Now & Then

[feliciakw]

From the back of my cereal box . . .


What today's generation may never experience

Pet rocks . . . (I had one.)

Bicycles with banana seats . . . (I had one.)

Flower baskets & sissy bars . . . (Had the flower basket. Assuming I'm right about what sissy bars were, my bike had those, too.)

Click Clacks . . . (These are not what I thought they were. I just googled them, and I don't remember these things at all.)

8-Tracks . . . (Oh, yes. I remember those well. They never really made sense to me for home entertainment.)

Vinyl Records . . . (Remember them well. Still have some.)

Phone booths . . . (Never actually had to use a full-sized, enclosed phone booth, but I most certainly remember the half-booth things. When I was in school, my mom made sure I had two dimes taped to the inside of my binder in case I had to call home. When I got to high school, the cost of a phone call on a pay phone had gone up to 50¢.)

Green stamps . . . (No, I don't remember those.)

Rotary phones . . . (Remember them well. Ours was a heavy black one, back when you rented the phone from the phone company.)

Super 8 movies . . . (Oh, yes. My photographer uncle made quite a few home movies. But my personal experience was my college film project, shot on Super 8.)

Aerial Signal Television . . . (Not actually going anywhere soon. That's what we've got right now because satellite wasn't worth the money.)

Test Pattern . . . (Yeah, I remember those, though probably not the ones they're referring to here. I also remember the Emergency Broadcast System test.)

Holiday movies available only once a year . . . (Yes. Which is part of what made them special.)

No Sunscreen . . . (Can't say I remember that. Even when I was little, there was Coppertone and Tropical Blend ("for the savage tan.") )

Gas at 65¢ . . . (No, I don't remember that. The cheapest gas I have conscious recollection of is about 89¢.)

Drive-in movies. (Yes. Take a paper--because there was no plastic--grocery sack of your own popcorn, your own beverages, etc, and set up at the drive-in.)

Cassettes . . . (Dude, my entire coming-of-age was spent listening to cassettes, often recorded off of the radio.)

Manual push mowers . . . (No, ours were always gasoline powered.)

Milk man . . . (I do not remember the milk man per se, but I have vague recollections of milk being delivered at home, in a plastic jug with a spigot.)

House call doctors . . . (No.)

Saddle shoes . . . (not the first time around, but I did have a pair when they came back into style when I was in college. Best pair of dance shoes I ever had.)

Skate key . . . (No. My toy skates were strap-ons, and my skating rink skates were boot skates.)

Transistor radios . . . (Not particularly, though I'm sure someone I knew probably had one.)

Encyclopedias . . . (Yes. We had a set.)

Triangular car vent windows . . . (Oh, yes! They were very convenient.)

Soda that needed a can opener . . . (No.)

Soda can pull tabs . . . (Oh, yes! And you could make chains out of them, too.)

Polyester suits . . . (My mom dressed me in polyester. Does that count?)

Business hats . . . (I'm not sure what this means . . . )

Typewriter . . . (Of course. My first term paper was written on an Olympus manual typewriter. Electric typewriters were such an advancement. Heck, the office at the PAC even had one, and I had to show one of our little college students how to address an envelope on it. I tried to explain that it was like the computer, only more hands-on. You have to set your own tabs and margins. I was also the only one in the office who knew how to change the ribbon and correct-type.)

Carbon paper . . . (Yep. Though I don't recall ever having to use it.)

Metal ice cube tray . . . (Oh, yes! Now that's a blast from the past. With the little levers.)

Milk in glass bottles . . . (No, but more recently, some of the natural/organic/raw milk companies bottle in glass.)

Television with channel knob . . . (Yes! Remote control TVs were something only rich people had.)

Penny gumball machines . . . (At the five-and-dime store.)


What yesterday's generation wishes they had

(Actually, there aren't many things on this list that I wish I'd had. I got along quite well without these things.)

Home computers . . . (Didn't miss it.)

Internet . . . (Nope.)

MP3 players . . . (Nope.)

Digital cameras . . . (Okay, now this I kinda wish I'd had. If I hadn't had to spend money on film and flash cubes, and could just delete my mistakes, I might have been more inclined to practice my photography. On the flip side, we wouldn't have had those nifty little flash cubes.)

In-line skates . . . (Meh.)

Digital video cameras . . . (I didn't miss them, though my folks probably would have loved to have one.)

High definition home video games . . . (We liked what we had. "HD" was for the arcade. Besides, it gives something to talk about now. *g*)

Electronic toll collection system . . . (I have no comment, since I don't think I've ever used an electronic toll system. I always have to hand over cash.)

Cell phones . . . (An excellent example of a need being created by the technology rather than technology answering a need. Got my first cell phone when I was driving 45 minutes one-way to work, in case something happened and I needed it in an emergency. As far as having it as a kid, see the previous list regarding phone booths.)

Satellite Television . . . (It was nice when we had it. Reference the above entry for aerial signal television.)

SPF 30 . . . (Again, no comment, really.)

Hybrid automobiles . . . (You know, if the auto industry had started developing and releasing the technology back in the 1970s, when the energy crisis began, we wouldn't be having the problems with the hybrids that we are today. Freakin' lobbies.)

Debit cards . . . (Oh, my word, no. As much as I love the convenience today, I think a lot of people have gotten themselves into financial problems because it is so easy just to swipe through a check-out. Kids need to be taught the concept and consequences of money first. Then they can have a debit card. Don't even get me started on the credit card applications that college students receive.)

Video phones . . . (Meh. Would have been nice, but very Star Trek.)

Juice boxes . . . (Okay, this could have been convenient. But then again, convenience foods are at the heart of a lot of our health problems, imo.)

Plasma television . . . (Again, might have been nice, but really, why would we have needed plasma TV in the 70s or 80s?)

Comments

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

I think debit cards are great. They're not limitless, and quite a few banks these days won't cover if you accidentally overdraw, so it's an easier way of carrying around your bank account WITH the responsibility of making sure you know what you are spending and when...with a bite, like a $30 fee, if you forget to keep track!

Credit is the big problem.

Hey, it's kind of surprising how many of those items up there I remember (I think my dad still uses his manual lawn mower, actually). Aw.

[kerravonsen]

Totally agreed about debit cards. However, I suspect that the point Felicia was trying to make is that cash is better than both credit cards and debit cards, because it's easier to keep track of what you're spending.

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

Perhaps. It's also easier to lose a lot of money if, for instance, your purse gets snatched. I dunno. I used to always carry cash, for the reason you state, and frankly it just became much easier to keep track with my debit card, because the money was always in one place and I could check it online against my records, etc.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Don't get me wrong; I love the convenience of my debit card. But I also carry cash with me so I don't nickel-and-dime my bank account out of existence.

In a society that thrives on instant gratification, I think having access to one's entire savings all at once can be dangerous when it's nothing more than a swipe of a card and numbers on a page. And that goes doubly for overextended credit.

It sounds like the way you use your card works for you, though. :-)

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

Hmm, see, I don't have access to my savings through my debit card. It only connects to my checking account, and anything in my savings account I have to either pull from an ATM or actually go into the bank and withdraw. So as long as I put the truly no-spend money (stuff above and beyond what my budget says I should have for bills and regular life stuff) in the savings, I'm good. :)

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's what I was getting at. It also puts a limit on what you can spend at any one time. If you don't have access to your entire savings, you can't spend it all with the swipe of a card.

I love the convenience of my debit card, but I also carry cash with me so I don't nickel-and-dime my bank account out of existence.

[leelust.livejournal.com]

OMG! For a different country and different culture i saw or had/have a lot of listed things :) Vynil records! Phone booths! Rotary phones! (i still have one). Milk in glass bottles! Man, i feel all nostalgic now :)

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Ah, rotary phones. In a way, I kind of miss them, for nostalgia's sake. They still work with our current phone systems, but good luck finding one. :-)

[leelust.livejournal.com]

Yep, mine is working too (sit there in case of power failure). They don't sell them anymore (just fancy costly fake-old-times stuff ).
Oh, and i still have cassettes :)

[kerravonsen]

Different country, but a number of those things were the same for me.
Vinyl Records: yep, I still have a bunch of them that I bought when I was a teenager. I must see if I can rip them to CD.
Rotary phones: yep.
Aerial Signal Television . . . (Not actually going anywhere soon. That's what we've got right now because satellite wasn't worth the money.) Agreed on both counts.
Test Pattern: yep.
Cassettes: yep. Still have some along with the vinyl.
Milk man and milk in glass bottles: yep. Delivered every day. I even remember when the milk was not homogenized and we had to be careful that the birds didn't peck the silver foil lids off and scoff the cream.
House call doctors: not as a rule, but I've encountered two doctors in my life that made house calls; one of them still does, he makes house calls to my parents when needful. Awesome doctor.
Encyclopedias: yes, that impressively-bound Encyclopedia Britannica...
Triangular car vent windows: ah, that casts my mind back
Typewriter and carbon paper: yes. And the manual typewriter keys would stick sometimes.
Metal ice cube tray . . . (Oh, yes! Now that's a blast from the past. With the little levers.) Oh yes.
Television with channel knob: ah, yes, the days when "Channel 2" actually meant channel 2. And the two knobs, one for VHF and the other for UHF.

High definition home video games Video games? Video games? Bah! When I were a lass, we played real games, with real people and actually had social interaction, not this anti-social stuff where you hide in a dim basement and never see the light of day... 8-P
Still do play board-games, actually. With the nieflings, no less.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

yes, the days when "Channel 2" actually meant channel 2. And the two knobs, one for VHF and the other for UHF.

YES! Exactly! Now I have to ask my parents, "Okay, so channel 2 is actually what channel on the cable system?"

Video games? Video games? Bah! When I were a lass, we played real games, with real people and actually had social interaction

Oh, indeed. We got our Atari 2600 when I was in high school. Growing up it was board games and card games and Barbies and reading (yes, I had a cousin who liked me to read to her) and pretend! *nods*

[scionofgrace.livejournal.com]

Y'know, we had computer games from my earliest childhood (Commodore 64 with 5 1/2" floppies!), but playing make-believe, reading, and building with Legos were just as important. Though it probably helped that the Commodore had a tendency to overheat.

We still play card games and Dominoes when we get together.

(Though I gotta say, watching my mom wail on my dad in Wii Boxing was the single funniest part of last Christmas. And she was giggling the whole time.)

[saberivojo.livejournal.com]

I remember them all except gas at 65 cents, business hats, Arial signal television and I beg to differ about the Sunscreen. It was not sunscreen it was tanning lotion. It was OIL. And when we did not have that we put on baby oil. And then laid in the sun and FRIED.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

You didn't have aerial TV signals? Rabbit ears and antennae? When I was growing up the only people who had cable lived in the city.

Sunscreen didn't read the SPFs that we have today, but I remember using Tropical Blend tanning butter with an SPF of 2. :-)

But, yeah, you used the oil if you wanted a TAN. Do you remember the silver tanning blankets?

[saberivojo.livejournal.com]

I remember the tanning blankets and I do remember the arial thingys I just always called them rabbit ears! I didn't know what it was! I remember when we had a state of the art antennae on the roof. There was a dial on the tv and your could turn it n/s/e/w and it would (in some magical fashion) move the antennae on the roof instead of just pulling the rabbit ears right or left or covering them aluminum foil.

Hee, hee

[scionofgrace.livejournal.com]

Ah, my family was so odd. We owned such things as a camcorder and a personal computer at the same time as a record player and a transistor radio. (Dad loves electronics of any vintage.) We also had an encyclopedia (1967 ed.). My roomie and I still rely on over-the-air TV 'cause, y'know, the cable stuff is almost all online. For free.

I truly enjoy having internet, an MP3 player, and a debit card. Cell phones are "meh", I've never used inline skates, and there are no toll roads here.

I think we need to go back to wearing hats to work. Hats are awesome.

[feliciakw.livejournal.com]

Eh, not so odd. Geo is the same way. He's interested in technology of any era.

Oh, I enjoy the internet (obviously) and MP3s and debit cards. I just don't have the "oh, I wish we'd had that when I was young" thing going.

Simply wearing hats to work . . . is that what they mean by "business hats"? 'Cause, yes, hats used to be the fashion, and you didn't really go out in public without a hat.

[izhilzha.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on the hats. I am taking my boyfriend hat shopping because he and I both agree that he needs an actual fedora. :)