What "obsolete" services and/or products are still available today?

Or high-end military equipment. (Vacuum tubes are much more resistant to electromagnetic pulses.)

I own a flintlock musket (model 1756 British infantry musket), a caplock musket (model 1853 Enfield), and a cap and ball revolver (model 1851 Navy) , all of which were produced within the last couple of decades.

The place where I bought the flintlock from sells even older matchlock muskets as well.

I bought a wristwatch a few months ago that had hands that went around and pointed at numbers. I wonder if any 12-year-olds would be able to tell time on it. Do you suppose they still teach that in school?

Lots of pilots still use them. When the big hand points to the right (3) switch to the right tank, when the big hand points to the left (9) switch to the left tank. Oh, and they tell time too! Of course, there aren’t many 12-year old pilots. :wink:

Lots of people have round clocks in their homes or businesses, so I think most young’uns still can read watches like this.

(or am I being whooshed?)

Phone books, especially the yellow pages. Yes, I know that they still deliver them to just about everyone, but that’s because they don’t ask people if they want them. They just leave them on their porch or at their mailbox. If they asked people, I expect most would turn them down.

Eventually they’re going to go away when advertisers stop buying ads in them. That is, if they aren’t outlawed first. Some cities have tried to ban their unsolicited distribution.

I saw a good article recently about some old jobs that are making a comeback. I think they were;

  1. Butchers - because more and more people are getting into custom meats we are seeing a return to the neighborhood butcher.

  2. Chimney sweeps - needed for fireplace safety.

  3. Milkman - because people want fresh and local.

  4. Cloth diaper service - better for the environment.

  5. Barbers - instead of hair stylists.

Last decade or so, house call physicians have made a comeback. I first saw those in England, having only read about them before. Since then, there is a practice near my house which provides regular home visits for the elderly and if you buy their plan, they also tack on home visits for family members.

It’s a niche market, but one that’s there.

Well…except maybe for Brazil. :eek:

Yes. Here in Sao Paulo there is an old japanese guy who has a small office no the ninth floor of an old building on the city centre. He develops b&w film.
We have many other stores that do that. Telegrams are avaliable. And dial-up internet is still out there on really distant regions.

There are some REALLY cool barber shops here as well. check THIS out: http://www.delavie.com.br/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/RETROHAIR-03-FOTOS-CASADEMODA-ESTUDIO-AMBIENTES-DECOR2616.jpg
We also have many used book stores. And a book binding company. (they do leather)

I love those stores. Feels like you are going back on time. If there is any interest I might set up a post with some pictures.

Better buy a lifetime supply while you still can.

In the little village where I now live (and another where I lived about 15 years ago), the local volunteer fire department sounds the local civil defense siren every day at exactly 12:00 noon.

This subject comes up occasionally here and I am always a little shocked when it does. In Colorado, at least in the more densely populated areas of it (Pueblo to Ft. Collins) you can get milk delivered anywhere and tons of people do. I live in a small U-shaped neighborhood that is one block long on each side, so maybe 40 or 50 homes, and there are probably ten or twelve of them that have milk boxes on the porch. I used to get milk delivered until I started travelling so much and came home to the stench of spoiled milk in summer.

I’d think Wisconsin of all places would still have it.

Not only are there vacuum tube electronic gear, but there are people who custom-make tubes that are no longer mass-produced.

Most marine navigation today is done with satellite gear, but sextants are still being made and occasionally used.

You can still make a decent living as an armourer or swordsmith, if you’re any good, thanks to the SCA and other reenactment groups. Enough so that not just hobbyists do it - there’s even a thriving manufacturing industry in India to serve the munitions-grade of the market.

There are still people who make parchment and vellum. And papyrus. I don’t think clay tablets for cuneiform are commercially available, though :slight_smile:

International travelers often use payphones, though not in actual booths. Their mobile plan often doesn’t work abroad, or only under considerable roaming fees.

With the growing number of people traveling, I don’t expect payphones to disappear anytime soon. Also a good institution for cellphone-haters like me.

I bet his were Birkenstocks though. Berkinstocks you can pick up by the barrelful anywhere that sells cheap knock-offs.

I’ve seen tack shops. There’s also a company in Annapolis that calls itself a chandler as well as a company that still call itself a haberdasher.

Hell, the following surnames are derived form occupation. See how many you recognize:

Cooper
Fletcher
Smith
Thatcher

Last I heard, there were still a few people in the known world expert in these.

Newspapers and there delivery persons.