by Kevin Burton
The Dictionary Scoop website illustrated its list of old technologies with a picture of a cassette tape, but then didn’t see fit to include cassettes in its discussion.
There’s an oldie but a goodie, right?
Well I just bought some cassettes! I have a lot of music on cassette and I use blank ones to record Wichita State Shockers basketball games. I also use them to record my musical “fragments” so I don’t lose my burst of inspiration.
These days I also use them to record my mother’s thoughts and memories from her lifetime.
So shout out to the mighty cassette tape! Shout out also to number 3 on the website’s list, VHS. My copies of “That Thing You Do”, “Stand And Deliver”, “The Wedding Singer”, “Educating Rita” and many other favorite movies are all in VHS format.
New music I get on CD (a format I realize many also consider antiquated) and new movies on DVD. So I’m not clinging to the old technologies. But I am not forgetting them either.
OK, here’s that walk down Tech Memory Lane, courtesy Dictionary Scoop:
“From cell phones and laptops to electronic payments and smart TVs, technology is a constant in our daily lives, no matter where we go. But things were different a couple of decades ago. Take a trip back in time to remember these vintage tech items!
1–Landline telephone
“If someone asked you to mime taking an imaginary phone call, you’d probably lower the three middle fingers of your hand, leaving just your thumb and pinky extended, and hold that “phone” up to your ear. Are we right?”
“If so, it means that -just like us- you’re still honoring the legacy of the true king of 20th-century communication: the landline telephone. Whether push-button or rotary dial, the home phone was indispensable in those days.”
“Of course, they’re still around, but we have to admit that their reign has been overtaken and surpassed by cell phones.”
2–Ball mouse
“While many modern personal computers come with touchpads, the fact is that many of us still prefer using a separate handheld mouse. Today, most mice are optical or laser-based, but they have an iconic predecessor.”
“Although it wasn’t the first computer mouse, the ball mouse -also known as the mechanical mouse- is well remembered. We are talking about that mouse that had a little ball inside, which rotated on the surface of the table or desk to make the cursor move on the screen.”
“Many of us have memories of disassembling our mice to remove the ball and clean it manually. Do you remember doing that?”
3–VHS
“Most of us have a TV in the living room today, and it wasn’t much different in the ’70s. In those years, if you had a TV, you probably also had a VHS player (and maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who still has one.)”
“Though it’s a far cry from Netflix, the iconic Video Home System came into our lives to make everything more exciting and fun; everyone wanted one! And, honestly, it was no wonder: recording shows and watching movies anytime you wanted, all from the comfort of your home, was a whole new world of entertainment.”
4–Floppy disk
“If you’re reading this, you’ve probably held a floppy disk in your hands at least once. Also called “diskettes” -or “floppies,” if you were really cool- these little squares were the trendy way to store data back in the ’70s. And not only that, they were also one of the first portable storage devices, making them a sensation at the time.”
“While they are considered vintage items today, their legacy lives on. The iconic floppy disk image is still widely used as the icon for the save functions on many of the modern devices we use every day.”
5–Polaroid camera
“While your cell phone camera might be hard to beat in terms of definition and quality, there’s still something special about holding a physical photo in your hands, right?”
“And when it comes to physical photos, the iconic Polaroid camera is hard to forget. Not only is it a treasure in terms of design, but it’s also older than you might think. In fact, the first model, the Polaroid Model 95, was launched in 1948.”
“The Polaroid Model 95 was the first commercially successful instant camera, which allowed people to get a photo just minutes after taking it without the need to go to a photo processing center.”
“Although it suffered a decline during the rise of the digital era, its popularity resurfaced in recent years with much more modern designs, features, and functions.”
OK, so those last two I am not hanging on to. But let’s not automatically junk technologies that served us well for years. Some will disappear completely. Some will take on a lesser role.
Tomorrow: more old technology.
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