# Will rewind fall from use? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 11, 2011, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093 "2011-06-11T07:25:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/21 "2011-06-11T15:05:04Z")
I find it amusing how often people use the word “punch” to refer to inputting data, or just typing it on a keyboard. I guess the thought is that it comes from the act of “punching” keys. However for decades data was punched, and this referred to the act of punching holes in cards. A card punch was the machine upon which you wrote your programs and entered your data. I spent the first two years of my degree writing class assignments on IBM card punch machines. Mostly on [these.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:IBM_card_punch_029.JPG) Still have a card deck from one of them somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/22 "2011-06-11T15:11:45Z")
“Dial” will probably fall into disuse once mobile phones stop using the word entirely. My HTC phone has “Call” and “End Call” buttons, but still uses “dial” here and there, like “smart dial.” **ETA:** which makes me think of something else- with the prevalence of touch screens on mobile devices, how long will it be before we stop calling them “buttons?” ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/23 "2011-06-11T15:39:52Z")
A “button” is a type of control where you push it to change from the off to the on state. Whether it’s a physical button, an on-screen button you “push” with a mouse, or a touchscreen area you push with a fingertip, what matters is what it does, not what technical mechanism it’s built out of. Yes, we could call it a “momentary bi-modal activator control”, but “button” seems catchier & more likely to stick with the non-technical public. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/24 "2011-06-11T16:24:19Z")
I don’t think “roll down” is anachronistic. Car windows do, in fact, roll down. Also I think “dial” has referred to buttons for a long time. What about the saying “don’t touch that dial”, meaning don’t change the channel? I’ve never seen a remote (or clicker, if you prefer) with rotary control. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/25 "2011-06-11T16:29:13Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > Also I think “dial” has referred to buttons for a long time. What about the saying “don’t touch that dial”, meaning don’t change the channel? I’ve never seen a remote (or clicker, if you prefer) with rotary control. there have been after market remotes with a channel selector dial. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/26 "2011-06-11T16:34:50Z")
> [@Fourtyfold](#): > > ‘Put a sock in it’ is still just about used, even though it hasn’t been physicaly possible to do that with speakers for a long, long time. I guess you could stick a sock in the bass hole of a subwoofer though. I always assumed that “Put a sock in it” referred to a person’s mouth. You’re going to be able to put socks in those for years to come. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/27 "2011-06-11T17:10:20Z")
> [@Indistinguishable](#): > > We call this a message “board” to which we make “posts”, though there are no longer any actual physical boards or posts involved. Interestingly, in the same forum on this message “board” there is a thread asking [How to read a stock ticker](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=611812). Obviously the stock quote “crawl” that appears on the bottom of the TV screen is silent, but the “ticker” notation goes back to the days when mechanical stock recorders marked unrolling paper tapes while making a ticking noise. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > TV remote controls are commonly called “clickers”. Why? Because back in the 1960s they operated by making a loud metallic clicking noise which a microphone on the TV recognized & responded to. > > > [@Erdosain](#): > > > > Wow, seriously? I’ve never heard of this type of remote control (I’m in my 30s). It’s kind of scary that I had no idea this existed. > > > > But I’m with Justin. Only Grandpas call it a “clicker.” It is a sadly diminished world in which we now live. Uncle Cecil reviewed the joys of audio channel changers in: [Can playing with a Slinky change the channels on your TV set?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/766/can-playing-with-a-slinky-change-the-channels-on-your-tv-set) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/28 "2011-06-11T17:45:59Z")
> [@Hbns](#): > > Here I was feeling a young 41 until I got to this quote, now I feel ancient. I’m 42 and I didn’t hear the term clicker until I was in college and visited a classmate at home where he had an old TV with an actual clicker. > [@johnpost](#): > > those audible remotes would have been called ‘bingers’ for the chimes they used. > > i think ‘clicker’ was from the electronic remotes with the sound from the plastic spring back of the button. No, the remotes we’re talking about literally clicked. There was no electronic component like a chime. When you pressed the lever you Could feel the physical friction of the lever pressing down on a flexible material that resulted in a snap and an actual click. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/29 "2011-06-11T17:59:46Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > those audible remotes would have been called ‘bingers’ for the chimes they used. > > i think ‘clicker’ was from the electronic remotes with the sound from the plastic spring back of the button. > [@Acsenray](#): > > No, the remotes we’re talking about literally clicked. There was no electronic component like a chime. When you pressed the lever you Could feel the physical friction of the lever pressing down on a flexible material that resulted in a snap and an actual click. there are likely multiple remote types being talked about here. there were early remotes that were a mechanical chime like a doorbell or xylophone. electronic device (like calculators or remotes) have buttons which spring back with a plastic spring or blister which make a click when that happens which is what i mentioned as a clicker. ---
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/30 "2011-06-11T18:12:55Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > there are likely multiple remote types being talked about here. In the aforementioned [Can playing with a Slinky change the channels on your TV set?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/766/can-playing-with-a-slinky-change-the-channels-on-your-tv-set), Cecil states that “Typically these devices worked by striking a series of metal bars with a tiny hammer. There was usually an audible click, but the frequencies that actually did the job were inaudible harmonics.” ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/31 "2011-06-11T18:53:53Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > there are likely multiple remote types being talked about here. > [@whitetho](#): > > In the aforementioned [Can playing with a Slinky change the channels on your TV set?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/766/can-playing-with-a-slinky-change-the-channels-on-your-tv-set), Cecil states that “Typically these devices worked by striking a series of metal bars with a tiny hammer. There was usually an audible click, but the frequencies that actually did the job were inaudible harmonics.” having been exposed to only a couple of them some decades ago my memory is fuzzy. i recall more of a thunk than a click. the electronic ones did have buttons that clicked. i never heard of the term ‘clicker’ until the electronic ones. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/32 "2011-06-11T19:20:00Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > “Dial” will probably fall into disuse once mobile phones stop using the word entirely. My HTC phone has “Call” and “End Call” buttons, but still uses “dial” here and there, like “smart dial.” What about speed dial? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/33 "2011-06-11T19:21:45Z")
Wait. When he uses the \<\< button on DVD/Blu-ray remote, what does he call it? We say, “Oooh, rewind that. I want to see it again.” What does he say? Go back? ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/34 "2011-06-11T22:14:53Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > What about speed dial? And redial buttons seem here to stay. [Or softkeys.](http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~hgs/clipart/Communications/telecom/phone_cisco7960.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.cs.columbia.edu/sip/pictures.html&usg=___2W1nIcYq7fWf-ULrgUmeNrwVmY=&h=629&w=776&sz=483&hl=en&start=7&zoom=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=XHxQndfHi5lRvM:&tbnh=115&tbnw=142&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcisco%2Bphone%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dopera%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Den%26tbm%3Disch&ei=j-jzTayADoussAOgzZ2mDQ) ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/35 "2011-06-11T22:25:47Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > What about speed dial? From my view, now that we have phones with directories/contacts, speed dial is already obsolete. I haven’t heard anyone use the term in a while. ---
**Author:** ![Kiwi\_Fruit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiwi_fruit/32/12_2.png) [@Kiwi\_Fruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiwi_Fruit)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/36 "2011-06-11T22:50:26Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > I don’t think “roll down” is anachronistic. Car windows do, in fact, roll down. > > Also I think “dial” has referred to buttons for a long time. What about the saying “don’t touch that dial”, meaning don’t change the channel? I’ve never seen a remote (or clicker, if you prefer) with rotary control. But wouldn’t the phrase refer to the channel knob on the set? I think it would predate remote controls of any kind except using the kids to change the channel 🙂 [Knob here](http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35378791). Also, windows roll down because the handle is doing the roll. An electric window lowers or raises. ---
**Author:** ![Asympotically\_fat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Asympotically\_fat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asympotically_fat)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/37 "2011-06-11T23:01:11Z")
My parents are very strange people we actually didn’t get rid of our dial telephone until after we had the internet in our house (circa early nineties, we had a mainframe terminal in our house). Infact up until the around 1991 or so I was still using our old black and white TV which had an old-fashioned circular tuning dial on it to play my ZX Spectrum. We also had a home computer before we had a colour TV. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/38 "2011-06-11T23:19:33Z")
> [@Kiwi\_Fruit](#): > > Also, windows roll down because the handle is doing the roll. An electric window lowers or raises. The window rises. Actually I hear open and close more often. But still, even in an electric window, there is some part of the mechanism that is rolling. That reminds me – when I was a kid and asked my dad why our car didn’t have electric windows, he said that they’re dangerous because if you drive into a lake the electric mechanism can jam, trapping you inside. Now of course I know that can happen with a manual window too because of the water pressure. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/39 "2011-06-11T23:34:33Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > … what is your point? 😕 My point was simple - I think rewind will die. What’s your’s? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2011, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093/40 "2011-06-11T23:37:45Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > From my view, now that we have phones with directories/contacts, speed dial is already obsolete. I haven’t heard anyone use the term in a while. No way. I use the speed dial on my phone all the time (I only have to hold down the #5 to dial my girlfriend. And most phones have #1 set to voicemail). It’s way faster than going into the contact list, scrolling down to find the person’s name (or having to type in their name to search) and then calling. Although I’m not really sure if they have developed a new name for it now other than “speed dial”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-rewind-fall-from-use/585093.md?page=3)