# What old technology won't you give up **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 24, 2018, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811 "2018-09-24T03:15:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/121 "2018-10-03T16:20:28Z")
A kettle you put on the stove; none of these IoT electronic monstrosities. You want to make a proper cuppa or a good pour over/Aeropress coffee then the nicest way to do it is with a good heavy kettle. We have a La Crueset and I like using it. It’s pretty, functional and simple. It’s also the same reason I wear an analogue wristwatch. My only concession is that mine is solar so no winding, no battery. My Bulova Marinestar is 20 years old and still works like a dream. I was in the process of converting my IPod Video over to and SD card but the mainboard is hooped so now I have to scrounge one up on EBay or a yard sale. Doing away with the click wheel is still one of the dumber things Apple did IMO; I like having a dedicated digital music player and the Touch is meh. I use my phone but it’s just not the same. ---
**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:** [October 3, 2018, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/122 "2018-10-03T16:56:56Z")
Portable over the air digital TV that runs on AA batteries in case of disaster or emergency conditions. Like the old portable TVs of the past, except it’s digital, not analogue. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/123 "2018-10-03T17:50:55Z")
> [@Kimera757](#): > > I don’t like touchscreens because they’re not reliable enough for me. The touchscreen on a smartphone cannot always tell the difference between my ear and my finger (important because I cram a phone against my ear), so a phone might mute either me or whoever I’m talking to. I see the exact opposite issue. When you put a smartphone to your ear, it turns the screen off as a battery saving mechanism. The problem is when I’m on the phone & want to do something else (browser, maps, email); one can’t hold it in the left hand & use the right hand to touch the screen, it assumes its a face & blanks out the screen. However, if I hold it in my right hand & touch it, _carefully_, with my left I can then use the ‘smart’ features simultaneously with the phone function. > [@Kimera757](#): > > That’s another reason to avoid smartphones. Unless it’s a Windows smartphones, it won’t use directories, or even come with a file manager. I didn’t know an operating system without a file manager could be considered “complete”. 😕 When I plug my Android into the PC it pulls up as an external drive/device with various folders/directories. I can move/copy/save files as if it were a standard external HDD or thumbie drive. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/124 "2018-10-03T18:03:33Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > Keyboards of today don’t just mimic sounds of an oboe, French horn, tuba, etc. but are actually those sounds. > > It is incredible. > > Then it comes down to technique. Pushing down a valve of a coronet, is a bit different than stroking a keyboard. On electronic keyboards, it does not come down to technique. It comes down to that the keys don’t work in a way that a human can make proper use of. And neither does the pedal. It would be easy (expensive maybe, but easy) to fix. We already have instruments that work well - all they need to do is copy. The switch mechanism used on electronic keyboards is fundamentally the wrong thing. It’s like if the accelerator pedal on your car was replaced with an on/off switch and instructions “flick twice to go faster, flick once to go slower”. Or if they replaced the steering wheel with two separate steering wheels one for each side. We keep on installing accelerator pedals and steering wheels because they fundamentally do the right thing. Electronic keyboards don’t fundamentally do the right thing, yet. I hope someday they will - it will be amazing. ---
**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:** [October 3, 2018, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/125 "2018-10-03T19:01:47Z")
> [@Kimera757](#): > > That’s another reason to avoid smartphones. Unless it’s a Windows smartphones, it won’t use directories, or even come with a file manager. I didn’t know an operating system without a file manager could be considered “complete”. > [@Spiderman](#): > > 😕 When I plug my Android into the PC it pulls up as an external drive/device with various folders/directories. I can move/copy/save files as if it were a standard external HDD or thumbie drive. The Android phones I’ve had came with file managers on the phone. I can create folders, move files around, put them in subfolders, etc., directly on the phone itself. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/126 "2018-10-03T20:18:44Z")
Land line with the same 7 digit number I had during the Kennedy Administration. And I even have a rotary phone that still works in the house. Paying bills by snail mail with written checks (that’s actually my wife’s foible but I support her). Using my iPod Classic for all my podcast and music needs. Using a dedicated digital camera for taking pics rather than a phone. Keeping around an old 1950’s Smith-Corona manual typewriter for backup just in case. Wearing an onion on my belt. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2018, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/127 "2018-10-03T21:31:17Z")
Oooh, landline. Well, not technically. We switched over to VoIP several years back. But it’s plugged into the house phone wiring with the same old number. Like a landline but much, much, much cheaper than what old Ma Bell-lite wanted to charge. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2018, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/128 "2018-10-04T00:36:30Z")
My wife bought me a Seiko quartz 35 years ago, still going strong. Have to have a paper calendar in the kitchen to keep up with various appointments and birthdays. I always carry a moleskine notepad, even thought I have an iPhone. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2018, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/129 "2018-10-04T16:06:25Z")
Musical instruments I go to either of two extremes. We have a 1907 piano, and several old 60s guitars and tube amps. We also have a new digital keyboard with USB, programmable etc, and digital stomp boards all inked over PC and network. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/130 "2018-10-04T20:04:36Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > I also use a shaving brush. I get about 6 months out of a $2 bar of shaving soap, and every time I shave it’s luxurious hot lather, not some foam from a can. Oh man… upgrade your shaving soap. There are dozens of brands out there that beat the tar out of that $2 Williams soap. Pre de Provence is one brand that works extremely well and lasts a long time. So are the Barrister & Mann products, although they’re pricier than some other alternatives. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/131 "2018-10-07T04:48:39Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Writing by hand. In cursive. Ooh, yeah. I’m bringing my handwriting skills back up, just to mess with the young’uns. Muahahhaha. Let them puzzle over my memos. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/132 "2018-10-07T14:52:52Z")
> [@DavidwithanR](#): > > On electronic keyboards, it does not come down to technique. It comes down to that the keys don’t work in a way that a human can make proper use of. And neither does the pedal. It would be easy (expensive maybe, but easy) to fix. We already have instruments that work well - all they need to do is copy. The switch mechanism used on electronic keyboards is fundamentally the wrong thing. It’s like if the accelerator pedal on your car was replaced with an on/off switch and instructions “flick twice to go faster, flick once to go slower”. Or if they replaced the steering wheel with two separate steering wheels one for each side. We keep on installing accelerator pedals and steering wheels because they fundamentally do the right thing. Electronic keyboards don’t fundamentally do the right thing, yet. I hope someday they will - it will be amazing. Keys on even a lot of cheap keyboards are more than just on-off switches. They respond to how hard the key is pressed, and some even go one further if they have aftertouch. With aftertouch you can not only play softer notes by pressing the keys lightly, you can play a note softly, then bear down and ease off to make the note swell and fade. Makes no sense on a piano sound, of course, but on sounds where it makes sense it gives control over the sound that was previously only available on wind or bowed instruments. The sustain pedal on my Roland digital piano actually makes that ‘scrunchy’ noise you year as the dampers lift off the strings. The middle pedal behaves like the sostenuto on a grand piano and the left pedal mimics the sound of the una corda on a grand (although it doesn’t shift the keys to the side like a grand). And this on a 15+ year old piano. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/133 "2018-10-07T14:59:31Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Oh man… upgrade your shaving soap. There are dozens of brands out there that beat the tar out of that $2 Williams soap. Pre de Provence is one brand that works extremely well and lasts a long time. So are the Barrister & Mann products, although they’re pricier than some other alternatives. Also, Taylor of Bond Street and Tabac are nice. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2018, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/134 "2018-10-07T19:50:43Z")
American pocket watches. 17 jewels or greater; sizes 12, 16 and 18. Either railroad standard or high level of build. I try to get them back to as original as possible, and have them cleaned, oiled and regulated. I also get as much information as possible as to date of manufacture, types of jewels, model ands forth. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/135 "2018-10-08T02:14:48Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Also, Taylor of Bond Street and Tabac are nice. Tabac is… kind of an acquired taste? While it’s superlative as far as the soap qualities are concerned, the scent was straight up old man to me. ---
**Author:** ![Catsie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c0e974/32.png) [@Catsie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catsie)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/136 "2018-10-08T19:22:33Z")
> [@sisu](#): > > Analogue watch, I even chose my current car largely due to it having an analogue watch in the dash. Good for you, sisu. I have one on my night table, bat op for when the power goes out. Saw awhile back that Brit schools will stop teaching kids to tell time by analogue clocks. I’m like: So at the same time y’all are spending jillions of pounds refurbishing Big Ben, you’re ceasing to teach your citizens how to read its clock . . . ? Way to go. ---
**Author:** ![Catsie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c0e974/32.png) [@Catsie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catsie)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/137 "2018-10-08T19:35:57Z")
Loving this thread. 🙂 I keep a paper address book. In addition to the obvious use, I keep all my logins in it. And consult it often. ---
**Author:** ![amaguri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/138 "2018-10-08T20:04:23Z")
I like cool new technology but it still has to solve an actual problem For me, I can’t get on board the wireless bluetooth headphones train. Comparatively expensive for something that really doesn’t improve my life significantly enough to matter. I rock a $12 pair of (wired) headphones that last 6-12mos and then get replaced with the exact same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/139 "2018-10-08T20:40:40Z")
Websites! I mean, I could have those bastard little apps on my phone so that they can monitor and spy on me and report everything I do back to their faceless masters. But I will happily use a phone browser to slog my way to the relevant website instead, just to spite them. Whether this makes me less spied upon, I don’t know. But at least I’m trying to fight back. j ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/140 "2018-10-08T21:11:20Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Tabac is… kind of an acquired taste? While it’s superlative as far as the soap qualities are concerned, the scent was straight up old man to me. Exactly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811.md?page=8)