# 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:** 11\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/142 "2010-04-07T01:28:07Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > And skateboards made of a plank of wood with wheels taken from some old rollerskates. Bahh… Back in my day, we just took our shoes and socks off and let the blood oozing from the soles of our abraded feet provide the sliding action. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cub\_Mistress](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea666f/32.png) [@Cub\_Mistress](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cub_Mistress)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/143 "2010-04-07T02:10:44Z")
> [@belladonna](#): > > I remember using a rotary phone as a child. My next youngest sister has no recollection of this. > > I also used a—gasp–typewriter on many of my college papers. Computers were around, but I certainly didn’t have one and wrestling with the packed computer labs (and my own computer inexperience) wasn’t worth the hassle. > > I can see VHS dying within my own kids’ generation. We have a ton of them around, but a lot of their friends don’t. > > So–what last gasp of technology did you experience? strangely enough, I used a rotary phone today, in the home of an 80-something year old client. I almost didn’t recognize it, I was looking in the clutter for the usual cordless phone. ---
**Author:** ![silk1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@silk1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silk1976)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/144 "2010-04-07T18:50:08Z")
I was reading this the other day, seeing the comments about dot-matrix printers, and something about the idea of them being obsolete was nagging at me. While they certainly aren’t used in the mainstream for consumer use (which is what the OP may have been trying to concentrate on), I get this idea that they are still useful in certain specific applications. I just feel like I still see forms and what-not printed on dot-matrix - those kinds of forms where there are multiple copies. Also, any application that continually prints - even a small amount of printing that may be continuous. Those feeder holes on the side of the page, and being able to feed from a tall stack of paper would certainly have its advantages in some cases. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/145 "2010-04-07T19:40:50Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Stand-alone word processors. These were like a cross between an electric typewriter and a printer. You could edit text in one as though you were using a computer (although there was no drag-and-drop) and then you could print it out from the same machine. It was like having an entire device that only ran Microsoft Word, except without most of Word’s features. I had one for typing papers in high school. > > They are so obsolete now that I just had to spend several sentences explaining what the hell one is. 😛 Remember how they were always prizes in Double Dare? ---
**Author:** ![ThirdOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@ThirdOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThirdOne)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/146 "2010-04-07T21:45:15Z")
wind-wings and curbfeelers; 4 track tapes. I remember a lot of stuff mentioned upthread, too. Oh! an “air-conditioner” that was this green thing that fastened on the side of the car. If I recall correctly, you put water in it and the wind blowing into it then blew “cool” air into the car. Heh, it was great for the person sitting next to it, but that’s about it. Mom got that pleasure 😃 ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/147 "2010-04-07T21:49:26Z")
The cordless phones with the antenna. See the movie _The Sure Thing_ if not sure what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/148 "2010-04-07T22:18:02Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > “At the tone, the time will be…” Rumors of the [speaking clock’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaking_clock#United_States) demise are greatly exaggerated. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/149 "2010-04-08T01:23:44Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > **Rahchoth:** I forgot all about the Russian Bear. I was thinking of passenger aircraft like the DC-6 and the Super Connie, both of which I travelled on. On the military side, EADS has intoduced the C-295 rather recently, based upon the 1980’s design of the CN-235. Also, the Q-400 turboprop is Bombardier’s best seller; there’s a significant chance that they will stretch it again to make it into a 100-seater, likely on the market by 2014 or so. Propeller planes have STOL capability and are fuel efficient; I’ve heard some talk of them seriously making a comeback in the commercial industry as low cost begins to outweigh the benefits of speed, and in the case of the Q-series, that speed difference isn’t that much compared to other regional jets. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/150 "2010-04-08T02:27:32Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Rabbit ears or antenna on TVs, period. Hell, analog TVs. Actually, without the antenna, my HDTV can’t get a signal, since I’m too cheap for cable 😃 Mostly I only get NBC clearly, but wow do I get NBC clearly. otherwise there are some other channels that get a weaker signal or that I don’t watch, and one channel that appears to just broadcast a weather map with weather updates. ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/151 "2010-04-08T02:32:34Z")
Crosses off possible purchase of HD TV in the near future… ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888/152 "2010-04-08T02:57:59Z")
> [@eleanorigby](#): > > Crosses off possible purchase of HD TV in the near future… I have a $50 antenna and I get all the local channels. Most of them have 3 sub channels: 1 in HD, one in 480p(either an echo of the first or specialty programing), and a weather feed. It’s worth it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-that-died-in-your-generation/534888.md?page=7)