# Technology that died in your generation **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 4, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888 "2010-04-04T04:27:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/21 "2010-04-04T07:59:58Z")
Library card catalogs. You see, kids, back in the days before computers, library indices had to be maintained by hand, using thousands of index cards (hence the name, I imagine). I believe the Manchester, New Hampshire public library system still relied on them into the early 2000s - but they must have upgraded by now. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/22 "2010-04-04T08:32:58Z")
Navarrese public libraries still have card catalogs. I understand TPTB can’t make up their minds how to transfer the data to a computer: buy a comercial product? Get the government’s IT department to write one? Outsource? Decisions, decisions… Casette tapes, almost (finding a boombox that can play them is an epic quest), although vynil records seem to hold their own in some specialized niches. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/23 "2010-04-04T09:15:09Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Car Phones - they used to be extremely expensive and permanently installed. > [Car phone - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_phone) And by Hollywood’s lights, having one was a sure sign that you were a corrupt capitalist fat cat. > [@Noel Prosequi](#): > > Books where you choose the ending by the decisions you make along the way. Does Henry shoot the villain? Go to p 45. Does Henry run away? Go to p62. (The stories were always too short because of the redundant need to have so much alternative material in the book, but they seemed like a “wave of the future” thing at the time.) Ah yes, Choose Your Own Adventure: I’ve read a few recent [homages](http://www.cracked.com/blog/choose-your-own-adventure-on-drugs) to the genre. ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/24 "2010-04-04T09:39:08Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Library card catalogs. You see, kids, back in the days before computers, library indices had to be maintained by hand, using thousands of index cards (hence the name, I imagine). I believe the Manchester, New Hampshire public library system still relied on them into the early 2000s - but they must have upgraded by now. Heh. Nicholson Baker threw a very public fit when the San Francisco Public Library ditched its card catalogs (and lots of books and newspapers) while moving into its building. ---
**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:** [April 4, 2010, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/25 "2010-04-04T10:06:50Z")
> [@Noel\_Prosequi](#): > > Books where you choose the ending by the decisions you make along the way. Does Henry shoot the villain? Go to p 45. Does Henry run away? Go to p62. (The stories were always too short because of the redundant need to have so much alternative material in the book, but they seemed like a “wave of the future” thing at the time.) They reprinted all the Choose Your Own Adventure books a few years ago. They aren’t as popular as they were during their first run (when I was a lad), but they are decently read. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/26 "2010-04-04T10:26:09Z")
CD Walkmans, AKA Discmans. I remember having one in my childhood, but by the time I was older everything I had was MP3. Still see one at Wal-Mart from time to time. But even they aren’t true Discmans, they can read MP3 files off of a disc. ---
**Author:** ![torie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@torie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torie)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/27 "2010-04-04T10:26:31Z")
> [@hellpaso](#): > > , “hot-combs” (hair styling devices) [These](http://bobsanj.com/images/electric%20pressing%20comb%20set.jpg)? They’re still around. I used one on a woman just last week. They go into electric stoves. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/28 "2010-04-04T11:11:36Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > CD Walkmans, AKA Discmans. I remember having one in my childhood, but by the time I was older everything I had was MP3. Heh, that reminds me of the “cd player” I had in my car in late high school. It was the discman with the cassete tape attachment that you stuck into your car stereo so the discman would play through your car speakers. Of course, anything your car went over anything larger than pea gravel would make the damn thing skip endlessly. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/29 "2010-04-04T11:27:16Z")
> [@belladonna](#): > > Heh, that reminds me of the “cd player” I had in my car in late high school. It was the discman with the cassete tape attachment that you stuck into your car stereo so the discman would play through your car speakers. Of course, anything your car went over anything larger than pea gravel would make the damn thing skip endlessly. Actually, until recently I still used a cassette converter with my MP3 player. It was a piece of shit that only had a cassette player. ---
**Author:** ![auRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c4cdca/32.png) [@auRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/auRa)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/30 "2010-04-04T11:34:13Z")
MiniDisc players. I got one for a graduation present 2001 and thought it was pretty cool and “the future”. One year later, no one was talking about them anymore because the iPod had come out. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/31 "2010-04-04T12:34:26Z")
Punch cards for programming. I actually learned Fortran using punch cards in high school, but it was only because the local university had an old punch card reader they allowed us to use because it was old & obsolete. I’m happy they did it though, just so I can say I remember programming with punch cards. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/32 "2010-04-04T13:01:15Z")
Carburetors, ignition points, bumper jacks, dimmer switch on the floor, Kmart selling starters, alternators, water pumps, etc. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/33 "2010-04-04T13:03:32Z")
Phone booths. And the phone books in them. AM Transistor Radios. With the little leather pouch and strap. Vacuum tube testers (see vacuum tube thread). About every format I ever consumed, and then had to upgrade: Vinyl, reel to reel, Super 8, analog TVs, Laser discs, cassettes, 8-track, floppies, 35mm, Kodak 126, Polaroid, thermal anything, CRTs, and hair dryers with asbestos in them. Being able to read the credits on TV when you wanted to. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/34 "2010-04-04T13:11:41Z")
Actually I can’t think of too many that aren’t related to computers or household electronics. > [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > They reprinted all the Choose Your Own Adventure books a few years ago. They aren’t as popular as they were during their first run (when I was a lad), but they are decently read. [A lot of those books never quite made it.](http://www.somethingawful.com/d/comedy-goldmine/choose-your-own.php?page=9)😃 ---
**Author:** ![Capcha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Capcha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capcha)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/35 "2010-04-04T13:25:51Z")
> [@campp](#): > > Phone booths. And the phone books in them. \ There’s still a lot of them in my city 😕 ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/36 "2010-04-04T13:38:58Z")
Paper maps. Can’t remember the last time I tried to fold one of those #&_$^_)!'n things up. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/37 "2010-04-04T13:48:56Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Paper maps. You can have my maps when you pry them out of my cold dead hands 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/38 "2010-04-04T15:23:51Z")
For your average person, **runner pat** , I still think they count as dead. But that’s an interesting bit of info. And I don’t quite remember the 8 inch disks, no, but I’m only 34. Give me a break. 🙂 I rather miss card catalogs. Perhaps I am especially nerdy but I always thought they were fun. And they spent so much time teaching us how to use them…all gone. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/39 "2010-04-04T15:30:54Z")
TV’s with a dial. Black and white TV’s. Analog broadcast TV. Cartridge video game consoles. ---
**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:** [April 4, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/40 "2010-04-04T15:36:52Z")
> [@whiterabbit](#): > > For your average person, **runner pat** , I still think they count as dead. But that’s an interesting bit of info. Any public-use computer center is likely going to have floppy disk drives on all their computers because the people who don’t own their own computer are unlikely to have made the jump to USB drives just yet. So floppies aren’t dead just yet, but they’re definitely on life support. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888.md?page=3)