp USA Checkout Stands, Then Place A Piece Of Tape Over The Lock Hole. Reformat The Disk, And Use Them For Personal Files
#14
When Leaving Your Car Hide Your Radio
#15
If You Don't Have Any More Room In Your Packed Bags Before Flying Somewhere, Wear Cargo Pants And Cram A Bunch Of Stuff In The Pockets. To Avoid Getting Gouged On Drinks At The Airport, Stuff A Couple Bottlers Of Soda In Those Pockets, And A Plastic Flask
#16
Waiting For A Phone Call Call And Don't Want Your Parents To Hear It Ring? Call The Movie Theater And Listen To Today's Listings Until Call Waiting Beeps
Hello it Smee 6 years ago (edited)
I am just learning about this now over 20 years later😭 Dang
#17
Save Yourself A Lot Of Time And Invest In A Vhs Rewinder
#18
When Playing Simon, Assign Each Color A Number. Count Them Out As They Light Up, It's Easier To Remember A Number Sequence Than Colors
#19
Twist A Knotted Slinky Counter To The Knot, Then Twist Back The Opposite Direction To Quickly Fix A Messed Up Slinky
#20
When You're Watching Scrambled Porn Around Midnight On The Playboy Or Spice Channels, Make Sure You Have Cartoon Network Or Espn On Your "Last Channel" Button Just In Case Mom Or Dad Check On You
#21
If A Winged Tamagotchi Appears On Your Screen, It Means That Your Tamagotchi Decided To Go Back To It's Home Planet. But Don't Despair, Simply Press The (A) And (C) Buttons At The Same Time And Your New Egg Is Ready For Hatching
Daria B 6 years ago
"If A Winged Tamagotchi Appears On Your Screen, It Means That Your Tamagotchi Decided To Go Back To It's Home Planet." Wow, cultural differences! When we were kids we thought normally that it just died, like real pets do. But, unlike real pets (because we were aware of the differences between toys and real life), this one comes with the instructions on how to revive it and start again.
#22
Computer Frozen? Hold Ctrl+alt+delete To Close The Application Or Restart
#23
Your Computer Game Running Too Fast Or Too Slow? Switch The Turbo Button On Your Computer Case On/Off
#24
Convince Your Friends That You're A Supercool Raver By Sticking Strips Of Coloured Tin Foil To Your Trousers
#25
Frost Your Tips For 100% Success With The Ladies
#26
Hold Your Slammer Between Two Fingers, And Throw It Down Hard While Spinning It. This Will Cause Most Of The Pogs To Flip! If You're Playing For Keeps, Jackpot!
#27
Pad All Important Files To 1.45mb So They're Too Big To Be Stolen On A Floppy Disk
Eirik Johnsbråten 6 years ago
You could just multipart zip it across several disks. That was how I copied the original Doom. At a whopping 5mb it was the biggest game I had ever seen.
#28
Tired Of Paying The Outrageous 3$ For A Pop At The Movies? Wear Cargo Pants And Sneak Snacks In That Way
#29
Don't Want People To Read Your Diary? Simply Hide It Inside An Empty Sliding Doors Vhs Case
Andrew Gibb 6 years ago
back then there were no vagina smelling candles or weird inside person stones
#30
Use A Safety Pin To Securely Attach The Ty Tag To Your Beanie Baby And Ensure It Won't Lose Value
#31
Fool Friends Into Thinking You're Wearing A Global Hypercolour Shirt By Dipping Your Hands In Bleach And Touching Your Clothes
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