# 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:** 8
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2018, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/141 "2018-10-09T03:45:09Z")
> [@amaguri](#): > > 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. i did the same thing for many many years. I need sports headphones that have the over-ear hooks or a headband in order to stay in while I run. I bought the same model of Sony sports headphones for years. Then Apple got rid of the headphone jack. That stupid dongle doesn’t fit my belt pouch nicely, so I finally had to give in and go wireless. Ugh. ---
**Author:** ![KMS94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ad7895/32.png) [@KMS94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KMS94)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2018, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/142 "2018-10-09T19:22:26Z")
I got an old school desk blotter/calendar from a vendor a few years ago, and thought at the time how terribly anachronistic it seemed. I pressed it into service on my desk, almost as a joke, but soon got very used to it. The vendor stopped sending them out, and now I have to hunt them out on my own every year. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/143 "2018-10-10T03:04:21Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Exactly. I’d think Proraso is far and away the value brand with the best performance; indeed it’s the shaving cream/soap that is one of the standards by which shaving soaps and creams are judged. And it’s cheap as well! ---
**Author:** ![a\_dudes\_thought\_s](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@a\_dudes\_thought\_s](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a_dudes_thought_s)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/144 "2018-10-11T23:30:48Z")
I still play my old video game consoles,8bit nintendo,sega genesis and snes. ---
**Author:** ![Kimera757](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimera757/32/3765_2.png) [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2018, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/145 "2018-10-12T03:51:41Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Paying bills by snail mail with written checks (that’s actually my wife’s foible but I support her). I had to do exactly that for a bill four years ago, and another time three years ago. Both for government reasons. > [@](#): > > Using a dedicated digital camera for taking pics rather than a phone. I do this. I store the images on my computer as well, since it’s easier to arrange them there. > [@a\_dudes\_thought\_s](#): > > I still play my old video game consoles,8bit nintendo,sega genesis and snes. A friend of mine is a computer enthusiast and does this (basically hooking up an old NES, etc, to a modern TV set). The cartridges were basically mini-computers and even had internal batteries _that still work_. And then I read about people working with ancient mainframes. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2018, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/146 "2018-10-12T15:50:17Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > Paying bills with a check, through the mail. My boss The Attorney still prefers that method - she’s gotten burned on electronic payments more than once. Another thing she has me do: buying stamps, as opposed to getting a postage meter. I don’t mind: the post office is the next block over, and I buy whatever stamps catch my fancy that month. Slight hijack: I was cleaning out some old filing cabinets a month back, stuff that had been in there at least twenty years. Besides outdated forms and manuals for office equipment we don’t use anymore (e.g. pagers!) I found carbon paper. **Carbon. Paper.** :eek: This stuff was outdated when my boss first hung out her shingle in the mid-nineties. Yeah, I’m in the “new-fangled gimmick” camp. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/147 "2018-10-22T06:54:36Z")
> [@amaguri](#): > > 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. You clearly never tried to lie down to listen to something with cats in the house. My cats bit through my wired headsets every single time and that’s why I switched to Bluetooth never to look back. Also, I kept snagging the wires on waist-level protruberances like doorknobs. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/148 "2018-10-22T11:22:47Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > You clearly never tried to lie down to listen to something with cats in the house. My cats bit through my wired headsets every single time and that’s why I switched to Bluetooth never to look back. > > Also, I kept snagging the wires on waist-level protruberances like doorknobs. > > Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk I can’t help with the cats, but the second problem has a simple solution: pass the wire inside your shirt. I used to do yard work such as using electric hedge trimmers while listening to music, and I never had a wire issue. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mr.Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Me)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/149 "2018-10-22T13:39:18Z")
> [@CharmaChameleon](#): > > I still use an HP 11C calculator I bought in 1982. I had one of those, lost it years ago. I’d buy another one in a heartbeat if I found one for sale. Still have and use a LaserDisc player and VHS vcr. Although I have many digital music formats (CD, DTS, DVD-A, SACD), I still like to listen to my turntable with my wired Grado headphones, powered by my Little Dot hybrid vacuum tube amp (currently using a pair of Voskhod USSR military surplus tubes and a Burson op-amp). I also drive a car with a standard transmission and have a motorcycle that’s kickstart only. I’m fine with new technology, but I’m not going to stop using things that just work. And some things I like just because they’re old. ---
**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/150 "2018-10-22T16:39:30Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Writing by hand. In cursive. As opposed to what? I mean, yeah, I guess people write when they have to write, but do you scan your written paper when you send emails? Send pictures instead of texts? You obviously are not technologically averse or you wouldn’t be here. OTOH, they’re not teaching kids cursive in a lot of schools nowadays. Given that it’s largely illegible if you never learned it, I think that’s a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/151 "2018-10-22T17:12:00Z")
I still check out books at the library. Also I still use an iPod connected to a wired speaker. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/152 "2018-10-22T17:16:05Z")
Cursive. Checks. Landline. Cash. Analog bedside clock and watch. Paper calendar in the kitchen. CDs for music. Digital camera instead of the phone camera. Yesterday I got out my portable cassette player WITH AM/FM radio AND an antenna bought at Circuit City in 1988). Need to listen to seasonal tapes… Unfortunately I gave up my turntable, amps, and vinyl in my divorce. I didn’t have room for it. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/153 "2018-10-22T23:50:56Z")
I kickstarted my motorcycle today. ---
**Author:** ![Dragwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dragwyr/32/2855_2.png) [@Dragwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragwyr)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/154 "2018-10-23T19:08:41Z")
I still use a Casio A851 digital watch. It is sorely outdated by today’s standards, but I absolutely LOVE this watch. My dad had given me one when I was a kid and it was the single greatest watch I ever had. It had a stainless steel wristband and the battery lasted forever. This watch took a beating and still looked half-way decent. It finally died when I was in college. I tried other watches, but they never lasted like my old Casio did. Then about 3 years ago I looked around on Ebay and found one in great condition, so I bought it and have been wearing it ever since. It still works great. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliothecarius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@Bibliothecarius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliothecarius)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/155 "2018-10-25T11:17:57Z")
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and pre-mourning the loss of “obsolete” technology that I will inevitably have to deal with in the future as it becomes more and more difficult to obtain older technology to replace the existing items once they reach the end of their life. And I weep for the future. ☹ I will not ever, under any circumstances, live in a “smart” home. I wouldn’t even accept if they offered me free rent to do so. Not interested, at all. This includes all electronics, appliances, etc that are internet-connected, with the single exception of computers. How much longer is it going to be before it becomes impossible to find a new refrigerator or a washing machine or even a toaster that isn’t connected to the internet? Sure, I’ll be able to find something secondhand but built-in obsolescence will ensure my “new” appliance will only have a limited life before it ceases being useful too. TVs are already out for me. Don’t really see the point in getting a secondhand CRT TV (the only kind I have ever owned) since it’s already been years since any new ones have been manufactured so a secondhand one isn’t going to last very long. So I watch DVDs on my laptop instead, using external DVD drives since it’s damn near impossible to get a built-in DVD drive on a laptop these days either. I also back things up externally - I don’t trust anything to the cloud. How much longer will that be possible? I will never ever part with my DVD collection as it is vastly superior to anything on streaming services for the reasons already mentioned (consistent quality, you always own it so they can never take it away from you, allows access to older or more obscure films that are unlikely to ever be available on streaming services, etc). The problem is, when my external DVD drives eventually wear out, how much longer will new ones be readily available? Same with MP3 players and wired headphones, which is as “advanced” as I am willing to go with music technology. If I can help it, I also have no intention of ever owning a smartphone. I have an older “feature” phone (it doesn’t need to be smart - it has _features_! 😃 ). How much longer will new ones be available, or supported on cellular networks? If I am ever forced off them, I would seriously consider living without a phone at all - worked for me back in the 20th century. 🆒 However, doing so would involve an enormous amount of compromise in terms of being contactable, dealing with security protocols on internet banking, etc. I eventually realised that books are the only thing I know I will always have access to in the future. Real books, made of dead trees, not subject to annoying updates or obsolescence, always readily available to read anywhere and anytime. And even if there wasn’t a single new book printed ever again, there’s already billions of them out there on everything imaginable, vastly more than all of us could collectively read in our lifetimes. The book is the real tech of the future! I am never, ever, ever giving up my physical library. One day it will likely be the only form of analog tech left. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2018, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/156 "2018-10-25T12:22:31Z")
> [@Bibliothecarius](#): > > I will not ever, under any circumstances, live in a “smart” home. I wouldn’t even accept if they offered me free rent to do so. Not interested, at all. This includes all electronics, appliances, etc that are internet-connected, with the single exception of computers. My “smart home” is not internet connected\*. I’m in complete control of it. It’s all run via my server in the basement. (\*Strictly speaking, my thermostat _is_ connected to the internet, but it doesn’t require connectivity to operate.) > [@](#): > > TVs are already out for me. Why? There are still non-smart TV’s available. I refuse to buy a smart TV myself. > [@](#): > > I will never ever part with my DVD collection … The problem is, when my external DVD drives eventually wear out, how much longer will new ones be readily available? By a DVD player and store it “just in case.” In the meantime, copy all of your DVD’s to a hard drive, and play them on your laptop or non-smart TV. ---
**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 25, 2018, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/157 "2018-10-25T12:55:39Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > Why? There are still non-smart TV’s available. I refuse to buy a smart TV myself. I am strongly anti-smart TV myself. But when I bought a big TV last year, it was really the only option for price/size/etc. ☹ There is one simple way to turn a smart TV into a dumb one: Don’t connect it to your home network. OTOH, this still doesn’t eliminate all the nuisances. E.g., slow “boot up”, extra electronics that you aren’t using that could die and kill the set, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2018, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/158 "2018-11-06T07:09:51Z")
> [@Bibliothecarius](#): > > I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and pre-mourning the loss of “obsolete” technology that I will inevitably have to deal with in the future as it becomes more and more difficult to obtain older technology to replace the existing items once they reach the end of their life. And I weep for the future. ☹ > > I will not ever, under any circumstances, live in a “smart” home. I wouldn’t even accept if they offered me free rent to do so. Not interested, at all. This includes all electronics, appliances, etc that are internet-connected, with the single exception of computers. How much longer is it going to be before it becomes impossible to find a new refrigerator or a washing machine or even a toaster that isn’t connected to the internet? Sure, I’ll be able to find something secondhand but built-in obsolescence will ensure my “new” appliance will only have a limited life before it ceases being useful too. > > TVs are already out for me. Don’t really see the point in getting a secondhand CRT TV (the only kind I have ever owned) since it’s already been years since any new ones have been manufactured so a secondhand one isn’t going to last very long. So I watch DVDs on my laptop instead, using external DVD drives since it’s damn near impossible to get a built-in DVD drive on a laptop these days either. I also back things up externally - I don’t trust anything to the cloud. How much longer will that be possible? > > I will never ever part with my DVD collection as it is vastly superior to anything on streaming services for the reasons already mentioned (consistent quality, you always own it so they can never take it away from you, allows access to older or more obscure films that are unlikely to ever be available on streaming services, etc). The problem is, when my external DVD drives eventually wear out, how much longer will new ones be readily available? Same with MP3 players and wired headphones, which is as “advanced” as I am willing to go with music technology. > > If I can help it, I also have no intention of ever owning a smartphone. I have an older “feature” phone (it doesn’t need to be smart - it has _features_! 😃 ). How much longer will new ones be available, or supported on cellular networks? If I am ever forced off them, I would seriously consider living without a phone at all - worked for me back in the 20th century. 🆒 However, doing so would involve an enormous amount of compromise in terms of being contactable, dealing with security protocols on internet banking, etc. > > I eventually realised that books are the only thing I know I will always have access to in the future. Real books, made of dead trees, not subject to annoying updates or obsolescence, always readily available to read anywhere and anytime. And even if there wasn’t a single new book printed ever again, there’s already billions of them out there on everything imaginable, vastly more than all of us could collectively read in our lifetimes. The book is the real tech of the future! I am never, ever, ever giving up my physical library. One day it will likely be the only form of analog tech left. ☹ Enjoy your DVD collection when it starts to degrade and rot. You do realize optical disks don’t last forever by any means, right? OTOH, that just goes to show I shouldn’t have given up my LPs when I started replacing them with CDs. (Sorry for repeating the entire post, but I’m on Tapatalk and it’s not letting me edit forvs9me reason.) Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/159 "2018-11-07T01:37:55Z")
> [@CaptMurdock](#): > > My boss The Attorney still prefers that method - she’s gotten burned on electronic payments more than once. > > Another thing she has me do: buying stamps, as opposed to getting a postage meter. I don’t mind: the post office is the next block over, and I buy whatever stamps catch my fancy that month. > > Slight hijack: I was cleaning out some old filing cabinets a month back, stuff that had been in there at least twenty years. Besides outdated forms and manuals for office equipment we don’t use anymore (e.g. pagers!) I found carbon paper. > > **Carbon. Paper.** :eek: This stuff was outdated when my boss first hung out her shingle in the mid-nineties. > > Yeah, I’m in the “new-fangled gimmick” camp. I bought carbon paper last week at Staples. I use it with my typewriter to make copies on onionskin, which I also bought at Staples. The 84 year who tuned up my Olympia typewriter a month ago says that some legal firms use typewriters for sensistive work, in case someone subpoenas the computer… ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2018, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811/160 "2018-11-07T02:06:23Z")
> [@susan](#): > > Writing by hand. In cursive. … with a fountain pen. Darker ink, more control of the nib, and, overall, just a better “hand feel” than a ballpoint. Although I prefer newer pens to vintage ones; I’m currently mourning my just-lost Parker Sonnet. Analog wristwatches, as well. In fact, at the risk of sounding hipster, my ideal watch is something like a Timex: round white face, black Arabic numerals, second hand. Fancy, super expensive watches like Rolexes or Omegas, with all their bells and whistles, I find too busy. In general, I’m more comfortable with older tech, and have a harder time with newer stuff; that’s the origin of my username. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-technology-wont-you-give-up/821811.md?page=9)