What's your favorite "old
technology?"
We're all in love with our smartphones,
tablets, and netbooks, almost to the point where the "tower" computer
is as foreign to our younger generation as a dial-style wired telephone!
Technology is moving so fast that it's almost impossible to fall in "tech
love" with anything anymore.
But, that's not how it used to be!
We all had our favorite brand of TV set for a certain feature. We loved our
cordless phone because it went farther than the neighbors' did. We got the
first STEREO TV on the block and had people over to enjoy NBC broadcasting in
full stereo on an oak-look console.
Rewinding even farther, in the deepest,
darkest corners of our mind were our favorite video consoles long before there
was a XBOX, Wii, or anything we use today. I'm talking about consoles with
wired controllers, some with beautiful MONOCHROME displays on our TV sets, and
with video that today would be considered the electronic equivalent of stone
tablets and chisels!
What technology do you remember, or
(going out on a limb here) even MISS?
I can't say for me I miss the party-line, dial-phone, or even the mimeograph
machine from my elementary school with that blue ink. But, I DO miss some
lesser-known or remembered ones! How about the full size laser-disc
machine? Its composite picture was incredible! (For its day.) God
forbid today we should get up to switch sides of a disc! Or, there's the
competitor who had an early demise due to quality: the CED disc promoted
heavily by RCA! Some of these still show up in the garage sales of today.
There's the "metal detector" craze of the 1970's, (my parents HAD to
have one, and we never used it, even on vacations).....and I'm sure you can add
to the list!
Being in broadcasting, I've had the fun
in the past couple of weeks bringing back an old 1980's technology known as
"AM Stereo" to our station.
Yes, there's a limited audience for it, but...those who drive 1990's cars often
have the famous "AMS" button, and SOME new HD radios (a technology I
can't buy-into or like) render AM stereo. I swore I wouldn't add CQUAM
stereo to our station until we could do it without endangering the distance
covered by good-ol AM mono. Well, it seems we've done well with it. Even
doubters of AM sound put on the headphones in our engineer's office and say,
"wow!" Our reasoning? Because we CAN. The same reason we've
used to make many decisions at the station.
There are other things we grew up with
that were an integral part of our lives, and our culture of the day. What was
it you grew up with and maybe you'll admit you miss just a bit?
Maybe it’s not the technology we miss so
much, but what seems like a simpler, easier time and lifestyle that went along
WITH those great technologies. What do you think?
Falling in love with certain
technologies, and the days we did that.....both....
are long gone as we move fast through
today's "introduce it and dump it for better" world.
What's your favorite "old" technology?"