When I was in the third grade, we had to write reports about our families’ country of origin. I took West Germany and some other boy in the class took East Germany. I was surprised to find out just how recently (at the time) the two had split, and kept wondering if they would be rejoined by the time I grew up. It still surprises and amazes me to think that there is just one Germany (again).
Some things on the list that I still use regularly:
T.V. rabbit ears (and my bedroom TV gets only 5 or 6 channels)
paper rolodex – sitting on my desk beside me right now
checks/checkbook (which I record and add/subtract by hand – although I do use a calculator when I balance it every month)
And can I add to the chorus of people who hate the way change is given now? My very first job at age 14 was in retail, and I can remember being taught to hand the change into the person’s palm, and then the bills. I think of that every time my change has gone flying because someone just dumped it on top of the bills and receipt.
Actually, many of todays kids get to know what “tubes” are when they turn 14, buy an electric guitar and, sometime later, buy a tube driven guitar amp because it’s what their hero guitarist uses.
We still have them, but they’re the great-grandsons of the hand-cranked ones that I remember. They automatically feed the original through, and spit out over one copy a second, and in black ink, not purple. It’s a “Duplo”. I think that might be the brand name.
Look at the ceiling of your local Home Despot around the Pro Desk and customer service area. Likely you’ll see one or more 4" diameter tubes entering and leaving shuttle boxes.
In banking, most of the underground systems are gone. Overhead systems proved to be cheaper and easier to maintain-called motor bank systems in financial parlance.
I’m not kiddin’ ya…I’m just about ready to instruct the kids on how to do this the right way. I have small hands and it’s a freekin’ disaster nearly every time. PARTICULARLY at a drive-thru. I’m tempted to pay for everything in the same manner…just to turn the tables on 'em.
We had a thread about the “change given as coins on top of bills” method awhile back and several current cashiers commented that that is how they’re taught/required to do it.
I agree 100% it’s backwards & awkward for the customer receiveing the change. Yet another example of corporate stupidity.
Oh, and last week I had to explain to one of my programmers what “core” is/was. I slipped up and used that archaic form and he had no idea …
The whole receipt, bills, coins in the hand thing bugs me also, I thought I was just being anal, glad to hear I’m not alone. I’m might add that bills being turned in all different directions must be the cause of many errors.
How about using a clothespin (?) to attach a playing card to your bike spokes? We didn’t have TV until I was 10-11 and I still preferred playing outside, most of the programs were for grown ups. The DuMont channel? Howdy Doody? I was a little old for that, but I watched sometimes. For some reason I was fascinated by Princess Summerfallwinterspring.
