# Is "tape" going to become obsolete? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 28, 2009, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985 "2009-08-28T01:30:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985/21 "2009-08-29T18:34:13Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > I saw [this logo](http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/history/2008/08/200810.html) on the side of a commercial van this morning. It’s anachronism made me smile – how long before most people don’t even know what it is supposed to represent? I’m guessing that even most AV Club nerds that graduated within the past ten years wouldn’t have any common experience to relate it to. The banner ad on that page said “Stop marketing like it’s 1978” ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985/22 "2009-08-29T18:38:14Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > What is it supposed to represent? I work with 16mm film, VHS tapes & BetaSP tapes every day in my line of work and I would not have made the connection that that logo is a reel of film. It just looks like a stylized “S” for Sharp’s. Looks kinda like tape going through the guides on old reel to reel players I thought or film through guides in a projector. ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985/23 "2009-08-30T06:08:30Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > How about “album”? That’s been a misnomer for decades. [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com): a bound or loose-leaf book consisting of blank pages, pockets, envelopes, etc., for storing or displaying photographs, stamps, or the like, or for collecting autographs. The clear analog for this is a collection of songs. Any CD, DVD, or packaged set of digital songs can clearly be called an album. I will continue to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985/24 "2009-08-30T06:32:12Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > and “clockwise” disappeared after clocks went digital Really? Damn good thing my daddy taught me 'Lefty loosy,Righty tighty" . ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985/25 "2009-08-30T06:48:42Z")
And every now and then there are times when you will run into the occasional left hand thread and it will be "righty loosy, lefty tighty. :rolleyes: I believe “clockwise” is an acceptable technical term, as is “counterclockwise”. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985/26 "2009-08-30T06:49:13Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > [Dictionary.com](http://Dictionary.com): a bound or loose-leaf book consisting of blank pages, pockets, envelopes, etc., for storing or displaying photographs, stamps, or the like, or for collecting autographs. > > The clear analog for this is a collection of songs. Any CD, DVD, or packaged set of digital songs can clearly be called an album. I will continue to do so. Read the OP much? You’ve illustrated the point perfectly. The term was originally used as a literal description; now that the original meaning is obsolete it’s used as an analog, and you’re perfectly welcome to continue to do so. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985/27 "2009-08-30T08:33:22Z")
> [@Claude\_Remains](#): > > I believe “clockwise” is an acceptable technical term, as is “counterclockwise”. Every term in my list is still in use today. That’s why I put the “oh wait” at the end of the post. ---
**Author:** ![Claude\_Remains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@Claude\_Remains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claude_Remains)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985/28 "2009-08-30T08:45:01Z")
I (didn’t) see what you did there! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985/29 "2009-08-30T11:15:23Z")
I have a DVR. Every once in a while, I will absent-mindedly say I _taped_ something on it. Easy to do, especially since it has VCR-type controls on the remote. I’m 52, by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985/30 "2009-08-30T15:38:22Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > “clicker” stopped being used after the 1970s era remote controls stopped clicking, “icebox” went out of use when they stopped literally being boxes with ice in them, and, uh, oh wait… I don’t about everyone, but among me and mine, clicker and icebox have been dead for decades. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard anyone use the word “clicker” to mean a TV remote and the only people I hear that say icebox are either 103 years old or are doing it ironically to sound old-timey. It’s very possible “tape” could go the same way as these, but as **Jragon** said, the concept of taping something with an actual tape only just disapppeared, so there are a lot of people out there that will be familiar with it. Plus, most people are stilling taping things as DVR pentration only reaches into 30% of US homes. There are still a lot of VCRs out there. [Nielson DVR article](http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/tag/dvr-penetration/) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985/31 "2009-08-30T16:13:00Z")
I try to use the phrase “record” or “videorecord”, but I’m so used to people asking me to “film” a show (it’s not film, it’s digital data that is temporarily stored on tape and/or plastic disc and/or hard drive and/or RAM) that I just accept it. And many consumers use the term CD to mean DVD and vice-versa. To them, it’s round, about 5 inches across, and it plays in some kind of player. And really, the major distinction is only the amount of data that can be recorded on it. It would be wrong of me to tell them that it’s a music CD but a video DVD, since music can be put on a DVD and video on a CD. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985/32 "2009-08-30T17:11:29Z")
> [@](#): > > clicker and icebox have been dead for decades I agree with this. I worked as a service tech at Circuit City from 1988-2000 and although I was only in my 20’s-30’s during that span, a lot of the other techs were true old farts. I must have heard the phrase “remote control” a hundred times every day and “refrigerator” a hundred times every week. Never once do I remember hearing anyone say clicker or ice box. Although I did occasionally hear a capacitor referred to as a condenser. Not sure why that one refused to die. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985/33 "2009-08-30T19:00:20Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > clicker and icebox have been dead for decades I never heard clicker much until I met Mrs. Geek. Her family uses the term a lot. Since then I’ve noticed a lot of other folks using it too. It’s not dead around here, though we personally do only use it in kind of a slangy way. If we’re at home, we’ll say “where’s the clicker?” but if we went to the store to buy one we’d probably ask the clerk for a remote control. I wouldn’t say icebox is completely dead either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tape-going-to-become-obsolete/507985.md?page=1)