I have a soft spot for the good old cassette recorder. I loved making “mix tapes” for special occasions. I love the retro look of the yellow “sports” Walkman. I am so nostalgic, I even forgive cassettes for all those times they unspooled and got tangled up in the machine.
How about you? What’s an “outdated” technology that you still love? Is there a Commodore 64 in your basement? Don’t be ashamed! Flaunt your retro tech here!
I listen to the CBC on an old fashioned radio every Saturday while I do housework. My lizard Charlie also enjoys listening to the CBC on Saturdays as he perk up his lazy little head at the sound of the power switch without failure.
Glad to hear CBC Radio passes the “lizard test”!
Hey Nora-
My Encarta 95 CD ROM has got to be the most useless piece of technology I own! My mother went on real CD ROM shopping spree when I was in junior high. I have the Canadian Prime Ministers CD, the Canadian Encyclopedia, etc…
They were great for doing Bristol board projects, but now all of that info is on the web, so they’re pretty much useless and worthless.
My 35mm SLR manual film camera circa late 1960s is still serving me very well. I’m almost never disappointed by the images I’m able to produce with my old lenses. What I’m going to miss most when I move to a new digital SLR camera will be the sound of the shutter followed by the ratcheting sound of the film being advanced by a lever pushed by my thumb. I will also miss the anticipation of the hour long wait for my photos to be developed before I can see the results of my work. I’m also going to miss having the ability to take pictures for months without changing the batteries and to keep taking pictures even after my batteries have lost their charge due to the bitter cold, as long as I had my hand-held light meter. I’m going to miss seeing the little needle for the built-in light meter move inside the viewfinder. I’m going to miss being able to put my camera down anywhere without fear that the LCD screen will be scratched. I’m going to miss people asking me why I still shoot on film.
Yeah, I have to say, it’s the ‘physicality’ I miss in digital technologies. A while ago I had to transfer music from vinyl to a computer in the CBC music library. I hadn’t used a turntable in ages, and it was really fantastic…cleaning the lp, finding the beginning of the track…
My first computers were 6502 based computers such as the KIM-1 board, Vic-20′s, Apple II clones, and later the Commodore 64 (Used the 6510 derivative of the 6502).
I spent a few years in the late 1980′s repairing Commodore equipment, including Amiga’s, as an authorized technician at an authorized Commodore dealership (Lynx, in Ottawa).
I built a custom BBS system out of two Vic-20′s connected together to share the load. One Vic-20 ran a custom version of Basic, and the other acted as a smarter modem (all answering, modem queues, etc happened on that machine). I still have some of this equipment, although I haven’t attempted to run any of it for at least a decade.
One of these days I’m going to get things hooked up so that I can salvage the data on all the disks and put them on current hard disks. It will get increasingly hard to access this media, and I can’t hire a third party to do it because poorly thought out copyright law restricts the ability to convert this data for such an excessively long amount of time. Life+50 years might as well be infinity given access to the technology to access the data is very hard after only 20 years.
I LOVE my 8-track machine – it still works great too. It even records in Dolby, VU level meters and even has a fast-forward button…super high-tech!
Wow, fast forward! I have a very clear pre-VCR memory of being a little kid, holding up my cassette recorder to the television set to record the audio of my favourite movie: Planet of the Apes! (Yikes, that’s some sort of dork ‘perfect storm’)
The Nintendo NES and SNES, even though I don’t own either.
What makes you think that new is better anyways? I find that most new technology is sold for the reason of convenience, or ease of use, rather than the quality of whatever it is supposed to produce. For example, for home listening I find the sound quality from vinyl is way better than the tin can sound you get from most CDs. In a vehicle, with the road noise, a CD or cassette suffices as you wouldn’t hear the difference anyways. As for photography I’ve had the pleasure of being able to work with an 1956 Diax (German) camera with excellent lenses with which you have to use a light meter. If you set it up with a tripod, picture quality is excellent, and you can experiment as after all, you are imitating the human eye. To sum up, a lot of new products and technologies are junk; they are only marketed to keep consumers on a purchasing treadmill in a culture of dissatisfaction. In ten years time the only place you will find them is, unfortunately, is the landfill as they’ll either be outdated or have broken down.
Speaking of ‘older is better’, I was at an audiophile friend’s place for dinner a while back. He played the same song on the same speakers for us, but once off vinyl and once off an mp3 on his iPod. The quality difference was *astonishing*. I mean, I knew, of course, that the mp3 wouldn’t sound as good as cd or vinyl, but the sheer degree of difference was pretty incredible.
I recently bought a MiniDisc recorder/player even though that technology has become old-hat in the iPod world. I’ve used that thing to convert audio from VCR tapes and my collection of audiocassettes.
I’m not sure if the MiniDisc counts as “old technology” considering it’s just recently been consigned to the hobbyists and you can still buy blank discs for it, but it’s good for archiving and editing files. If Sony had marketed the MD better and not put so strong a leash on its proprietary format, who knows how popular the MiniDisc could have been.
At CBC, we’ve just moved from minidisc to mp3/wav recorder format. I got an mp3 recorder for personal use too, but I have to admit, I liked the minidisc format….This is a bit embarrassing to admit, but the dedicated mp3 recorders I’ve seen are just ugly. (I guess the exception would be the multipurpose devices like the iRiver). The minidisc recorders were quite lovely, and the discs themselves were very cool in a Star Trek kind of way. The big drawback, though, is that to load the audio onto the computer for editing, you had to roll it out in real time. The mp3/wav recorder saves tons of time in the editing process.
Aww, c’mon Nora. The Edirol R09 ain’t that ugly. And the Sound Devices 722 is downright sexy when you run it in the dark and get all them lights a-dancin’.
Pre-VCR I was holding up my cassette recorder to my clock radio to capture songs from 680CFTR. To this day the songs of my youth are backannounced (in my head).
And, while I have your eyeballs, do what you can to keep the mixtape alive. I haven’t received one in years. Sure, they’re not on tape anymore but who says you can’t put the same amount of time, love and craftmanship into a playlist and stick it on a CD or USB key? Is it the loss of a Side A and B that’s rendered mixtapes obsolete? Or is it an idea who’s time has simply come and gone?
(Hmm… maybe I should get my own show if I want to ask so many questions)
To keep this post legit, I love vinyl. I don’t own a turntable but I keep buying records. Does that make me weird?
Don’t answer that.
Jael,
I am lucky enough to get an annual 'best of the year' cd from a friend with excellent taste, but it's true, people don't make the 'mix' format thingies so much anymore. I wonder if it's because we assume that everything is available 'on demand' now? Frankly, there's so much music out there, I'd love it if someone would 'curate' it for me.
Hey Nora-
Do you think the electric blanket qualifies as an outdated technology? I think the duvet has taken over from the electric blanket!
I know audiophiles who own Ipods, but they use them for portability, and that’s pretty much it. They wouldn’t dream of dumping their collection onto one and being satisfied with only that.
Mix tapes were so much better and personal on cassette – you had the tactile experience of actually flipping through your collection, which brings back all sorts of memories. I can’t recall getting misty about downloading something.
I collect pinball machines from the early 1980′s. The technology of the day was just breaking through and you get wonderful machines using chips and transistors that while hard to find are easy to debug and fix.
btw. Check out http://www.retrothing.com and the book Essential Retro by James Grahame. He lives in Turner Valley AB, and has for the last ten years, relived his and my youth through spotlighting retro coolness
I used to love Intellivision. A little known/remembered gaming system. Those of us who were geeks back in the day, would have played this.
There was nothing more adreneline rushing than having an 8 bit snake appear while playing dungeons and dragons. Run away!
Vacuum tubes or "valves" as they are known in my neck of the woods.
@Nancy, I think there's huge nostalgia for old video games. Actually, I once interviewed an artist who made art by hacking old Super Mario Brothers games. She'd put him in situations of existential dread, like in a prison with nothing to do but pace back and forth!
I listen to CBC on my Tivoli Model 1. It's new, but it's old-style. Simple and lovely.
I love my old yellow wall-mounted rotary phone. It's a little slower than I remember (never needed area codes back then) but the phone speaker/receiver cradles so well in the crook of my neck. It has weight, unlike today's cordless phones.
I have been dying to get one of those Tivolis for the kitchen. Partly for the audio quality, but also because I just love the clean lines!
Possibly a bit off topic, most people are talking electronics here, but I still have several braces and the bits from my grandfather’s tool box. Though slower than power drills under some circumstances they still out perform most battery driven and a lot of corded drills and drivers. I can drive a 3″ screw through solid fir 2×4 or drill 1/2″ holes through 2 landscape ties at the same time without any problem. The batteries never need changing and it’s a lot lighter to carry up the ladder etc….
this is an interesting thread! I like Bruce’s post. I’m curious, though…does the “tin can” sound come from the CD or from the new amps that don’t have any fullness to their sound?
I have a C64 in the basement that my kids keep nagging me to set up. One of these days I’ll have to do it.
I have more LP’s than I care to count. Last year I bought a CD recorder on e-bay to record my albums to CD, and then my amp died! I have yet to replace it because I’m torn between going to surround sound, or looking for an old one. I’m not really an audiophile, but I like the look of the older amps.
Also, you can now buy a joypad that will play 25 Intellivision games – all in a single joypad.
http://www.intellivisionlives.com/retrotopia/direct2tv.shtml
Hey Nora et al,
Is the incandescent light bulb an old technology you’d care to do a piece about? The insanity of illegal incandescent technology will occur too soon in Ontario, and I am not looking forward to it. Though, I mulling over a plan to find a large warehouse or two and stockpile millions of old style bulbs, which I will then sell in incandescent speakeasies to Ontarians who cannot get enough of that warm yellow glow. After making my fortune in illegal light, I’ll start a political dynasty and date starlets.
But seriously, what are we in Ontario to do with that special little incandescent bulb in the refrigerator and in the oven? Will there be a new-tech fluorescent bulb available or will we have to use flashlights to check for late night snacks in the crisper or to see how the bread is baking in the oven?
And what of the three-way bulb next to my favourite reading chair? Hey, Mr. Premier, I swear I only switch it up to 150 watts when I want to read the fine print! I have yet to see a three-way compact fluorescent bulb. And you know I like being able to use a lamp as a heat source instead of turning on the furnace on a chilly day. Sometimes that old bulb is just enough to take the chill off.
And the yellow glow soothes and relieves stress, unlike the harsh white of the new-tech bulbs. Will a yellow-tinged compact be made to help us ease into the new order? Or will we be forced into the cold white glaring future with no assistance save a coupon for $1.00 off on a new twisted compact bulb?
What of all our old dimmer switches? Will a new-tech bulb come out in time to save those of us who like atmosphere around the dining table or in the bedroom. Watch, house fires will increase in Ontario after the new law, as mood seekers reach way back to candles.
I’m thinking of moving to another jurisdiction just so I can go on using that good old heat-emitting incandescent light bulb technology.
My love for “old” technology is best represented by my stereo system: My first cd player was purchased in the early 1990s at Canadian Tire for about $90 (which was a hefty chunk of my dishwashing earnings!). The player survived my teenage years (and associated abuses), although it lost a few buttons along the way. It survived university years, and it still plays music for my wife and I today (although I have to use special technique to get it to play most cds). I run the player through an old stereo amp that use to be my Dad’s when he was in college in the early 70s. It’s a sweet tube amp that has a great sounds and good power. In fact, I had a friend make me an offer on it, as he thought it was an invaluable relic for refined music tastes . .. I don’t know about that, but I do know I like it.
Thanks!
Leif
I just love those old tube amps that weigh a ton, are built like tanks, glow in the dark, keep you warm on a cool night and sound fantastic. There is nothing that works better to warm up those cold CD’s, MP3 players and ipods than plugging them into an old tube amp. I have a bunch of friends that are recent converts to that old technology. I have also recently seen tube amps get snapped up at yard sales and antique shops like hotcakes. They are unbeatable for powering a set of old speakers, and the bass and midrange have a thick sensual sound. Impress your girlfriend and play her favourite music through one of these funky amps. Turn the lights out,feel the seductive warm sound envelope the room and watch the tubes glow as she slowly begins to…….
I just love those old tube amps that weigh a ton, are built like tanks, glow in the dark, keep you warm on a cool night and sound fantastic. There is nothing that works better to warm up those cold CD’s, MP3 players and ipods than plugging them into an old tube amp. I have a bunch of friends that are recent converts to that old technology. I have also recently seen tube amps get snapped up at yard sales and antique shops like hotcakes. They are unbeatable for powering a set of old speakers, and the bass and midrange have a thick sensual sound. Impress your girlfriend and play her favourite music through one of these funky amps. Turn the lights out,feel the seductive warm sound envelope the room and watch the tubes glow as she slowly begins to…….
technology is an uphill battle. the latest, the smallest, the fastest is always changing no matter what. North Americans (for the most part, myself included) thrive on stuff. tech stuff. the latest tech stuff. so no matter what you have or how much you have chances are, it out of date. i will climb down from my soap box now.
I love my SNES and N64 with a passion.
By the way, I like this board alot more than the search engine board for 2 reasons nora:
1) It’s a bit more active overall
2) YOU RESPOND
Eeeek!
I am fully entrenched in “trailing edge” technology.
I use minidiscs all the time to keep track of music ideas, record family history interviews & listen to music.
The computer that is the heart of my home music-studio/graphics-workstation is an Amiga from 1987. Hooked to that is a collection of mid 1980s “vintage” analogue and digital synthesizers, along with 20 year old Casio & Yamaha keyboards toy.
In the other room is a fully decked out Commodore VIC-20 setup from 1982.
On the other side of the room is my lovely black bakelite rotary dial telephone, ca. 1935 (still working & hooked up).
Downstairs, hooked to my 1970s era stereo amplifier is a turntable & VHS deck.
…and to top it off, in my job I do woodwork by hand using only 19th century hand tools!
In the mid-sixties, I ran a day care centre in an older church basement in Toronto. Early mornings would find me cleaning the pet cage while listening to Max Ferguson and Alan McFee. The church had a beautiful old wooden floor model radio (the kind with tubes!) and the sound was so rich and full!