# Things that are telling-- about your age. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 12, 2002, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716 "2002-06-12T20:50:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/21 "2002-06-13T04:14:56Z")
I’m not exactly dating myself, but I did have an odd age-related moment earlier this week. I’ve had very few “Oh, shit, I’m turning into my parents” moments in my life, but it hit me hard a few days ago when I went out and bought a bag of mulch. Like so many things associated with my recent foray into home ownership, it just isn’t something I ever imagined myself doing. But I’m still cool…right? Dr. J ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/22 "2002-06-13T04:15:15Z")
While not exactly in tune with the OP, a buddy and I were talking tonight about something similar. We realized that in about fifty years, there’s going to be eighty year olds having sex while listening to the Nine Inch Nails song _Closer_! :eek: :eek: Now for things in tune with the OP: When I learned to drive most of the cars out there had carbs, now all of them are fuel injected. Also, until I was in high school, no one in the town where I lived had cable! (Three channels and PBS! When the President came on, we were screwed!) Atari was _the_ video game console (and it wasn’t even called a “console”). And almost no one had ever heard of Bill Gates or Microsoft. Finally, let’s not forget that at one point in time home computers had cassette tape drives! (My first computer was a Timex/Sinclair T1000.) ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/23 "2002-06-13T04:59:08Z")
I realized I couldn’t remember a time before cable. I remember watching “You Can’t Do That on Television” on Nickleodeon when I was 6. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/24 "2002-06-13T05:07:49Z")
Oh yeah, here’s another one. One time me and a buddy of mine surfed into a movie one time and were trying to figure out what it was. He said the movie was the original _The Fly_, and I said it couldn’t be because I saw the original and it was in black and white, and the movie on TV was in color. Then I realized that I must have watched the movie on a black and white TV, because it **was** _The Fly_ after all. ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/25 "2002-06-13T05:23:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tuckerfan \* > \*\*Finally, let’s not forget that at one point in time home computers had cassette tape drives! (My first computer was a Timex/Sinclair T1000.) \*\* Rock _on_! My first home computer was a Radio Shack Color Computer 2 with a tape drive! It was a major step forward, technologically, when I got a 5 1/4" disk drive about a year later! And the Atari 2600 _rocked_! Especially the Raiders of the Lost Ark game! **Fionn** : “You Can’t Do That On Television” was _so cool_! I _loved_ that show! Although (perhaps showing my age a bit more) I don’t remember Alanis on it! I had a crush on Christine, myself. :o ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/26 "2002-06-13T06:46:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by LindyHopper \* > **Rock _on_! My first home computer was a Radio Shack Color Computer 2 with a tape drive! It was a major step forward, technologically, when I got a 5 1/4" disk drive about a year later!** I can beat that. My first computer was a Commodore PET in 1977. ---
**Author:** ![Squish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Squish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squish)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/27 "2002-06-13T07:43:09Z")
Computer? What is this “computer” you speak of? 😃 Oh, man…my first LP was the soundtrack for the TV show Dark Shadows, which I started watching when I was six and I’m pretty sure it was still b&w at that time. Watching the Disney show, “The Wonderful World of Color” every week when I was a kid. Having major crushes on Jack Wild and Mark Lester after the movie _Oliver!_ came out. But what dates me today? Dunno. I still dye my hair colors. I still wear stompy boots. I listen to music from the 30s through last Tuesday. Maybe it’s realizing that my boyfriend _has never owned an LP in his life_. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_alien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9d8465/32.png) [@Go\_alien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_alien)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/28 "2002-06-13T08:19:34Z")
I knew I was old when, having finally bought the very hot two seat sports car I’d been lusting after for years (a TVR Griffith), I found it too much like hard work and traded it in after eight months for something that was less hard work to drive. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/29 "2002-06-13T12:31:38Z")
I realized I was old when I pulled out my atari and coleco and was explaining it to a group of 10 year olds that had never seen either … Or I knew how to fix a c-64 actually it wasnt broken no knew the load commands When k-earth in la started playing 80s music When I started complaning what crap people listened to today as music When I remeber that I could get a 1/2 pound bag of m&ms for what they want for one or 2 normal ones ---
**Author:** ![Smitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Smitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smitty)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/30 "2002-06-13T12:48:17Z")
I remember way back when: My parents bought a VCR and paid over $1000 for it. We didn’t have a microwave. Skates weren’t in-line. You could order compilation albums from K-Tel. Playing Pong. The most depressing thing I ever heard was when I was talking to one of the teachers at the high school I work at about records, and one of the students said, “That’s one of those big CDs, right?” ---
**Author:** ![Anahita](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9a28c/32.png) [@Anahita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anahita)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/31 "2002-06-13T13:03:04Z")
The other day, J and I were discussing what to do with our car in case we move: sell it? take it with us? He said, “What about the brakes? Will they need to be replaced soon?” And all I could do is sing this… “Cause I’m Kurtis Blow, and I want you to know, that these are the breaks, Break it up, break it up, break down.” And on with guy in green, being mean and the girl in red saying “Whatchoo said?” He hadn’t a clue who Kurtis Blow or SugarHill gang are, but it’s because he led a sheltered life in Dublin. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![todd33rpm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@todd33rpm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/todd33rpm)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/32 "2002-06-13T13:12:53Z")
I find myself getting crotchety about copy-editing in mainstream mags. Specifically, I remember an issue of _Rolling Stone_ that identified a 1976 photo of Steely Dan. Problem was that the photo was from '74 and two of the pictured members had been gone for awhile. I sent in a correction which never got published…which of course led to me mumbling to myself about these kids and their lack of journalistic integrity… You know, I guess I _could_ get wound up about something a little more significant. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/33 "2002-06-13T13:22:58Z")
_So I say " That’s it. I gotta leave this place, I don’t care what these people think. I’m just sittin’ here making myself nauseous with this ugly food that stinks."_ The same cousin as in the OP was talking to his son, who had found the little plastic disk that used to go inside 45s. Says cousin: “That used to go in the hole in a record so it would fit on the turntable.” Says son: “What’s a record?” ---
**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/34 "2002-06-13T13:25:59Z")
\*another computer related one…]/i] A co-worker was sitting at a box a few days ago and needed to do some work in DOS but didn’t know how to do any of the things she wanted to do. I sit down and _clackety clackety clack_ and it is done. She said “did you take DOS in college or something?” and I laughed. “Windows didn’t exist when I was in college” was the response. The sad thing is I work with people who tell stories of dropping stacks of cards… ---
**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/35 "2002-06-13T13:29:21Z")
Ack! Computers … coding… italics!!! Danger Will Robinson! Preview! Preview! Preview! ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/36 "2002-06-13T14:01:44Z")
My son has asked me on numerous occasions if TV was around when I was little. (yes) Then he proceeds to ask what SpongeBob was like back then. My DH and I were talking about the “use to be’s” and I mentioned a time when you were allowed to smoke in theatres, which got me glared at by our two teens. My mom use to give my $1.50 to get a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk. I regretfully turned down a sports car because I would not be able to fit the kids in it. More and more, I find myself saying “I could make this better at home” when dining out. One of our teens recently discovered Metallica. You would think they were a brand new band or something. She was suprised I actually knew who they were and the names of the songs. Then of course I hear “there’s nothing to watch on TV”, and before I could stop myself, I was saying “nothing to watch, 150 channels and nothing to watch? Why I remember when we only had 3 channel, and you had to get up to change them!” To which my smartass offspring say “yeah and you had to walk to school in the snow, uphill both ways.” ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/37 "2002-06-13T14:03:26Z")
One more music related aging device. I’m listening to my CD player at work just now. I hear Cheryl Lynn and I realize I had the words wrong. She’s not saying “What ya fiiiind.” she’s actually singing “Whatcha thiiink.” Then I realize I’ve had the words wrong for 24 years. Yeah, I’ve got Cheryl Lynn on CD. Wanna make somephin of it? ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/38 "2002-06-13T14:06:21Z")
First computer class I took was Fortran IV - January 1973. This year should have been my 30th HS reunion, but the class of 72 at my school was full of duds… except for me, of course. In two years, I can join AARP. Hard to believe someone as adorable as I is that old!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![beerchick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71c47a/32.png) [@beerchick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beerchick)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/39 "2002-06-13T14:40:32Z")
I remember tv before there was remote control and you had to get up to change the channels. My 13 year old niece thought I was making up a story when I told her this. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2002, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716/40 "2002-06-13T15:16:12Z")
I spent twenty minutes last weekend trying to explain the wonder of Pac-Man to a seven year old. He got bored after five minutes of playing and pestered me until I hooked the 64 back up. I can remember my mom hollering for us kids to “load the retun’ables into the truck”. We’d load up the dozens of 6 packs of empty glass bottles that were littering our back porch and drive them down to the grocery store. Then you had to load the cases into a buggy or two or three, and wheel them to the very back of the store. On the back wall there was a large hole that stretched from waist-high to nearly the ceiling. It was covered with a curtain of thick-black rubber strips that you pushed aside to reveal an inclined “slide” made of lots of metal bars laid side-by-side. I loved pushing the cases down that slide. I loved the noise of the bars spinning, and the glass bottles clinking against one another, and then crashing into the pile at the bottom. Me and my sister would each release one at the same time and make bets on whose would win. Ahh, good times. 😉 bella [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-are-telling-about-your-age/113716.md?page=3)