Obsolete Technologies That Will Baffle Modern Children

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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May 9, 2000
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Nothing can make you feel older that children. Especially when they ask questions about thing like what is that and what’s it for; and you suddenly realize they are asking about your video tape collection. It would be difficult for them to even dream about a world without digital everything.
 
Apparently they do not employ a fact checker. There are so many things wrong with that article it's not even funny. Someone could have at least spent another 20 or 30 minutes on Google or Wikipedia to tell that the Atari 2600 DID NOT USE TAPE CARTRIDGES. Also annoying was the floppy disk one, which shows a picture of some kind of bizarre video disk cartridge that I have never seen before, and I thought I'd seen every type of removable media made by man.
 
My kids barely know what a DVD is. They have probably never watched a VHS tape (unless at school? Who knows), never used a video game cartridge, record, etc. Damnit - now I feel old.
 
Stamps/Letters .. For a uni project, I had to help school children with homework. They were around 10yo and as part of their homework, they had to fill out a letter envelope and stamp it. Some had no clue what a letter was and even went as far as saying "I just use email".
 
In this thread, people will post about how kids won't know anything about things like VCRs and act shocked when---why the FUCK WOULD THEY? They don't know anything at that age.
 
Apparently they do not employ a fact checker. There are so many things wrong with that article it's not even funny. Someone could have at least spent another 20 or 30 minutes on Google or Wikipedia to tell that the Atari 2600 DID NOT USE TAPE CARTRIDGES. Also annoying was the floppy disk one, which shows a picture of some kind of bizarre video disk cartridge that I have never seen before, and I thought I'd seen every type of removable media made by man.

Even the person that wrote this story is clueless about some of the items.

1. They pick some customized Video Floppy as their example of a floppy disk?
2. They pick a Walkman cassette RECORDER? Most Walkman's where smaller and just payers.

6. The Atari 2600 used ROM cartridges, not tape.
8. More nonsense about Sony's Betamax being better than VHS. Almost every improvement in Betamax quality was soon duplicated on VHS. VHS won because it had longer tapes and was cheaper. The 2 features the market thought where better.

10. Comparing an IBM green screen to a LCD? Why didn't they just compare a stone tablet to an iPad?

13. That's a Walkie Talkie? Why didn't they at least get a picture of something that LOOKED like a Walkie Talkie.
 
Regardless of bad facts in the article, all I can say is:

Nothing can make you feel older that children. It would be difficult for them to even dream about a world without digital everything.

Tell me about it! Sometimes it takes "too long" to buffer up a HD video. Just be glad you didn't have to rewind the damn tape. Or worse, buy a cheap tape rewinder and have it snap your beloved VHS and have to take it all apart and break out the Scotch tape. :D
 
My kids will know how to spin records, calibrate CRT's (if the tubes are still good when they're older), and do a whole bunch with older technology. Just because it's old doesn't mean it ain't good. I'm always blown away when I hear some smart ass kid poo-poo something because it's "old." Incidentally enough, I did the same as a youngn'. And I learned the err' of my ways. :)
 
Another "well, DUH" article that wasn't worth the effort to link to. Not really a news flash that items that were once common place eventually become obsolete and replaced with someone newer. As a kid in the 1960/70s I used things that weren't being used by kids in the 1990s.. such as Super 8 movie camera & projector, portable phonograph turntable, 45 rpm records, laser discs, reel-to-reel tape recorder, and had friends with 8-track and quadraphonic systems (quad had a speaker on each of the 4 walls in the bedroom.. receiver had a joy stick.. and it was loud). I even remember having some Disney spoken word records that were played at 16 rpm!!

My parents had TVs and stereo systems that were contained within big pieces of wooden furniture that cost a ton at the time which meant you didn't get rid of them until it became totally unrepairable.. and those things WERE repairable. Still remember looking at the back of our old TV and watching t the tubes glowing orange. Parents still have their almost 50 year old Marantz stereo console with the build in speakers, receiver and turntable.. even though they haven't tried to use it in years. It probably weighs like 150-200 lbs. I still have the Victrola my parents had when I was young along with some 78s.. it worked until sometime in the 1980s.. will get it fixed one day!!

I remember visiting my grandparent's cotton farm as a kid and their phone rang.. and rang.. and no one picked it up.. and I went around screaming "pick up the phone!". The only explanation I got for everyone ignoring the phone call was "it's not for us". I didn't understand the concept of a "party line" which had started to disappear by the 1960s.

The point is.. this happens every generation although it has probably has been happening faster of late.
 
#17: a fact checker like the ones used by real journalist in newspapers before any half witted scrub with a webpage could call themselves journalists.
 
What probably confuses kids are what the computer icons we have today mean.

"WTF is the save icon? A floppy... da fuuu"
"The Explorer button is a yellow organizer binder? Like made out of paper???"
"Why is a mutually exclusive item called a radio button? My online radio lets you queue up all kinds of stuff"
"Whats a clipboard anyway"?
"Why does voicemail look like two spools of something?"
"Why does the phone icon look kindof like a dumbell gym weight?"
"Why do TV icons have ant antenna sticking out of them?"

Yup... feeling old! :D
 
20 years from now kids will be laughing at SMS, streaming video, NFC, and any other modern convenience we have. Cycle never ends.
 
I don't think the "instant cameras" are obsolete. Albeit Polaroid is not the one making the newer versions now, but rather Fujifilm. There are even Sanrio-branded ones from them, obviously looking to appeal towards children.
 
I love that cowboy bebop episode where they track down a beta cassette player
 
Ahh the GameBoy. Someone needs to stick a Rasberry Pi in one of those things... think it would fit?
 
Also... Laser Disc? Definitely one of those things I think a youngster would see and think "what the hell is that?"
 
Apparently they do not employ a fact checker. There are so many things wrong with that article it's not even funny. Someone could have at least spent another 20 or 30 minutes on Google or Wikipedia to tell that the Atari 2600 DID NOT USE TAPE CARTRIDGES. Also annoying was the floppy disk one, which shows a picture of some kind of bizarre video disk cartridge that I have never seen before, and I thought I'd seen every type of removable media made by man.

That video CART was like an 8 track for video, Invented by Sanyo. It never made it in the home market but lasted quite a few years for data storage however even though it was a Mobius loop it did have search feature.:eek:
 
My kids will know how to spin records, calibrate CRT's (if the tubes are still good when they're older), and do a whole bunch with older technology. Just because it's old doesn't mean it ain't good. I'm always blown away when I hear some smart ass kid poo-poo something because it's "old." Incidentally enough, I did the same as a youngn'. And I learned the err' of my ways. :)

Calibrating a CRT monitor? That's really a retarded thing to learn anymore. I do think kids should know how to do certain things with older tech, but CRT monitors are really just completely obsolete now. Even the legends like the Sony FW 900 now have a better (albeit very expensive) LCD replacement.
 
20 years from now kids will be laughing at SMS, streaming video, NFC, and any other modern convenience we have. Cycle never ends.

I know, just use your brainpal ffs!
You used displays? What an anachronism, just get it streamed into your visual cortex.
 
lol.... what about a check book.... will the next generation of kids ever need one?

It goes beyond need. Many schools have stopped teaching cursive writing or even printing. A checkbook will be useless unless they print the checks.
 
floppy disks were "soon" replaced by compact disks? floppies were around for ages. what a crappy list.
 
I think I still have my Mortal Kombat VHS somewhere. My parents got it for my birthday.

Sadly we did not keep any of our 5.25" floppies when we moved.
 
It goes beyond need. Many schools have stopped teaching cursive writing or even printing. A checkbook will be useless unless they print the checks.

+1.

My kids don't know how to write in cursive.

The article like many others have said was just the usual. I remember 8 track tape, and the first computer was the vic 20(8080 cpu?). Hell with those times! I love new tech.
 
Walkie Talkies popular in the 80-90's? Every construction site I've been to is full of them...TODAY. Every heavy machinery operator has one. They don't fucking call each other up on their phones every time something has to be done or there's an emergency...retarded.
 
Wow. What a terrible article.

Obviously written by someone who is under 20 years old.

The mistakes have already been pointed out in this thread but one more,

The WALKMAN in the type pointed out would never have had ear buds. They had those little headphones that caught your hair in them and hurt like hell. Ear buds weren't popularized until much later.
 
The article was fail, but it's pretty crazy........I've used every one of those items, when they were NEW!!!!


How about a simple newspaper?
Telegraph.
Black and white CRT Television.
A pen or pencil and the old yellow lined cursive writing tablet.
A slide rule.
:eek::eek::eek:
 
The article was fail, but it's pretty crazy........I've used every one of those items, when they were NEW!!!!


How about a simple newspaper?
Telegraph.
Black and white CRT Television.
A pen or pencil and the old yellow lined cursive writing tablet.
A slide rule.
:eek::eek::eek:

I remember having to get one of those coax cable adapters that went to the two spade terminals in order to be able to hook my Nintendo up to a black and white TV when I was a kid. It let me have a Nintendo in my room and was worth it to not have to share with the family :D
 
It's all fine by me. I thought I'd be struggling to keep up with the kids of the computer age coming into the workforce. Well, it turns out that their computer skills are fairly feeble. Instead of being adept at fixing and understanding any problem that arises with a PC, they treat the PC like a household appliance, with absolutely no knowledge or interest in how they actually work. Most of them don't even understand the concept of spyware and malware. They grew up with a PC that "just worked" and all they ever had to do was just push the power button and and click on the internet browser button. If something "bad" happens, someone else fixes it for them.

It's kind of sad...
 
Wow. What a terrible article.

Obviously written by someone who is under 20 years old.

The mistakes have already been pointed out in this thread but one more,

The WALKMAN in the type pointed out would never have had ear buds. They had those little headphones that caught your hair in them and hurt like hell. Ear buds weren't popularized until much later.

Mehhhh. My launch GameBoy in 1989 came with ear buds. I agree with them being ultra uncomfortable though. Especially for being a 2nd grader at the time.
 
It's all fine by me. I thought I'd be struggling to keep up with the kids of the computer age coming into the workforce. Well, it turns out that their computer skills are fairly feeble. Instead of being adept at fixing and understanding any problem that arises with a PC, they treat the PC like a household appliance, with absolutely no knowledge or interest in how they actually work. Most of them don't even understand the concept of spyware and malware. They grew up with a PC that "just worked" and all they ever had to do was just push the power button and and click on the internet browser button. If something "bad" happens, someone else fixes it for them.

It's kind of sad...

Agree. But who knows, give it another 30-40 years and we're really see what happens.
 
In people's defense about not fixing computers, Macs are proprietary and most laptops are a complete pain in the ass where they have to be almost completely disassembled then reassembled in an exact order where if it were a tower you could replace the part in under a minute where the laptop takes damn near an hour.

I'd probably be one of those lazy people too if building my own pc wasn't the only way for me to afford my first X86 since I could build it for about a quarter of the cost of buying it. (350mhz k6-2)
I learned A LOT from [H]ardOCP, Tom's, and Anandtech when I first started (14-15 years ago) building my own pc's. Even had a different user name here back then I lost when I changed ISPs because back then you had to have an ISP registered email.
Learning was a fun and interesting hobby.
 
I don't think the "instant cameras" are obsolete. Albeit Polaroid is not the one making the newer versions now, but rather Fujifilm. There are even Sanrio-branded ones from them, obviously looking to appeal towards children.

My 8 year old nephew for Christmas asked for a camera that you take a picture on and it gives you the picture right away without needing to print it. I am not sure where he saw it but somebody must be advertising them still or something.
 
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