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The Busy Signal....forgotten things from recent past...

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posted on May, 26 2015 @ 08:44 AM
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Ok....so I am talking to some of the younger guys at my office the other day and it was a really odd conversation. Bands they knew and places they went and whatnot. Well, this has happened before to me, but with a much younger person, around 15 or so I think. These guys are in their early to mid 20's. I asked them if they had ever heard a busy signal on a call and both said no, but they knew what one was.

For those of you on here who may not know, and I would bet there are a few, it was what you heard if you called someone's landline and they were using it, prior to having call waiting and cell phones and voicemail.

Here it is for those that don't know:



So....I would like to hear about other things that have been forgotten from the recent past that would seem odd to have forgotten, yet somehow were easy to not think about. Oh...and my reason for being in this forum is because these things typically have to do with a technological advance....so what replaced them as well..
edit on 5/26/15 by Vasa Croe because: (no reason given)



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 08:54 AM
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A few years ago, I found myself downtown without a cell phone and needing to make a call. It was then that I realized pay phones are essentially a thing of the past. I can't find a clip of it... but there was an episode of Phineas and Ferb where their father describes the pay phone as a little room you can go into to have a private telephone conversation. The response from one of their friends was "You guys are blowin' my mind!"

I'm sure most of the stuff that has been "lost in the mists of time" just slipped away without us noticing, though. Much like 8-tracks gave way to cassette tapes, which then gave way to cd's and now have given way to no-physical-media. The awesome things from our childhood are being replaced with things that may be equally awesome... but are also portable.



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 08:55 AM
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Let's see..... I haven't seen a pay phone in a while.
Simple cameras are gone. Every one has a camera/video in their phone.
I've noticed most younger people don't wear a watch. Once again, cell phone.
Hand a younger person a map and tell them to go some where and you're going to have to send out a search party.



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 08:56 AM
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originally posted by: CrikeyMagnet
A few years ago, I found myself downtown without a cell phone and needing to make a call. It was then that I realized pay phones are essentially a thing of the past. I can't find a clip of it... but there was an episode of Phineas and Ferb where their father describes the pay phone as a little room you can go into to have a private telephone conversation. The response from one of their friends was "You guys are blowin' my mind!"

I'm sure most of the stuff that has been "lost in the mists of time" just slipped away without us noticing, though. Much like 8-tracks gave way to cassette tapes, which then gave way to cd's and now have given way to no-physical-media. The awesome things from our childhood are being replaced with things that may be equally awesome... but are also portable.


Yeah....pay phones being gone is strange. They used to be everywhere....now it is really hard to find one if you need it. Another funny thing about that is the way the younger generation doesn't remember phone numbers because they don't have to anymore....everyone dials by name.



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 08:58 AM
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edit on 26-5-2015 by socketdude because: (no reason given)



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:01 AM
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originally posted by: socketdude


Ahh....yes. This one is odd because of how widely known it was and how quickly it went away.



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:04 AM
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OH!! Cool one! The floppy disk. 5.25 or 3.5 inches (or 8 if you're even older) of plastic and a little scrap of metal, and it would store a comically tiny amount of data*. The reason it's so cool... the image of a 3.5 inch disk is still used in many applications as the "Save" button.

Trying to explain that to my daughter was fun. "Click on the... picture of a thing you don't recognize..."

So... many people would recognize it as the save button, but may have never actually seen one!

* I should add that the amount of data is comically tiny by today's standards, but the sheer ability to span disks with a single application (or, say a large number of 720kB disks to install Windows 3.11) was a technological marvel. What a fascinating, Charleston-dancing world we lived in, back in the early 90's.
edit on 26/5/2015 by CrikeyMagnet because: Qualifying my "comically tiny amount of data" comment.



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:12 AM
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Yeah pay phone are a rare thing now adays; and the ones that I do see are pretty much homeless bathrooms now. Another thing I've noticed is the lack of post office blue mail boxes. Those things used to be strewn across cities, and now I only see them outside of post offices.


+9 more 
posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:15 AM
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a reply to: Vasa Croe

I would like to hear about other things that have been forgotten from the recent past that would seem odd to have forgotten, yet somehow were easy to not think about

Manners, respect........."please", "thank-you"

It took my father and mother a life time to get the beautiful home and few assets they have. These days, 20-somethings expect it all straight out of college/Uni........and the banks and their credit cards provide that debt dream. (expectation).

Sad, but true.


edit on 26-5-2015 by Sublimecraft because: bbcoding



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:15 AM
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originally posted by: CrikeyMagnet
OH!! Cool one! The floppy disk. 5.25 or 3.5 inches (or 8 if you're even older) of plastic and a little scrap of metal, and it would store a comically tiny amount of data*. The reason it's so cool... the image of a 3.5 inch disk is still used in many applications as the "Save" button.

Trying to explain that to my daughter was fun. "Click on the... picture of a thing you don't recognize..."

So... many people would recognize it as the save button, but may have never actually seen one!

* I should add that the amount of data is comically tiny by today's standards, but the sheer ability to span disks with a single application (or, say a large number of 720kB disks to install Windows 3.11) was a technological marvel. What a fascinating, Charleston-dancing world we lived in, back in the early 90's.


Ha! Yeah that is a good one. I had not even thought about the save button being a floppy.....guess there was no reason for me to question it since I was still using those in high school and college. I remember how odd it was when they started giving the option of having one in your PC or not.



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:18 AM
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The old DRM methods of the early nineties in PC gaming. You know, when you had to open the manual to a certain page, find a certain paragraph, and type a specific word from the paragraph. (And it changed each time you opened the game) Some games came with little decoder wheels that you'd spin to specific places when prompted and enter the password revealed. They were very creative.

Another is Shareware. Wolfenstein 3D is the most notable early example. Give the first ten levels of game away for free, and include an option to purchase the full game if they like it. Now it's all about "Early Access". Buy a game at usually roughly half their estimated launch price, and you can have the game and play it while it's still in development.



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:19 AM
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originally posted by: Sublimecraft
a reply to: Vasa Croe

I would like to hear about other things that have been forgotten from the recent past that would seem odd to have forgotten, yet somehow were easy to not think about

Manners, respect........."please", "thank-you"

It took my father and mother a life time to get the beautiful home and few assets they have. These days, 20-somethings expect it all straight out of college/Uni........and the banks and their credit cards provide that [strike]debt dream. (expectation).

Sad, but true.



Very sad, but true. I still teach my kids to say "yes/no ma'am, yes/no sir, please and thank you". Coming from the south I think it is still taught for the most part, but it is unbelievable how rude some of the younger generation are that I have met.....hold the door open for people when you are walking in/out, if someone in front of you drops their keys, pick them up for them....you'd think this would just be built in to folks but it is far from it.



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:22 AM
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originally posted by: ScientificRailgun
The old DRM methods of the early nineties in PC gaming. You know, when you had to open the manual to a certain page, find a certain paragraph, and type a specific word from the paragraph. (And it changed each time you opened the game) Some games came with little decoder wheels that you'd spin to specific places when prompted and enter the password revealed. They were very creative.

Another is Shareware. Wolfenstein 3D is the most notable early example. Give the first ten levels of game away for free, and include an option to purchase the full game if they like it. Now it's all about "Early Access". Buy a game at usually roughly half their estimated launch price, and you can have the game and play it while it's still in development.


Well.....DRM games are one thing I had completely forgotten about. Now that you mention it I remember it very well. Nice one.....oh, and Wolfentstein 3D....talk about a blast from the past.



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:27 AM
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a reply to: Vasa Croe

So my daughter is learning how to drive, she has a permit which means she can only drive with a licensed driver. So we drive to Walmart to get some stuff, and after we parked, I told her to lock the doors. As a woman she should always make this a habit getting in and out of her car. Which she did. We went in then came out, got to the car, and she said, "oh crap, I don't have an unlocked, how do we get into the car." I then taught her how to unlock the car using the key.

Cheers,

Camain



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:29 AM
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a reply to: Vasa Croe


How about this.




posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:32 AM
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originally posted by: camain
a reply to: Vasa Croe

So my daughter is learning how to drive, she has a permit which means she can only drive with a licensed driver. So we drive to Walmart to get some stuff, and after we parked, I told her to lock the doors. As a woman she should always make this a habit getting in and out of her car. Which she did. We went in then came out, got to the car, and she said, "oh crap, I don't have an unlocked, how do we get into the car." I then taught her how to unlock the car using the key.

Cheers,

Camain


That is really funny....it is also odd that most cars only have the manual key lock on the drivers door now. Sucks when the battery dies in your key fob and you can't figure out how to find the tiny hidden key in it.....


+9 more 
posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:34 AM
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Writing letters to your girlfriend, and waiting days to get one back

edit on 26-5-2015 by Ddrneville because: (no reason given)



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:34 AM
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originally posted by: alldaylong
a reply to: Vasa Croe


How about this.






Nice one.....funny enough, I was using my fathers car the other day and went to put my briefcase in the backseat and sitting there, likely still being used, was a Sony Walkman......I picked it up and checked it out for a minute since I had not seen one in at least 10 years. The last car they bought was in 2008 it was a 2008 Lexus and when they got it they asked the dealer to get a manufacturer tape deck installed, which they did. I can't believe that option was even still available from a dealer in 2008.



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:36 AM
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Almost forgot about this little beauty from the recent past:



The humble pager.



posted on May, 26 2015 @ 09:38 AM
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originally posted by: ScientificRailgun
Almost forgot about this little beauty from the recent past:



The humble pager.


Yep...then you had to find a payphone to call back on...I remember the joke when I was a kid and had one was to type 55378008 and look at it upside down....yes, very childish. Then when the text pagers came out...whoa.....mind=blown!




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