Idioms Lost to Tech

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Damn, I have used everything on this list. I feel old now. ;)

1.) "Sound like a broken record"

Status: Extinct

Want to feel old? Ask anyone born in the last 15 years what a record actually is. If you find the right teen, they might be able to tell you what a record looks like, and what it was used for. But good luck finding a kid today who's ever touched a record--not to mention, who understands just how annoying it is to listen to the sk-sk-skipping sound of a truly broken record.
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This requires some attention to detail in order to remove ambiguity.
Define “record”, in the context of your knowledge.
While we are at it: Define "film" & "movie" too.
 
Maybe it's because I was born in the 90s, or I have parents older than many of my peers, but none of these are truly "endangered". Their origins may be lost, but (most of) the phrases themselves are still commonly used and understood.

I never understood the reasoning behind CCing someone in email when you could just add them to the "To:" field, but that's irrelevant.
 
This is a non-moving picture of a broken “gramophone record”.

gramophone-broken.jpg


There are other kinds of records which can be broken, such as “World records” in the Olympics.
 
Records were before that time but I still use the phrase. People use phrases they have no idea where the meaning came from. For example, has anyone ever said "So Long" to say goodbye to someone? Ever wondered where the origin of such a phrase came from? Turns out some British solders heard Salang which is another way of saying Salaam or peace. The dummies misheard this and thought Salang=SoLong. They have been using this phrase ever since.

There's a lot of things we use in modern society that has no place anymore. When we wanna save a file, we still see the floppy symbol, as if anyone uses floppies anymore. I was wondering why cars say unleaded fuel, but they haven't sold leaded fuel for decades.

The rest of the article is rather retarded though. "Push my buttons"? Really? Like buttons are going away anytime soon.
 
Ashbringer said:
There's a lot of things we use in modern society that has no place anymore. When we wanna save a file, we still see the floppy symbol, as if anyone uses floppies anymore.
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I still use floppies once in a while. In fact, two of my computers have floppy drives.
 
"...who understands just how annoying it is to listen to the sk-sk-skipping sound of a truly broken record."

Not nearly as annoying as a scratched CD skipping...
 
It's kinda like the letter [H] in French, we don't say "un haricot" (a bean) anymore, but "un naricot". ^-^
 
DW-UK said:
Have you ever had a 5.25" or even a 8" floppy?:eek:
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Yes, both. I still have a copy of IBM DOS 3 on a 5.25 inch laying about someplace though I don't have a drive or computer that might use it anymore. The last time I saw an 8 inch disk was in production at a rock quarry in 1999. It was some microwave oven-sized IBM computer with removable breadboard cards (I think it had ~192 KB of RAM and a Motorola processor of some sort). I was just a munchkin at the time, barely getting started at that sort of thing as a job though so my memory about it is foggy. The drive to run the 8 inch disk, as I recall, had a rubber belt between the motor and the spindle. :eek:
 
BigJayDogg3 said:
I never understood the reasoning behind CCing someone in email when you could just add them to the "To:" field, but that's irrelevant.
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Subtleties.

To: = you should pay attention to this
cc: = you might find this interesting (but not high priority)
bcc: you might find this interesting but I don't want others to know I sent it to you

bcc: should also be used for very large lists of users so you dont get email address spammed, if you are not using an email system that supports groups
 
Got those floppies too. Snapped a couple of 8 inch floppies for training purpose when they finally got rid of them.
But floppies went obsolete for me the day they introduced the rigid 3.5 case, even though the disc inside was still "floppy".
That reminds me, I have some clean-up to do, still have a few 3.5 and 5.25 floppy drives somewhere.
 
Monkey God said:
Subtleties.

To: = you should pay attention to this
cc: = you might find this interesting (but not high priority)
bcc: you might find this interesting but I don't want others to know I sent it to you

bcc: should also be used for very large lists of users so you dont get email address spammed, if you are not using an email system that supports groups
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I disagree slightly there.

to = used for the intended recipient (or recipients) of the mail and they should be addressed as such in the mail
cc = not addressed to them (not any mention made of their names) but it does concern them and as such they've been included
 
A lot of these seem a bit nitpicky. Just because the tech isn't around doesn't mean people don't know what you mean by the saying. My 6 year old understands "you sound like a broken record", even though she has never heard one (or seen one for that matter). And I still hear "ringing off the hook", even from teens.

Probably the only one I agree with is "boob tube", but then I have never actually heard anyone use it in my entire life.
 
SkribbelKat said:
Yes, both. I still have a copy of IBM DOS 3 on a 5.25 inch laying about someplace though I don't have a drive or computer that might use it anymore. The last time I saw an 8 inch disk was in production at a rock quarry in 1999. It was some microwave oven-sized IBM computer with removable breadboard cards (I think it had ~192 KB of RAM and a Motorola processor of some sort). I was just a munchkin at the time, barely getting started at that sort of thing as a job though so my memory about it is foggy. The drive to run the 8 inch disk, as I recall, had a rubber belt between the motor and the spindle. :eek:
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What about paper-tape & punch-card?
 
I once gave a gift in a computer themed gift bag. I stuffed the bag with green-bar paper to hide the gift. The recipient was more excited about seeing green-bar paper again that getting the actual gift.


I don't feel this old, and I'm not sure when it snuck up on me.
Of course the length of time I have been a member here also points to my age...
 
I actually use and have heard many of these still even today. And I'm not even old yet.
 
Same here, a lot of these are far from extinct or being endangered, as the article says.

Tune in/Tune out is used quite a bit, especially Tune out.
 
prime2515102 said:
"...who understands just how annoying it is to listen to the sk-sk-skipping sound of a truly broken record."

Not nearly as annoying as a scratched CD skipping...
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..and interestingly, they way they described it is more like a CD skipping than a broken record sk...pping than a broken record....pping than a broken record. :)
 
I'm young still and I have used about 90% of those phrases haha. Not sure bout that article :eek:.
 
Umm...not all of those are extinct..I still know people who use them all the time.
 
SkribbelKat said:
I've never seen a punch card aside from in a museum behind glass. You could just ask me how old I am though if you really want to know that badly.
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Same I've never seen an actual punch card. I have a time card now that I swipe and it clocks me in and out.
 
the apple lisa computers had 8'' floppies. I was going to get one at one time. thank god I didn't. at 10k those things barely sold. I think they included a word and a paint app.
 
I don't see any of them truly dying, thought I can't remember the last time I have used any of them.

I mean what are they going to use to replace broken record. You sound like a poorly converted MP3 who's corruption creates a repeating sound effect. (hopefully MP3 will be replaced with FLAC)

But as long as Heels to Jesus remains a valid Idiom I'm all good.
 
I know all of those. I remember punch tape. I remember slide rules, and I even used to use an abacus.
 
chinesepiratefood said:
That is one terrible list. Tons of those are still used very frequently.
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You missed the point. The point was that the phrases were created in a time where all of it's true meanings are mostly extinct.


Hey Steve, I see "Front Page News" is endangered. Should we worry? :D
 
Dozens of record stores in the town I live in still doing fine. In fact, there has been a huge resurgence in record collecting over the last five years. Perhaps it's do to some hipster bullshit but still, records are far from extinct.
 
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