Tech gone wild

[MTK]

Good stuff:

There are some things in this world that will never be forgotten, this week’s 40th anniversary of the moon landing for one. But Moore’s Law and our ever-increasing quest for simpler, smaller, faster and better widgets and thingamabobs will always ensure that some of the technology we grew up with will not be passed down the line to the next generation of geeks.

That is, of course, unless we tell them all about the good old days of modems and typewriters, slide rules and encyclopedias …

100 Things Your Kids May Never Know About | GeekDad | Wired.com

[MTK]

Some favs of mine:

26. Tweaking the volume setting on your tape deck to get a computer game to load, and waiting ages for it to actually do it.

I remember having a tape drive with my Commodore 64

30. Blowing the dust out of a NES cartridge in the hopes that it’ll load this time.

I also remember jamming another cart on top of the game you were playing to get it to work

[TheMalcolmConnection]

So funny how everyone had their special technique to loading NES games...

[KLHJ2]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

So funny how everyone had their special technique to loading NES games...

Yep, blow it out, push the cartridge all the way to the left and then down.

Once the Game Genie came out it was easy to get NES games to load. Even if you didn't want to enter a cheat code you could just use the game Genie and it would load correctly every time.

[GhettoDogAllStars]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

So funny how everyone had their special technique to loading NES games...

Oh yeah, blowers, stackers and slammers. Some were all three. Ah the good ole days.

Remember these goodies?:

- Turbo Graphix 16
- Sega Saturn
- NeoGeo
- Virtual Boy

On another note, my step-dad worked for DEC for 15 years during the 80's and 90's, and I had the opportunity to witness some interesting things:

1.) The computer with the monitor built in. A big heavy clunk of junk with the keyboard with a coiled cord. No, not the imac.

2.) The modem where you put the telephone receiver onto the top of it.

3.) "Tape" computer programs.

4.) Netscape version 1.0, and browsing the internet in the early 90's.

5.) 486 DX2 computers with Turbo buttons and the mHz LED readout on the front.

6.) Token-ring network over coax.

7.) MS DOS

It's crazy to think about how far we've come in such little time. Here's to progress!

[SmootSmack]

Wow. Some really good stuff here

3. # Playing music on an audio tape using a personal stereo. See what happens when you give a Walkman to today’s teenager.

When I was a kid, I used to stay up past my bedtime to watch tv by hiding under the covers and turning on my...Watchman.

8. #8-track cartridges.

My parents' house actually has an 8-track system built into the house. Based out of the master bathroom. The idea, 30 years ago, being that who wouldn't want to blast their 8-tracks all over the house?

9. Vinyl records. Even today’s DJs are going laptop or CD.

I still have a bunch of my vinly records. I especially loved getting singles and b-sides. And then speeding the song up to 45 or even 78 rpms.

30. # Blowing the dust out of a NES cartridge in the hopes that it’ll load this time.

Rite of passage for all kids of the 80s/90s. Who didn't do this?

57. # Typewriters

Big moment when my dad taught me how to use the Brother typewriter so I could start hammering out college applications. Kids today have it soooo much easier when it comes to filling out college applications

64. Answering machines.

Who here remembers those old commercials promoting catchy messages? Nobody's Home...Nobody's Home (to the tune of Beethoven's Fifth)...Just wait for the beep!

86. Finding books in a card catalog at the library.

This was a big deal in elementary school, learning how to use the card catalog. And what about actually using the physical copy of the Encyclopedia Brittanica to get information?

[MTK]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

57. # Typewriters

Big moment when my dad taught me how to use the Brother typewriter so I could start hammering out college applications. Kids today have it soooo much easier when it comes to filling out college applications

64. Answering machines.

Who here remembers those old commercials promoting catchy messages? Nobody's Home...Nobody's Home (to the tune of Beethoven's Fifth)...Just wait for the beep!

86. Finding books in a card catalog at the library.

This was a big deal in elementary school, learning how to use the card catalog. And what about actually using the physical copy of the Encyclopedia Brittanica to get information?

-I thought I was so cool showing up for college in '91 with my own fancy typewriter. Not everyone had one and people would frequently borrow mine. I mean really, what a joke now, LOL.

-Oh man I totally forgot about those commercials, good call!

-I wonder if they still teach the dewey decimal system in school, what a dinosaur that is now.

[MTK]

Long before MP3's I would record songs off the radio, or even worse I would hold my tape recorder up to the TV to record songs from MTV. LOL it was always a challenge to get a clean recording without a DJ cutting in.

[SmootSmack]

Enjoy

[mredskins]

I use to use this cleaning kit that had an alcohol swap piece at the end seemed to work. Remeber when the first Zelda came out with the battery to save it built in the catridge, I always feared it would die.

[SmootSmack]

I sometimes wish tv remotes were still as simple as this

http://www.electronichouse.com/image...ce_command.jpg

[SmootSmack]

By the way, you can't have a tech gone wild discussion on a football message board without these two games.

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

By the way, you can't have a tech gone wild discussion on a football message board without these two games.

Man, we used to play to the originals in middle school. I don't remember where my wife found these, but she bought two of them when they were re-issued a couple of years ago. Classic stuff, the original "button-masher".

[mredskins]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

By the way, you can't have a tech gone wild discussion on a football message board without these two games.

In my desk draw right now play from time to time, still love it!

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Brings back memories:

10. Betamax - I was smart/lucky enough to go with VHS. Thanks to my PS3, I stayed Blu-Ray too.
12. Laserdisc - Had one, also had Toxic Avenger on LD
21. I used to sell 5.25 FDs and discs
24. Still use Terminals in the PBX world.
25. Used to sell these too.
63. My mom had one in the house we grew up in until she passed in 2006.
87. Nothing like a cannon-ball off the high-dive