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Things that are now obsolete or were easier years ago

Homebird

A recent thread got me thinking about a couple of things.

The first one is instructions. I find things like mobiles frustrating as they don't come with instruction manuals. Then other things have to be researched on the internet. If I have flat packed furniture to build I lay it out and follow the instructions at my own pace. That's what I liked about Lego unless that has changed now.

The other thing I was thinking about recently is things we used to use that young people would have never seen. I was thinking of the phrase being a carbon copy which I guess comes from the use of carbon paper. In my first office job the typists did two copies of letters using this which went in different files. Some shops used it for receipts so they had a copy. I wonder if anyone uses it today.

Are there things that others can think of that aren't in use now?

Parents

  • Telephony USED to just work, now it does not. The amount of call I have that are blighted my techncial problems makes this phone system of the 1960's look positively brilliant in comparison.

    As someone mentioned below there's a push to use phone apps for everything. I just say "My phone is a TELEPHONE, and if I want to use the internet I use a COMPUTER for that". 

  • in reply to I Sperg

    I actually agree with that. And whoever's "bright" idea was it to make the landlines run on wifi needs a good kick in the ar5e... preferably with a speeding lorry.
    The brilliant thing about landlines back in the day was your whole street could have a powercut but the landlines (if you still had a corded one) were on a separate system and unaffected... wouldn't matter if you had no signal or battery on the mobile.

  • in reply to 🐝 Bees 🐝 (they/them) Autism resources in bio #stoptheshock #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs

    It’s a hugely valid point now that we are rendered totally reliant on the internet and mobile phones for everything these days - what if a solar flare or something similar knocks out all electronic devices and the power grid, it will create chaos and will even knock out corded landlines - it’s all very well to see the riots in Dublin, but when I tried to get through to family in Ireland to see if they were OK by using my corded landline to ring their corded landline, I could not get through and I still get charged for an international call, even if it does not even get connected to an answering machine in Rural Ireland - living in Manchester at age 53, while it had its problems, the 1980’s (40 years ago) was way better than today and frankly, mobile phones and the internet has made it worse, it’s no wonder our grandparents were totally against it and correctly and accurately predicted what it would lead to (our current situation)  

  • in reply to IrishInManchesterUK

    When we were told our landline had to go digital I said to my husband what happens if there is a power cut for a long while. Will they put in local emergency phones which still work?

    It seemed like no one else thought this was a problem. I always thought if there was a cut at least you could use the phone. So I try to ensure my phone has plenty of power stored and make note of useful phone numbers in a book so internet not needed 

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  • in reply to IrishInManchesterUK

    When we were told our landline had to go digital I said to my husband what happens if there is a power cut for a long while. Will they put in local emergency phones which still work?

    It seemed like no one else thought this was a problem. I always thought if there was a cut at least you could use the phone. So I try to ensure my phone has plenty of power stored and make note of useful phone numbers in a book so internet not needed 

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