# The Things For Which Kids Today Have No Context (another list of how things have changed) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 7, 2014, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035 "2014-08-07T14:43:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 18
**Author:** ![Pai325](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pai325](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pai325)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/341 "2014-08-12T03:19:45Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Slide rules. I took mine to school to show the kids and they were stunned. Which leads me to interpolating and extrapolating data using the charts in the back of the book. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/342 "2014-08-12T05:05:55Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > Were they ever popular? I sure remember analog alarm clocks, but I only remember ever seeing one with a radio. I have no idea how popular they were; but I managed to easily find a [picture](http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/general_el_am_clock_radio_7_47257_47.html?language_id=2) of the exact model I had. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/343 "2014-08-12T07:03:40Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I have no idea how popular they were; but I managed to easily find a [picture](http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/general_el_am_clock_radio_7_47257_47.html?language_id=2) of the exact model I had. That looks awfully familiar. I’m pretty sure my family had ones like it if not that exact model. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/344 "2014-08-12T09:34:54Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Every year in December, certain movie theaters ran Fantasia! > > ETA: Yes, the original unsanitized version, complete with the bare-breasted female centaurs! Interesting. I went to go look at what you were talking about, and Google Image search showed me an image in [this SDMB thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17125960&postcount=50). And there’s one, I guess. The need to actually go find a movie to see an actress in a nude scene. Or something I actually did–watching the scrambled channels. (My VCR actually partially descrabled it, where it looked like a worn out VHS copy or bad antenna reception instead.) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/345 "2014-08-12T11:22:34Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > That’s why kids are so baffled by headphones even though they’ve probably got dozens of pairs lying around the house. The cameraman hands them a pair and says, “Act like this is the craziest thing you’ve ever seen.” What evidence do you have of this at all? I can find nothing on the idea that the Benny and Raffi Fine stage their videos, nor would I see a need to do so. Plus kids are never the best of actors, even when trained. It seems to me that you saw something you didn’t believe and assumed it must be staged. Why is it so hard to believe that a kid may have never been exposed to headphones instead of earphones? Yes, they are heavily edited. We can see the deleted reactions. Sure probably most of the kids did know what they were. But that’s not interesting. We got one kid saying he had some, and one saying his grandfather had some. That’s it. ---
**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 12, 2014, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/346 "2014-08-12T14:20:04Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > What evidence do you have of this at all? I can find nothing on the idea that the Benny and Raffi Fine stage their videos, nor would I see a need to do so. Plus kids are never the best of actors, even when trained. No proof, just a very strong hunch. The Game Boy video especially seemed iffy to me as, aside from being black-and-white, the system is functionally identical to the DS and 3DS that every kid owns nowadays. Nintendo has sold so many of them, that some kids have so many in their house that they don’t need to share with their siblings. ---
**Author:** ![GESancMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gesancman/32/2923_2.png) [@GESancMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GESancMan)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/347 "2014-08-12T16:33:30Z")
One that would mystify today’s kids on several levels… Around 1989 I got into BBSing. Still living with my parents, I would tie up the phone line for hours at a time, posting on boards and downloading porn and pirated games. I finally convinced them that getting me my own phone line, which I was happy to pay for, would solve this problem. So, the phone company came out and did their magic, I went out and bought an answering machine, and the problem was solved. Until a month or so later, when Mom got a job that required her to have a home office. She needed a phone line, but putting in a third line would have been way more costly than adding the second (I don’t remember why exactly, I think homes were set up to accommodate two lines, but adding more lines required additional wiring). So there went my phone line. It was SO unfair. Oh, and the porn I was downloading: still images (scans). A good one was a 640 x 480, 256 color GIF, which was probably around 40K or 50K and took twenty minutes to download. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/348 "2014-08-12T16:44:58Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Yep, clock radios are still a common thing; but it’s been a while since I’ve seen an _analog_ clock radio, like I had growing up. Were those ones that had the numbers that flipped down like [this](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221520890007&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en), considered analog or digital? ---
**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 12, 2014, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/349 "2014-08-12T17:15:48Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Were those ones that had the numbers that flipped down like [this](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221520890007&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en), considered analog or digital? Analog. Digital clocks require a digital readout. ---
**Author:** ![James\_Toothpaste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e56c9b/32.png) [@James\_Toothpaste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Toothpaste)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/350 "2014-08-12T17:21:53Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > My first year of HS, girls had to wear skirts or dresses. Some girls tried to pass off “coolots” as skirts, but they usually got caught. Boys had to wear slacks-- no jeans. I’m so glad that people have more freedom in what they wear today. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/351 "2014-08-12T18:23:54Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Analog. Digital clocks require a digital readout. OK, thanks. I kind of thought so but everyone was talking about the ones with the hands and not the flip kind. ---
**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 12, 2014, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/352 "2014-08-12T18:46:39Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Were those ones that had the numbers that flipped down like [this](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221520890007&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en), considered analog or digital? I have this exact radio! Well, not the actual radio in the auction, but I have that exact model. I don’t use it anymore. My current one is LED and has stereo FM. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/353 "2014-08-12T19:54:49Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > OK, thanks. I kind of thought so but everyone was talking about the ones with the hands and not the flip kind. I believe back in those days the flip clocks were called “digital” although they wouldn’t be now. ---
**Author:** ![iamNobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/848f3c/32.png) [@iamNobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamNobody)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/354 "2014-08-12T20:11:20Z")
I haven’t seen any posts about life before microwaves. I remember leftover spaghetti was always chopped up in little bits because of stirring in the pan while reheating it. Everything was cooked the hard way, except for TV dinners, which the kids loved. They had to be cooked in the oven. getting sick on candy with a quarter, because candy bars cost a nickel. Penny licorice and gum and 2 cents for tootsie pops. riding my bike all over creation from dawn to dusk without worrying about being accosted. By the time my kid was born, I would not let go of his hand, or let him out of the yard until he was a teen (slight exaggeration). ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/355 "2014-08-12T20:28:29Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Were those ones that had the numbers that flipped down like [this](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221520890007&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en), considered analog or digital? “[A digital clock is a type of clock that displays the time digitally (i.e. in numerals or other symbols), as opposed to an analog clock, where the time is indicated by the positions of rotating hands.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_clock)” If it displays the time by showing **digits** , it’s digital. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/356 "2014-08-12T20:58:40Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Telephone pranks, as there was no caller ID. Sadly, I suspect Prince Albert remains trapped in his can these days. Even without computer skills, it’s trivially easy to block one’s number from appearing on caller IDs. WITH contemporary skills, you can spoof and spoof and spoof. Why, yes, my stepdaughter does have a sick sense of humor. She was exposed to a bad influence in her formative years. Why do you ask? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/357 "2014-08-12T21:11:31Z")
Didn’t get to read the whole thread but my examples would be how they had ads for Encyclopedias on TV: For something more recent, [here is a bunch of ads for search engines from the late 90's](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPEpGHya01c). (most of which do not exist anymore). They just don't advertise this way anymore (yes they have TV ads - but they are very different in style) In one ad you can see ‘Intertubes!’ before such a term was a meme. 😃 ---
**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 12, 2014, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/358 "2014-08-12T22:20:50Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > “[A digital clock is a type of clock that displays the time digitally (i.e. in numerals or other symbols), as opposed to an analog clock, where the time is indicated by the positions of rotating hands.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_clock)” > > If it displays the time by showing **digits** , it’s digital. There are no cites on that article and other webpages argue the exact opposite. So unless someone can find a box for one of those vintage flip clocks, we may never know. > **[تعلم السيو وارفع ترتيب موقعك في محرك البحث](https://clock3.com/?option=com_k2&view=item&id=276%3Aretro-flip-clocks&Itemid=198)** > > سيو عربي - تحسين محرك البحث . من خلال موقعنا نقدم لك افضل النصائح و شروحات السيو - SEO لتحسين ترتيب موقعك في بحث جوجل . ---
**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:** [August 12, 2014, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/359 "2014-08-12T22:26:55Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > There are no cites on that article and other webpages argue the exact opposite. So unless someone can find a box for one of those vintage flip clocks, we may never know. > > [http://www.clock3.com/index.php?option=com\_k2&view=item&id=276:retro-flip-clocks&Itemid=198](http://www.clock3.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=276:retro-flip-clocks&Itemid=198) I found that exact model last month at a local thrift shop for $3.00, and of course I had to have it! It’s definitely digital, in that there is no in-between states like real analog devices. A search on eBay for vintage digital clock shows several such models. I’d guess “vintage analog clock” would show something completely different. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2014, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035/360 "2014-08-12T22:41:21Z")
The correlation between Cadillac bumper bullets and Annette Funicello. Young teen boys smirking when a buxom woman asserts the truth of a statement with the phrase “cross my heart”. Lawn darts. “Growing Up” Skipper New Coke The Edsel The Corvair The Rambler Burning draft cards [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035.md?page=17) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-things-for-which-kids-today-have-no-context-another-list-of-how-things-have-changed/695035.md?page=19)