What Old Technology Has Been Replaced by Modern Innovations?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around various old technologies that have been replaced or significantly transformed by modern innovations. Participants share personal anecdotes and memories related to outdated technologies across different domains, including household items, entertainment, transportation, and communication.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants recall metal toothpaste tubes as a past technology.
  • Pull tabs on Coke cans are mentioned as an example of replaced technology.
  • Radios with vacuum tubes that required warm-up time are discussed.
  • Eight-track tapes that would change tracks mid-song are noted as an outdated format.
  • One participant humorously mentions the internet being steam-powered.
  • Memories of cars with unpadded steel dashboards and no seat belts are shared.
  • Handheld calculators are recalled as a technology that did not exist in the past.
  • Participants reminisce about programming using punch cards and waiting for print-outs.
  • Typewriters and the issues with type bars getting tangled are discussed.
  • Old cigarette lighters that required naphtha and flints are mentioned.
  • Remote controls for TVs that were connected by wires are recalled.
  • Memories of early TV viewing experiences, including black and white broadcasts, are shared.
  • Some participants discuss the evolution of record players and the use of 78s.
  • There are mentions of nostalgic experiences related to food products and local stores.
  • Several participants reflect on historical events and societal norms from their childhoods.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants share a variety of personal memories and experiences related to old technologies, but there is no consensus on specific items or the accuracy of certain recollections. Disagreements arise regarding the timeline of technological advancements and the accuracy of memories related to television broadcasts.

Contextual Notes

Some statements contain assumptions about the timeline of technological changes and personal experiences that may not be universally applicable. There are also references to specific historical events and societal practices that may not be fully explained.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in the history of technology, nostalgia for past innovations, or personal anecdotes related to technological change may find this discussion engaging.

  • #61
I watched the moon landing on tv.
 
Computer science news on Phys.org
  • #62
I watched the first sub-orbital US launch and the first orbital launch on TV. The school had a TV when many homes in our town did not, so sitting on metal chairs in the gym was a good option.
 
  • #63
Lots of toys were pretty dangerous. I had a cotton candy machine that would heat sugar until it melted, then if you didn't turn it off the sugar would ignite. The thing never made cotton candy but I can tell you, burned sugar tastes really bitter!
 
  • #64
I remember when PF had the "Side Menu", which I thought was really cool. :cool:

Go to the Internet Archive and set the Wayback Machine for 2001-early 2003.

http://www.archive.org/index.php
 
  • #65
"Made in Japan" used to be synonymous "poorly made."
 
  • #67
I remember when a hamburger, fries, and a coke finally busted 50 cents.
 
  • #68
I remember when McDonalds was just a local hamburger stand - just one.
 
  • #69
I used to listen to the radio, (the inner sanctum, the shadow, fibber McGee& Molly, Flash Gordon, and yes "The Grand Ole Oprah").
How many have seen a Randolph Scott, or Gene Autry, cowboy movie ?
I think my first color movie was "The Yellow Tomahawk".
 
  • #70
Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts, played Green Bay, in the playoffs before the first Superbowl (i think 1958) don't remember missing a single Superbowl.(on TV)
 
  • #71
Listened to "Little Orphan Annie" sponsored by Ovaltine on an Atwater-Kent 6-tube radio
in 1930.
 
  • #72
Wow 12 years before i was born:bugeye: Can anyone do the math?:smile:
 
  • #73
I remember not feeling old
 
  • #74
I remember when candy bars cost a dime--


---and what was the name of that candy that was basically little round drops of colored sugar in rows and columns on a strip of paper?
 
  • #75
Kurdt said:
I remember not feeling old

just think about how old bobbyk is---you'll feel younger:smile:
 
  • #76
Pong.
 
  • #77
rewebster said:
just think about how old bobbyk is---you'll feel younger:smile:

Nah. I hate it. Life is far too short even if one lives a hundred years. there's so much more I want to learn and its all slipping away. :cry:
 
  • #78
Kurdt said:
Nah. I hate it. Life is far too short even if one lives a hundred years. there's so much more I want to learn and its all slipping away. :cry:


it sounds like 'someone' has a 'bucket' list started:eek:
 
  • #79
Foods of the 70's, ambrosia, marshmallow salad, cheese in a spray can, anything with Velveeta. Tuna casserole. Other stuff, mood rings, hula hoops, GI joe, metal tonka toys, lawn darts, ahhh memories!
 
  • #80
I remember when toy spaceships had spring loaded cannons that fired plastic missles that were juuuuussst small enough to swallow and choke on.

Seriously, my brother and I had Battlestar Galactica toys that fired little red plastic projectiles (guess they were supposed to look like lasers). They were great, my brother and I would run all over the house shooting them at each other. But then the missles were recalled when some kid choked on them, which we thought was lame. My mom confiscated our missles and sent them in. In return, the company sent us each a free Hot Wheels car, which I thought was pretty stupid on their part. Little plastic missles bounce right off a person, but those Hot Wheels cars leave a really nasty welt.
 
  • #81
I remember when $3 would fill up your gas tank, not buy a gallon of gas.

I remember when getting on the computer meant putting the phone reciever on the modem, dialing at 256 baud and waiting for the teletype machine to send the line of basic to the other end.

I remember when I had only 4 channels, then we got UHF and had 5 and we had to put tin-foil on the antenna to get any channel during a snow storm.
 
  • #82
In a large covered pot, heat 3 Tablespoons of oil to near ignition temperatures and add 1/3 cup of popcorn kernals. Shake like mad over a very hot element while trying not to let hot oil spew all over your arm.

I always liked eating the burned ones.
 
  • #83
Remember Jiffy Pop?
 
  • #84
Ivan Seeking said:
In a large covered pot, heat 3 Tablespoons of oil to near ignition temperatures and add 1/3 cup of popcorn kernals. Shake like mad over a very hot element while trying not to let hot oil spew all over your arm.

I always liked eating the burned ones.

Sounds like my mom's approach to Jiffy Pop. I still pop my popcorn on the stove...tastes much better than microwave or hot air popping, and only takes a tiny bit longer (a medium high flame and a thick pot works much better than high) due to waiting for the pot to heat up, but really quick to pop once it's ready to go.

Edit: :smile: Evo and I both thought of Jiffy Pop at the same time. :smile:
 
  • #85
Dr Transport said:
I remember when $3 would fill up your gas tank, not buy a gallon of gas.

You have to go back to the crusades in British history for that to be true. :rolleyes:
 
  • #86
Evo said:
Remember Jiffy Pop?

Oh yes... I don't think we ever used it though. Maybe we were too poor for Jiffy Pop. :biggrin:

MB, I didn't realize that anyone still makes popcorn this way... Hmmmmm, I may try it again, but if I burn myself it will all be your fault.
 
  • #87
I remember the first painting that took my breath away--at the Art Institute in Chicago when just this special female art teacher and I took a train trip up there for the weekend.

--(first trip to the Art Institute, too)
 
  • #88
Tom Mattson said:
I remember when toy spaceships had spring loaded cannons that fired plastic missles that were juuuuussst small enough to swallow and choke on.

Seriously, my brother and I had Battlestar Galactica toys that fired little red plastic projectiles (guess they were supposed to look like lasers). They were great, my brother and I would run all over the house shooting them at each other. But then the missles were recalled when some kid choked on them, which we thought was lame. My mom confiscated our missles and sent them in. In return, the company sent us each a free Hot Wheels car, which I thought was pretty stupid on their part. Little plastic missles bounce right off a person, but those Hot Wheels cars leave a really nasty welt.

I had this set containing a spring powered cannon that fired a projectile about the size and weight of a real 44 bullet, and spring loaded wall that would explode when hit. I can still recall that the wall mechanism was fairly stiff and required a good bit of force to actuate, so those projectiles must have really been zinging along. I guess that's why I don't recall being shot... I don't think anyone wanted to try that one.
 
  • #89
Never wear a 3 foot long leather fringed belt{heheh remember those} while rideing on the handlebars of your friends orange crate bike. Thats all I have to say about"remembering when".
 
  • #90
I remember when the best way to get a motorcycle sound on my bicycle involved using clothespins and baseball cards to rub on the spokes. IIR, Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron rookie cards sounded really good.
 

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