Have you ever noticed that your grandparents' old fridge just keeps on ticking, despite often being multiple decades old? Or the home screen of a new phone has a Christmas tree’s worth of lights and color on it for no good reason? Well, you aren’t alone.
Someone asked “What's a piece of 'obsolete' technology you still use today because it's better than the modern version?” and people gave their favorite examples. From good, old-fashioned knobs in their cars to, thankfully, not-smart home appliances, get comfortable before you read through, upvote your favorites and be sure to comment your own suggestions below.
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Any non-“smart” things. Light bulbs, doorbell, washing machine, fridge, etc. I don’t need any of them to connect to the internet. Just do the basic job and don’t break or quickly become obsolete, please.
Knobs in my car to control radio and heat/ac. So much safer than screens
Not exactly obsolete, but I've been told it's odd in 2023. I buy physical CDs, rip them to my hard drive, put a copy on my phone, and listen to my music without ad interruptions or subscription costs.
Edit: and for all you "bUt ThAt'S mOrE eXpEnSiVeR!" folks, no it ain't. I'm in my 40s. I listen to mostly the same s**t I listened to in the 90s, and I've already had most of my music collection for 25+ years. I'm buying 3 new CDs a year, max.
Paper menu… why you making take a picture of a square, go to a website and squint on my phone to see what you got to eat.
My friends took me out to dinner, I'm waiting for the person to bring our menus, and my friends said it on their app. What the f***k? they had to download that square thing, to then download something else, I don't need all this c**p on my phone, I already disable a lot of the stuff on it, now I gotta add more, and it makes life harder? No Thanks
Books. I take books out the library, read them, return them. Seeing what books are available on my “want to read list” is a fun game in itself.
Opening a damn web browser and going to a store's website instead of using an app, if the option is there.
Paper and pencil.
Way better than trying to write or draw on an ipad
Wired headphones. Wireless airbuds make me irrationally angry, it just seems so frivolous and easy to lose.
A defiant no. Wired make me feel seriously 'tethered' up. I can't stand them. You just can't move! They can actually cause a panic attack! I've been using wireless for years. Only ever a single bud. So, as a cyclist, I can still hear what's right of me. But that's my choice all the way. Always. And if yours are falling out all the time, you just need to find the right fit. Like, I can't use those solid plastic ones because they do just fall straight out. I always get the ones with the different sized rubber buds included. Never had one fall out, even in an ear that is slightly wrong... Nope, wireless always for me.
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I beg to disagree here. Not a blooming blossom (53 and counting), but I don't find bluetooth earbuds "hip" or whatever the phrase of the day is. Just like my freedom to move my hands, head or whatever without worrying that I'll trigger a wire out of the phone. Also, I've never paid more than €10 ($12) for them, and they last at least for couple of years. And I NEVER wear them in the open - too dangerous, in my opinion.
I use wired earbuds too (not earphones, 'cause I like to walk with them and need to be able to take one ear off when in crowded places). Mostly because they are much cheaper and harder to lose. But the most important to me is that I don't need to charge them.
Okay, and how often do you have to replace them when the wire to one or the other has broken?
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How do you guys always lose your expensive things? Just treat them like a baby, then you won't lose them
I can never make them stay in my ear and not fall after any small movement. But phones no longer have a jack for wired so that's annoying.
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I LOVE my wireless HEADphones. But you would literally have to pay me to use wireless earbuds. Earphones always fall out my ears - and I ended up being hit by a car because of them (I was sauntering across when the pedestrian crossing light was flashing/turning to red, wearing earphones which were covered by my ears so not visible and were preventing me from hearing oncoming traffic. A car came, assuming I'd hear and scoot out the way. I didn't and got hit at about 30mph. Happily I was fine apart from a bad break to my knee at point of impact, and 6 stitches in my head and concussion from landing - the poor driver was more shaken up than I was; I didn't sue as I'm in the UK so didn't have medical bills and honestly it was at least half my fault.)
How loud was your music to overhear a honking car? And do you not look, when crossing a road, especially when YOUR signals turn red? What has that to do with your headphones being wireless? Sorry for your accident, but seems to me to be more like a problem of carelessness. Poor driver that hit you. It´s not his job to look for wires on your head and to draw conclusions from that in milliseconds. Try to behave mindful and take responsibility for the consequences of your behaviour when in public, would be my advice...
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Earbuds, period. They fall out, put too much noise directly into my ear canal. Give me regular, over-the-ear, well-fitting headphones.
With headphones, you can't hear ambient noise as well. When i'm in public, i like to hear what's going on around me for safety reasons.
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I would definitely prefer wired I just don't like.having to untangle them every time I wear them
I'm a bit divided on this one. Wired earbuds (my choice "in the past") are as easy to loose as wireless ones IMO. And I had to throw away still functioning ones because the fine cable got stuck in a zipper for example. And the cable was not comfortable either, it would often get stuck somewhere, o had to readjust frequently. I invested in good wireless ones 2 years ago, I couldn't go back.
Even the ear hooks ones fall out of my ears!
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Never had aproblem with wireless. Maybe it just happens that you are stupid...
You have to look, but they do make USB-C to 3.5mm, which is nice. I have no idea about proprietary Apple, nor do I care.
I felt the same way until I got some wireless buds. Now I can listen to a podcast while my phone is charging in the other room, or leave my phone on the bench with a recipe while I'm cooking. Plus there are no wires to get tangled. Wired will always be superior in terms of reliability and sound quality, but wireless has many advantages.
I am too clumsy to agree on this one. I was always fetching up on things withh corded earbuds and having them ripped out of my ears. Maybe OP just hasn't found the right ear buds yet. Those airpods have always looked like they'd pop out from a l sneeze.
I will take actual headphones over earbuds. I can't stand having something in my ear.
I broke on this, I like my big Bluetooth ANC headphones by the major 4 letter brand beginning with S (not affiliated, I just like and use them since almost 10y now). But what I do cherish in them is that they do offer the 3,5 mm jack to wire then if/when needed also when battery is dead - unlike the other big headphone ANC 4 letter brand (with B) which has smaller or no jack and, just me, gives me a vertigo when I turn it on. However the small air pods type once suck big time for me so no thank you. (Also thank you for reading)
A friend just bought one of these cords to add on a pair of wireless earbuds. 🤦 They got offended when I laughed. ... I couldn't help myself.
Nah man, I'm never going back to wireless headphones unless it's an emergency. Used to tick me off how the cable ALWAYS got tangled, no matter how carefully you tucked them away. Also, loose contacts, anyone? Ugh! *hearts wireless earbuds*
I like the wireless because I am suck of getting the headphone cord catching on every single thing within ten feet of me. It costs a hell of a lot less to buy a new wireless headphone every few money then to replace wired headphones every two weeks because the cord got kinked and broken or it just eventually got broken catching on everything. I've only lost two headphones is the last 10yrs so they aren't that easy to lose. I spend waaaay less money. When I first went wireless it was a 20$ headphone of decent quality, now I can afford better quality ones with the money I'm saving on replacements.
I bought a new pair of earbuds. Later the same day, one hopped out of my ear and landed under the train I was about to board. Great waste of money. 😑
Every single person I know who uses those stupid wireless ear buds has lost them at least twice. Such a stupid invention.
That is exactly why my headphones plug in. I had to buy an adaptor for my new Samsung phone as there was no longer a headphone plugin on it.
I like both. Wired for longer listening without charging. Wireless for obvious reasons.
I use the ones with brackets for my ears. I tried using the wired airbuds and they kept popping out of my ears. If they hadnt had a cable, I'd have lost the damn airbud.
Just opted for bluetooth headphones (the over the ear kind like we used to use with our walkmans). Very glad they are back in style so now I can be stylish.
i can't wear earbuds anyway, they make my ears hurt and don't have sound nearly as good as my wireless headphones that i practically live in
I am happy not being tangled in wires when moving around, but when I'm at my desk I do have a wired set.
And wired headphones cost less and are less likely to fall out and get lost: they're tethered by the wire.
I love some of the features of airpods (spatial audio and noise cancellation are the big ones, and not having cords to get in the way of everything), but my right ear is deformed and I can't ever get a REALLY good fit in that one, even when I buy special memory foam tips on amazon. I wish they had a lot more options for sizing, they really dropped the ball there.
My high school kids lose their earbuds or their cases constantly. And these are kids that can't afford to replace them.
Dorky lookin Bluetooth headband FTW. On my head under my ear defenders at work all day to give me something to listen to and help keep me warm. On my head at night with a podcast when I fall asleep. On my head on the rare occasion I make it out for a cycle. My best friends.
Also, any headphones that are not in ear-ones! I love those huge on-ear headphones in Winter and clip-on-ear headphones in Summer. In the ear? Nopes. They hurt, I always fear they'll fall out at any moment, they increase bacteria in the ears a whole lot... etc. But perhaps that's just me being weird. 🤷♀️
not to mention fidelity, not to mention garbage, not to mention all the damage.. ok it's a draw... wires mean mining copper.. and all that... It's hard being human on this planet!
I lose c**p ALL the time. I will say, Apple has done a pretty great job with locating your earbuds, assuming the battery isnt dead.
I wish that wireless headphones came with idiot strings. For all that it’s awesome to not be tethered to your device, the bloody things are so easy to lose
I primarily use my Bluetooth wireless earphones that have ear-hooks and in-ear fittings attached to each other by a wire that goes along the back of my neck. When I'm conversing with someone, I shut them off, and connect the ear-hooks together in front like a necklace. No worries about losing them, and no wire dangling down my torso catching on things.
My only problem, though I own no wireless, is when you have to spend 5 bajillion hours untangling the suckers
I use both depending on what I need. If I listen to music, it's wired earbuds. If it's audiobooks while I am running, wireless are better so I can put the phone wherever I want (and I don't need the stupid adapter).
Easy to lose and figity, spent 15 minutes trying to connect to an airplane entertainment system, gave up and read my book. I can only connect to my computer if I shut down my phone.
After seeing videos where the damn batteries explode on wireless earbuds, I'm deffo sticking to my old fashioned wired versions.
Old skool wired here! I lose my keys and earrings enough to know wireless earbuds would last a week tops
I much prefer headphones. My ears have never met a pair of buds that would stay in, they all fall down.......like the kids game:(
Ive lost my wireless ones... the ones attached to my device, funnily enough i haven't.
However, my AirPods aren’t going to become unusable due to a short in the cord and can also be used while the phone is charging without having to pay for extra equipment.
I'm on both sides here... Kind of. My wireless headphones are bluetooth, free up my hands for my crutches and I can answer calls etc via them. They hang around my neck. Wireless airbuds though are harder to spot if you lose one but if you register them? You can use an online search page to find them called "Find my device" in the UK
I have wireless earbuds that hook over the ears - the other ones are pretty much made to fall out.
As an active person, I tend to use wireless headphones (not earbuds) when exercising. I felt like my movement was more restricted, and I'd worry too much about them being in an awkward position when using wired headphones. I can understand people who use wired headphones, and I respect your choice on if you use it, but I've just grown to being accustomed to wireless over these past couple of years.
I personally like air buds, they've lasted longer than any of my daily headphones. But I do recommend getting the ones that are tethered to each other.
When I had to ride the bus for a long-ish commute? Then they're handy... one less thing to have to pay attention to when getting off the ride.
That was my argument at first. I used to be very skeptical, when it came to wireless earbuds. Then I got a pair of cheap ones for Christmas and I'm never going back. They are not that as easy to lose as people (who I bet never even tried them) like to claim.
Disagree here. My Bluetooth earphones are marvelous and inexpensive.
If you are buying Airpods, or RayCons, then yes. I buy wireless headphones with good quality sound for roughly $40 to $50. And they've lasted me a year before needing to be replaced.
Load More Replies... Yeah I hate trying to recharge wired airbuds.. thats a total f**k to the recycle community..
100% all kitchen stuff like kitchenaids, mixing bowls, old Pyrex, old wooden spoons, Dutch ovens, ect all were better before the 90's newer items of all these things especially Pyrex are flimsy. The appliances have planned obsolescence and new Pyrex baking dishes I'm scared to even use in the oven because I've had 2 explode on me. My old ones I inherited from my grandmother never given me an issue
I read an article a while ago that said there is a difference in "Pyrex" and "pyrex" The brand Pyrex sold their name to a company that makes cheap knockoffs, which has the lowercase "p" at the front of the name
A few years ago I was really broke and had no car, so I bought a 1997 Buick Park Avenue with 200,000 miles on it. That car lasted all the way up to 350,000 miles. Yeah, stuff broke on it, but it was so easy to fix and parts were so cheap.
I had zero mechanical skills, and I was able to bring that car back from the dead on 3 separate occaisions with incredibly basic tools just by reading a manual.
They literally do not make cars like that anymore.
Can opener. The manual ones work just fine, I don't know why an electric one that takes up space on the counter 24/7 when it gets used for all of 10 seconds is necessary.
I still use Adobe CS6 because paying monthly for software is some b******t.
monthly payments and subscriptions on everything is b******t in general
F*****g leaf rake.
Leaf blowers are a scourge. In most cases they save 10% of the time it takes to rake, while annoying 100 people at once.
My job is restoring/conserving obsolete objects (mechanical clocks), does that count?
Cash. I live in one of the most digitalized countries in the world and we are already so cashless that some places don't even accept cash anymore, even though they're still required to by law.
I still insist on paying with cash to everyones annoyance. It doesn't rely on power or internet and it's anonymeous, the latter being important to me.
I do charge when I am eating out, but leave a cash tip for servers. I tell them, they don't have to claim it all on their taxes.(oops, any IRS folks out there?)
Books and traditional media. Harder to navigate than the online ones, but kind of stimulates the brain more with less distractions and more peace.
I can read online books fine, but there's just something about holding a real book that can't be compared with digital.
A normal paper calendar. Idk why i just don't check the calendar on my phone, and I sometimes use a 50 something year old radio because it sounds nice, especially when my headphones run out of battery.
Pen and paper works so much better than Android notes.
As someone with doctor handwriting, the notes app has been a godsend for me tbh
If I can find something that’s not reliant on electricity to operate, I’ll opt for it. I have a hand coffee grinder instead of an electric one. I have a French press instead of a coffee maker. I have a hand crank pasta maker instead of a motor operated or a kitchenaid pasta attachment. I’ve gotten to a point where I’m trying to find items that can end up being heirlooms, that’s how well built they are. F**k planned obsolescence, honestly.
These people have never heard of the joint problems of old age...
A manual transmission, for a given definition of "better"
Every car I've ever bought was manual transmission. Easier and cheaper to drive and repair
DVD and Blu-ray. Streaming is almost never at anything approaching full resolution.
I like that I can actually own media and never have to worry that a service will lose their license to carry it. I have bought some digital copies of films out of desperation (like being stuck in a hotel room during a storm) and I never feel like I really own the movie. Plus, the complex ins and outs of negotiating music rights for movie soundtracks means some films might never make it to streaming.
My fountain pen.
I have a Parker 51 from '69. It's just so smooth
And classy. There's something so sophisticated about using a fountain pen.
Cursive
The person that wrote this note failed penmanship class or is high af. 😵💫
Actual address book. I have many in my phone. But when I’m doing Christmas cards/invitations/announcements, I go to the book every time.
The old "unsafe" gas cans that don't leak gas all over the place.
My old ones always leaked. But the new ones have a spout that sticks out well past the edge of the can, so you can bump into it and knock the spout right off. And that's supposedly safer.
My #7 Griswold cast iron skillet. Small logo so it isn’t that old, but it’s from 1938-1957. I use it to scramble eggs, bake cornbread, chocolate cornbread, quiche, and kielbasa, and I love it. It is way better than modern cast iron, the company polished the interior surface to make it super non-stick.
Chocolate cornbread??? I have never heard of such gloriousness before. Now I NEED some!!
Mechanical wrist watch. Technically keeps worse time than a $12 quartz Casio but they are amazing little machines/engines you can wear on your wrist (and are still only off by a few seconds a day).
I still use a washer from the early 2000’s. It’s very analog. Parts are easy to replace and it keeps chugging along. We have a local appliance shop that still stocks parts.
My parents buy a new washer about every 2-3 years because of technology issues.
Mines ugly, but it works.
Now, that being said, if and when I upgrade. I’ll probably upgrade to a speed Queen.
Planned obselescence is a great example of just how terrible humans can be. Make deliberately inferior products so the rich get more money whilst the rest have spend money unnecessarily. All while stripping the planet of resources it doesn't have and animals of their habitats. F**k planned obselescence and f**k the people getting rich from it.
My wife recently cancelled Disney+ and brought out this massive collection of old VHS tapes to make the kids go through. I had forgotten how awesome it is actually owning a copy of a piece of media, instead of having to search online to see what platforms it might be streaming on.
I enjoy talking to a person with instead of doing something purely online. (Some banking, customer service, general questions about product...etc...)
Older vehicles, easily repaired, fraction of the cost of new
At 17 I learned to drive in a 1971 Mercedes Benz belonging to friends of the family— and old Betsy Benz is still up and running today!
I still have a micro cassette player that i have since 1988. I recorded my dad, my mum, who have passed away, myself when I was 18. It’s priceless. It stopped working recently but I just replaced the belt and it works now perfectly.
Awwwww. I miss my walkman Sony .........my best years at highschool
Old tools. My garage sale planes are as good as anything made today. My panel saw is perfect. Now, there's a bunch of survivorship bias and sharpening going on here, but I love them.
Old tools are always good. The guy that fix's my truck have almost 70 years and have old tools and he is awesome fixing trucks and sometimes I help him and learn. Don't underrate old tools or old ppl, they are wise .
I love analogue photography!
I recognize that a digital camera is better in most respects like resolution (unless you're using large format cameras or special film), number of images, image rate, immediate results, ability to delete images without recourse, and so on.
But I have yet to handle a camera that feels as nice as a solid all metal mechanical marvel from decades ago, still working fine today. Even if not, these can still be serviced and handed down for generations.
Plus you can try many different types and formats of cameras for a fairly low price.
A double edged razor. Much better and closer shave, it eliminated razor bump and ingrown hairs for me, new blades are $.10 when purchased 100 at a time from many online vendors.
Heh, even older - I shave with a straight razor! I work in South Boston and drive by Gillette every day. Phooey on your 9-blade, $20/each replacement costs!
I have a really nice binder that holds 3-4 small notebooks in it that I use for work.
I transfer the major projects and such to Microsoft ToDo or OneNote, but for day to day note-taking, absolutely nothing beats pen and paper.
Original Nintendo DS. Never once has that video game device given me an ounce of trouble or forced me to buy some subscription service to be able to play my games. Maybe not the most advanced, but definitely the best-lasting tech gadget I’ve ever been gifted.
Old dumb tv. Turn it on and it works. My smart TV takes minutes to turn on and load, download and install mandatory update, freeze up, restart, play ads, then freeze up again when I try to select what I want to actually watch.
Pretty sure these TVs don't work in our country anymore. NZ has only digital TV since 2013. OK if you're just watching DVDs, but otherwise, no TV.
Analog alarm clock. No electricity no problem. And the alarm is gentle.
I use VLC media player. It's been around since like 2000, and it's much better than the built-in video player which doesn't even support streaming or any advanced features that VLC has.
I just really wish I still had a blackberry. Damn i LOVED that keyboard!
VCR player.
We have three VCRs here and a huge library of tapes. One of the VHS players is a backup still sealed in the box. One is for our regular movie watching, and occasional recording TV. The last one is a dual DVD/VHS burner player thingamabob. We use that to convert one type of obsolete media into another :)
I used to wear a smartwatch. I travel internationally a lot for work now, and it was annoying that I had to connect to the internet to access the app to change time zones. So now I just wear a $20 Casio that lets me cycle time zones at the push of a button. Extra bonus is I don't need to charge it, which is convenient on its own and one less cord I need to bring.
edit: Never knew it was even called this, but after many comments: yes, it is a Casio Royale. Never even knew it was a whole thing, it was just what I grabbed off of Amazon at some point. Love the thing though.
This is peak reddit pretentiousness. Almost nothing listed is "outdated", it's just a bunch of redditors trying to beef up their egos. "oooh, I use a paper calendar not an app" - yeah, so do millions of others buddy. That's why there's calendar stores in every shopping mall before xmas.
For a lot of them, though, they automatically back up the data so if something happens, you're not totally boned. If you lose a physical daytimer, you have no idea what your appointments were. House fire? All your physical photos are gone. Whereas if my phone breaks, all the photos are still in my apple account. If my laptop quits on me, my schedule still exists. I don't lose any info because it's all backed up. That's one of the major conveniences of using technology. I agree there are a lot of downsides, but I think we tend to over-romanticize the past without remembering the downfalls there too.
Load More Replies... Practical effects in movies... and music! This is sort of cool: I always thought of Pink Floyd as a synth band because they were so cutting-edge in sound. But it turns out they use synth a lot less than I thought. Shine On You Crazy Diamond was recorded with 500 crystal glasses. They also used a clavinet, which is an amped clavichord, a Wurlitzer piano, a Rhodes piano, glass harmonicas (spinning crystal glasses), pedal steel guitars, tape effects, a Hammond. Don't get me wrong: they also used a minimoog and two different EMS synthesizers. The difference is that when bands like Styx went Hi-def they suddenly sounded cheesy, because the synths weren't designed for such realism, but higher-fidelity music players just make Pink Floyd sound better and better. (Although a 67 RPM vinyl stil sounds awesome.). Yeah, those crystal glasses so beautiful in Shine On Pt 1!
(Wurlitzer and Rhodes pianos LOOK like synthesizers, but they're actually based on amplifying the noise of tuning forks struck by hammers.)
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Grocery list. We've tried different digital approaches, but a good old pad of paper attached to the fridge still works best. Also, passwords on paper. I don't keep any important passwords on anything connected to the internet, ever.
Same on both counts, though it is annoying having to remember to put my list in the recycling rather than have it accumulate in my purse.
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I was born in 1946 and most of the things mentioned here are way beyond my comfort level! I think that I'm still back in the dark ages, although I do appreciate my washer and dryer over the wringer washer and line drying, especially in the winter! I also prefer a refrigerator to an ice box and an electric stove to one I have to feed wood to, especially in the summer. I agree that the more bells and whistles the more there is to break! We've come a long way and I appreciate everything especially the advances in medicine!
I'm currently plunged into the dark ages laundry-wise! Waiting on parts for my washer machine and so did some hand washing and it's drip drying on the line right now!
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I actually think a lot of these are "special millennials" (and gen x and gen z) who think they're better than everyone else
Load More Replies... I love obsolete items. Candle snuffers, lanterns, whetstones, analog clocks. They're beautiful little objects.
I have my great-grandfather's scythe. I use it rarely to cut tall grass, just on general principle. He used it to cut hay for his 2 horses that pulled the plow. He was a farmer. The thing looks like the Grim Reaper's scythe. You can see the hammer marks from when it was made.
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Paper maps. When I move to a new city, I start with a paper map so I can get a good overview of the layout of the city. I try not to use GPS until I've lived there for a month or two. Also, I use a road atlas for long car trips. I've noticed that people who rely on GPS a lot often lack a mental birds-eye-view of their own city or of where they actually are on a road trip.
One thing I do love about google maps though is street view. I can plan ahead for where I'm going by actually looking at where I have to go, where to turn (take a left at the esso!) and best of all, LOOK at where I need to park so I'm not totally overwhelmed when I get there. I do agree that I should be relying on GPS less, though.
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Unix. It's still around as Linux. And programs such as "eyes", now "xeyes", are still on there to help you find the cursor. That was written in about 1981. ImageMagic on Unix was released in 1990. Unix as Linux is still the operating system of choice for supercomputers. Because you can't do any serious number-crunching on Windows, Apple or Android.
I wonder how many banking and insurance programs that were written in COBOL are still in use.
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An answering machine. Mine is from the '90's and still records phone messages just fine. P.S. I still have a land line!
Obsolete means that something has fallen out of general use. People can't keep using obsolete things in a big way.
My wife's 87-year-old posts on Facebook and has a smart phone that she uses. So screw the idea that old people don't use modern stuff.
This topic should be named "old people being afraid of new stuff"
I'm 55. So that pretty old. And I do not agree with a lot of what shown above. Wireless mouse, Wifi printer, blutooth earphones. Bring them on. Film cameras, VCR players, CDs, analog watches.. I used to own those. Not any more. Of course there are some things that I still prefer the old way, Buttons on cars, writing notes on papers etc.
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This is peak reddit pretentiousness. Almost nothing listed is "outdated", it's just a bunch of redditors trying to beef up their egos. "oooh, I use a paper calendar not an app" - yeah, so do millions of others buddy. That's why there's calendar stores in every shopping mall before xmas.
For a lot of them, though, they automatically back up the data so if something happens, you're not totally boned. If you lose a physical daytimer, you have no idea what your appointments were. House fire? All your physical photos are gone. Whereas if my phone breaks, all the photos are still in my apple account. If my laptop quits on me, my schedule still exists. I don't lose any info because it's all backed up. That's one of the major conveniences of using technology. I agree there are a lot of downsides, but I think we tend to over-romanticize the past without remembering the downfalls there too.
Load More Replies... Practical effects in movies... and music! This is sort of cool: I always thought of Pink Floyd as a synth band because they were so cutting-edge in sound. But it turns out they use synth a lot less than I thought. Shine On You Crazy Diamond was recorded with 500 crystal glasses. They also used a clavinet, which is an amped clavichord, a Wurlitzer piano, a Rhodes piano, glass harmonicas (spinning crystal glasses), pedal steel guitars, tape effects, a Hammond. Don't get me wrong: they also used a minimoog and two different EMS synthesizers. The difference is that when bands like Styx went Hi-def they suddenly sounded cheesy, because the synths weren't designed for such realism, but higher-fidelity music players just make Pink Floyd sound better and better. (Although a 67 RPM vinyl stil sounds awesome.). Yeah, those crystal glasses so beautiful in Shine On Pt 1!
(Wurlitzer and Rhodes pianos LOOK like synthesizers, but they're actually based on amplifying the noise of tuning forks struck by hammers.)
Load More Replies... Grocery list. We've tried different digital approaches, but a good old pad of paper attached to the fridge still works best. Also, passwords on paper. I don't keep any important passwords on anything connected to the internet, ever.
Same on both counts, though it is annoying having to remember to put my list in the recycling rather than have it accumulate in my purse.
Load More Replies... I was born in 1946 and most of the things mentioned here are way beyond my comfort level! I think that I'm still back in the dark ages, although I do appreciate my washer and dryer over the wringer washer and line drying, especially in the winter! I also prefer a refrigerator to an ice box and an electric stove to one I have to feed wood to, especially in the summer. I agree that the more bells and whistles the more there is to break! We've come a long way and I appreciate everything especially the advances in medicine!
I'm currently plunged into the dark ages laundry-wise! Waiting on parts for my washer machine and so did some hand washing and it's drip drying on the line right now!
Load More Replies... I actually think a lot of these are "special millennials" (and gen x and gen z) who think they're better than everyone else
Load More Replies... I love obsolete items. Candle snuffers, lanterns, whetstones, analog clocks. They're beautiful little objects.
I have my great-grandfather's scythe. I use it rarely to cut tall grass, just on general principle. He used it to cut hay for his 2 horses that pulled the plow. He was a farmer. The thing looks like the Grim Reaper's scythe. You can see the hammer marks from when it was made.
Load More Replies... Paper maps. When I move to a new city, I start with a paper map so I can get a good overview of the layout of the city. I try not to use GPS until I've lived there for a month or two. Also, I use a road atlas for long car trips. I've noticed that people who rely on GPS a lot often lack a mental birds-eye-view of their own city or of where they actually are on a road trip.
One thing I do love about google maps though is street view. I can plan ahead for where I'm going by actually looking at where I have to go, where to turn (take a left at the esso!) and best of all, LOOK at where I need to park so I'm not totally overwhelmed when I get there. I do agree that I should be relying on GPS less, though.
Load More Replies... Unix. It's still around as Linux. And programs such as "eyes", now "xeyes", are still on there to help you find the cursor. That was written in about 1981. ImageMagic on Unix was released in 1990. Unix as Linux is still the operating system of choice for supercomputers. Because you can't do any serious number-crunching on Windows, Apple or Android.
I wonder how many banking and insurance programs that were written in COBOL are still in use.
Load More Replies... An answering machine. Mine is from the '90's and still records phone messages just fine. P.S. I still have a land line!
Obsolete means that something has fallen out of general use. People can't keep using obsolete things in a big way.
My wife's 87-year-old posts on Facebook and has a smart phone that she uses. So screw the idea that old people don't use modern stuff.
This topic should be named "old people being afraid of new stuff"
I'm 55. So that pretty old. And I do not agree with a lot of what shown above. Wireless mouse, Wifi printer, blutooth earphones. Bring them on. Film cameras, VCR players, CDs, analog watches.. I used to own those. Not any more. Of course there are some things that I still prefer the old way, Buttons on cars, writing notes on papers etc.
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