# Without saying your age, what's something from your childhood that a younger person wouldn't understand? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 25, 2021, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138 "2021-10-25T01:08:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/102 "2021-10-25T16:07:00Z")
When I was little, a few companies were still listing their word exchange in their TV commercials. Trying that these days would likely result in the old joke, “How do you make a ‘Capitol 2’?” ---
**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 25, 2021, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/103 "2021-10-25T16:08:10Z")
When you went to the drive in movie, you would roll down a front window and hang a speaker from it. Now, when you go to the drive in, if you can find any left, you will tune your FM radio to a specific frequency, as the drive in will have a low - power transmitter for the sound. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/104 "2021-10-25T16:09:23Z")
I used to buy candy at the 5 and Dime. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/105 "2021-10-25T16:09:43Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > nah. Slow then fast would be 909-0111 on a rotary! Nope, the whole phone number was slow to dial for most of our childhood. Then, there was a change and you could dial the number fast. 585-8808… the answer: Everyone had rotary phones, and you’d have to wait between digits for the dial to clikclikclikclik back all the way from those zeros and eights, and it took forever… then suddenly the whole town had push-button phones and those fives, eights and zeros were right in the middle column of numbers, and it was the fastest number to dial. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/106 "2021-10-25T16:12:06Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Do they still make ashtrays? A fast google for “ashtrays for sale” brings up lots of them. Which isn’t surprising, since they still sell cigarettes, and significant numbers of people still smoke them. Come to think of it, little kids used to make ashtrays in school; in art class, out of clay, to give to your parents (who were expected to be polite and say thanks, and ideally not then hide them in the back of the closet.) That, I expect, has gone out of style. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/107 "2021-10-25T16:19:30Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > Do they still make ashtrays? The last time we needed an ashtray was when we had some of my gf’s elderly relatives over to visit. One of them chain smokes, so my gf asked me to get an ashtray, which I have in my man cave for cannabis use. I brought up the least vulgar ashtray I could find, which was a [Jesus Hates It When You Smoke](https://heartfeltsf.com/products/jesus-hates-it-when-you-smoke-ashtray) ashtray. Nobody noticed, and Jesus’s forlorn face was soon buried beneath butts. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/108 "2021-10-25T16:23:46Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > When I was little, a few companies were still listing their word exchange in their TV commercials. Trying that these days would likely result in the old joke, “How do you make a ‘Capitol 2’?” That’s how we learned phone numbers when I was little. HUron 4-4635. [Pennsylvania 6-5000](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGOUldTrk-A) ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/109 "2021-10-25T16:24:05Z")
That’s not a function of them being rotary phones (not sure you were saying it was). And it’s still sorta true, depending. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/110 "2021-10-25T16:25:36Z")
My brother-in-law’s phone number when he was a kid was … 4. Small town. ---
**Author:** ![Joeu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/joeu/32/2911_2.png) [@Joeu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joeu)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/111 "2021-10-25T16:25:58Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Sitting in the balcony at the movie theater. Smoking in the balcony at the movie theater. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/112 "2021-10-25T16:30:09Z")
Bottle openers on vending machines Cigarette vending machines ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/113 "2021-10-25T16:30:10Z")
> [@MrAtoz](#): > > put it into a little mechanical gizmo, put some carbon paper on top of it, and slide a lever over it to make an imprint of the card Known in the industry as “knuckle busters” or “zip-zap machines”. And finally vanishing for realz as cards stop being embossed. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/114 "2021-10-25T16:34:09Z")
We’re watching _Young Sheldon_, and even from just the early 90s, the number of things that could be in this thread are pretty amazing. He paused a videotape on an ep last night and I managed not to irritate my wife by pointing out that the frozen picture–while a bit messed up–was still clearer than anything taped off of TV would have been back then! ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/115 "2021-10-25T16:40:37Z")
Speaking of that, I recall some ESPN broadcasts from ~15 years ago where the commentators asked people watching on old tube TVs to note how much clearer they could see things on the new hi-def flat screens behind them. Had a good few chuckles over how they thought that was supposed to work. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/116 "2021-10-25T16:46:37Z")
> [@phs3](#): > > Known in the industry as “knuckle busters” or “zip-zap machines”. And finally vanishing for realz as cards stop being embossed. I worked in a self serve gas station back when the zip-zap embossers were used. A guy who worked the shift before mine had a busy day and later discovered he’d “zipped” but hadn’t “zapped”. He was totally fucked. “Zip” embossed the form with the name of the business, and “zap” did the card’s name and number. All his credit card sale customers got free gas that day! ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/117 "2021-10-25T17:06:30Z")
Come to think of it, I remember my high school had a smoking section (outside the cafeteria exterior doors) back when the age to buy cigarettes was 16. And this was in the late 80s, not some Mad Men-style time relic. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/118 "2021-10-25T17:34:36Z")
Youth/Teen Years/Young Adulthood Dial Tones “You’ve got mail!” 9600 baud DOS 3.1 dip switches on printers TV station sign off optical sound on movie film Using a JVC HRD-470U VHS VCR as a 1/2" recorder for audio files in home mixing studio The meaning behind the opening dialog on Outer Limits (B&W version) Putting a playing card on your banana seat bike near the wheel so it makes noise from hitting the moving spokes 6 hour life span for 500w 5600K photo flood bulbs Different conversion filters for tungsten film or light to daylight balanced film or light the Sunny 16 Rule 110 film changing tires periodically because you got a flat Saturday morning cartoons Doctor Who on my PBS station weekdays at 4:00pm for 20 minutes at a time and being enthralled with Tom Baker as the new Doctor. THE Doctor, the definite article as it were… 7-11 as a store name described those new fangled store hours ---
**Author:** ![Boycott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boycott/32/6741_2.png) [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/119 "2021-10-25T17:39:57Z")
Not from childhood but I remember before mobile apps brought the ability to download apps to learn foreign languages at your fingertips there were software disks that taught languages. Could buy a set of disks that were programmed to provide lessons depending on difficulty level. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/120 "2021-10-25T17:44:26Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > f your TV wasn’t working properly, you’d open up the case, pull out some parts , bring those parts to a hardware store, and use [a self-service electrical tester](https://www.edn.com/wp-content/uploads/contenteetimes-images-01mdunn-benchtalk-tube2.jpg) to figure out which part(s) needed to be replaced. You’d then buy those parts, bring them home, and re-assemble your TV. I remember those, although my Dad would always deal with TV failures by calling a repairman. But I remember that those tube testers had a big drawer that you pulled out that contained all the tubes you might want. They were in brightly coloured little boxes, and the sight of those brightly coloured little boxes was like heaven to my childhood eyes – because whenever our TV went on the blink, I went into a deep kiddie-style depression, so the sight of those brightly coloured boxes when the repairman opened his case and proceeded to fix our TV was like the sight of salvation! > [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > WIWAK, street repairs were marked not with blinkers but [with black smoke in the day and open flame after dark](http://delmarhistoricalandartsociety.blogspot.com/2018/04/the-highway-torch-or-smudge-pots.html?m=1) Wow, I remember those “smudge pots”. They date back to when I was really small. Haven’t seen them in many decades. The black spheres always looked to me like cartoon bombs! ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2021, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138/121 "2021-10-25T17:45:09Z")
I think the phrase: “I had to adjust the rabbit ears on my TV in order to watch dialing for dollars.” would mystify many people today. I watched many a Japanese monster movie on that program as a kid, but I don’t think I ever saw anyone actually win the money. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/without-saying-your-age-whats-something-from-your-childhood-that-a-younger-person-wouldnt-understand/953138.md?page=7)