# Modern device your parents had that you don’t have now **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 28, 2022, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-device-your-parents-had-that-you-don-t-have-now/970470 "2022-08-28T14:00:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2022, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-device-your-parents-had-that-you-don-t-have-now/970470/241 "2022-09-23T07:23:34Z")
My dad had CB radios in all of his vehicles. I’m reasonably sure those now mostly exist only in tractor trailer rigs. In the same vein, I wonder how many ham radio operators there are out there. And what the Venn diagram of the two groups looks like. ---
**Author:** ![Yogeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yogeekgirl/32/4129_2.png) [@Yogeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yogeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2022, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-device-your-parents-had-that-you-don-t-have-now/970470/242 "2022-09-24T16:33:57Z")
Portable tape recorder/deck, not the boom-box style, more like a bread loaf sized device with the button-teeth on the front. Also, a roll out dishwasher unit that you hooked up to the kitchen faucet to use. God, I hated that thing…! ---
**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:** [September 24, 2022, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-device-your-parents-had-that-you-don-t-have-now/970470/243 "2022-09-24T16:55:58Z")
RE: chest freezers They make (relatively) small ones, which still have greater capacity than the freezer part of large modern fridges. I have one in the basement that has proved quite useful. A chest freezer will keep food (relatively) cold even during a short power outage. Since they draw (relatively) little current, I have a UPS running mine, which means that power outages of up to 8 hours are not a problem. My mini-chest-freezer also came in handy when my main kitchen refrigerator decided to permanently stop working. A replacement unit could not be delivered for over 2 weeks, so my chest unit served as an emergency fridge. I even made ice in it, and used the ice to populate camper coolers for non-frozen stuff, like milk, eggs, produce and soda. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-device-your-parents-had-that-you-don-t-have-now/970470/244 "2022-09-25T02:25:02Z")
My mother had one of those portable tape recorders that she took to all of the band and chorus concerts that we kids were in. We could tell she was in the audience because after each song we could hear the “thunk” when she stopped the recorder. Then we had to hear the same songs from the concert on our way home in the car, even though we were pretty tired of those songs by the time the concert was over. The car didn’t have a tape player; she used the portable tape recorder. She went through a lot of D-cell batteries at that time. We didn’t have a dishwasher, even a portable one; that’s what kids were for. However, we had a portable washing machine that had a hose to hook up to the kitchen sink, and a flexible drainage tube. You had to run multiple rinse cycles, and then run the clothes in a small spinning extractor before drying the clothes (we had a clothes dryer since that didn’t require extra plumbing). Doing laundry was a pain. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-device-your-parents-had-that-you-don-t-have-now/970470/245 "2022-09-25T13:44:00Z")
A Salton hot tray. Used to keep dishes warm when entertaining. [![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71bLGEZMUAL._AC_SL1500_.jpg) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71bLGEZMUAL._AC_SL1500_.jpg) We don’t entertain, so we don’t need one. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-device-your-parents-had-that-you-don-t-have-now/970470/246 "2022-09-25T14:00:07Z")
I got one for my first wedding (1975). I think it’s still in the attic. It had two settings and the higher one would literally boil water in a pan. The settings were labelled “warm” and “hot.” They should have been labelled “hot” and “unbelievably hot.” ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-device-your-parents-had-that-you-don-t-have-now/970470/247 "2022-09-25T21:58:51Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > An engine block heater for the car. The car got plugged in at night to keep the oil liquid and the coolant warm, and it made for easier starting in the morning. I’ve never had one on a car of my own, or at least never had the need for one that came with it. Those are still common in western Canada to this day. Fuel injected cars start in winter temps far easier than ever but using a block heater is still much better for your engine life. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2022, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-device-your-parents-had-that-you-don-t-have-now/970470/248 "2022-09-25T22:22:50Z")
> [@Mallard](#): > > Those are still common in western Canada to this day. Fuel injected cars start in winter temps far easier than ever but using a block heater is still much better for your engine life. Oh, they’re still common enough, but I don’t have one. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-device-your-parents-had-that-you-don-t-have-now/970470.md?page=12)