For us over 50 - Favourite Technology
Discussion
Here's another one...... batteries!
Remember back in the 1970s and you'd get something for Christmas that needed batteries. For a start they never came with batteries, but when you did have some batteries they were rubbish. They'd be flat in no time.
These days batteries seem to last forever - and usually the only reason I flatten them is because I leave whatever it is switched on.
Remember back in the 1970s and you'd get something for Christmas that needed batteries. For a start they never came with batteries, but when you did have some batteries they were rubbish. They'd be flat in no time.
These days batteries seem to last forever - and usually the only reason I flatten them is because I leave whatever it is switched on.
In sort of general chronological order:
Early 90's
I remember watching some Navs plotting out way points on a route for Tornado F3s by clicking a transparent mouse on a map on top of a table. They then loaded it onto a cassette tape so that they could 'upload it' into the plane.
Sitting in the cockpit of a Harrier and seeing an arrow on the HUD that pointed to where the pilot wanted to fly to. At the time I was learning to navigate properly and this blew my mind. Now I can gps it on the phone in my pocket.
Late 90's
Going to a site, being able to take a photograph of something, text it to somebody back in the office and ask them for advice.
Emails
Google
00's +
Call of Duty etc - I generally don't game, but the fact that people in different parts of the world can inhabit the same gaming environment as me, on my TV, at the same time and be able to interact with me is witchcraft.
Watching 9/11 unfold live on the internet in the office
Ripping my entire whole walls worth of cd collection onto an ipod. Now I can play any song in the world to any speaker in my house instantly and listen to different tracks in different rooms at the same time
Sky+ - how did we live without this???
WiFi - how did we live without this as well???
Iphone/smart phones
Ipad - my 12 year old son can't believe that these didn't exist when he was born
Streetview - now I don't have to go to site!
Printers that now just work
Rightmove
Amazon & superfast next day deliver
Netflix
Early 90's
I remember watching some Navs plotting out way points on a route for Tornado F3s by clicking a transparent mouse on a map on top of a table. They then loaded it onto a cassette tape so that they could 'upload it' into the plane.
Sitting in the cockpit of a Harrier and seeing an arrow on the HUD that pointed to where the pilot wanted to fly to. At the time I was learning to navigate properly and this blew my mind. Now I can gps it on the phone in my pocket.
Late 90's
Going to a site, being able to take a photograph of something, text it to somebody back in the office and ask them for advice.
Emails
00's +
Call of Duty etc - I generally don't game, but the fact that people in different parts of the world can inhabit the same gaming environment as me, on my TV, at the same time and be able to interact with me is witchcraft.
Watching 9/11 unfold live on the internet in the office
Ripping my entire whole walls worth of cd collection onto an ipod. Now I can play any song in the world to any speaker in my house instantly and listen to different tracks in different rooms at the same time
Sky+ - how did we live without this???
WiFi - how did we live without this as well???
Iphone/smart phones
Ipad - my 12 year old son can't believe that these didn't exist when he was born
Streetview - now I don't have to go to site!
Printers that now just work
Rightmove
Amazon & superfast next day deliver
Netflix
Edited by ben5575 on Tuesday 13th November 12:55
RicksAlfas said:
Or a plug!!
Do you remember electrical stuff sold without plugs?
Oh yes! And what a wonderful piece of legislation it was to make plugs compulsory.Do you remember electrical stuff sold without plugs?
I'm quite handy + have the correct tools and even then it's a bit fiddly. You do wonder how the less able/well equipped coped.
otherman said:
Well I've got some news for you, technology gone bad. Apple have bought Shazam, and are changing so that it only suggests tunes that are available in the apple store, and offers to sell them to you. This sort of s
t is why some people are so against apple.
utter utter wt is why some people are so against apple.kers - I love ShazamSo many things - Sat Nav and Road Angel when I was still working and travelling to unfamiliar places, and now I've (mostly) retired my Philips Hue lighting which wakes me up gently on the days when i have to go to work, and lights up in the evenings just before sunset so I never have to adjust it.
My new Nespresso Vertuo coffee machine, which produces lovely coffee with a beautiful crema. I love crema.
My iPhone, MacBook Pro and iPad which all sync and just work.
And my Leica digital camera which continually amazes and delights me with the quality of the images that it produces.
I'll inevitably succumb to Sky Q, but for now I enjoy Formula 1, cricket and rugby on Sky HD on what is now a fairly old Panasonic plasma tv which remains one of the best things I have ever bought.
My new Nespresso Vertuo coffee machine, which produces lovely coffee with a beautiful crema. I love crema.
My iPhone, MacBook Pro and iPad which all sync and just work.
And my Leica digital camera which continually amazes and delights me with the quality of the images that it produces.
I'll inevitably succumb to Sky Q, but for now I enjoy Formula 1, cricket and rugby on Sky HD on what is now a fairly old Panasonic plasma tv which remains one of the best things I have ever bought.
renmure said:
I’d never heard of Shazam till reading this thread and downloaded the app last night. Wow!!
I've been using it since it first known as 2580. You used to be able to dial that number on any mobile (it didn't need to be a smartphone), hold the phone to the source and it would drop the call automatically after 30 seconds and text you the result. The App just makes it even simpler to use.
TameRacingDriver said:
AstonZagato said:
The slightly odd thing is that oldies seemingly understand how/why these things work a bit better than their children. My teenage and 20yo kids use me as tech support: "Dad! This isn't working. Can you fix it?". Laptops. Tablets, Smartphones. WiFi. Spreadsheets. AV systems. Sat Navs.
Having grown up with Acorn and BBC computers, I guess that hands on programming experience gives one a better understanding of why they do the things they do.
Also, I had no mug who I could turn to to fix my problems. They do.
Which is weird because aren't we all told regularly that kids these days could run rings around us oldies in the tech stakes. Weirdly though, I've not really found that to be the case in my admittedly limited experience.Having grown up with Acorn and BBC computers, I guess that hands on programming experience gives one a better understanding of why they do the things they do.
Also, I had no mug who I could turn to to fix my problems. They do.
In the late 80s and 90s, my dad still used to send me out to attempt to get the car started and warmed up in the morning (loved that). You'd sometimes need to fiddle with carbs, points, etc. You'd need to spend a sunday afternoon speciifically doing more maintenence.
Computers needed to be built, so there are the skills for that, and operating systems required you to know a fair bit about its quirks in order to keep it running reliably, plus deal with whole concept of upgades, patching, maintenence, etc.
Thesedays? Engineering advances have gotten cars insanely reliable. People lease them, so no longer keep them long term and get rid well before issues happen.
Mainstream computers are locked down, devices offer little configurability other than wallpaper, sounds and notifications, and also dont give you the ability to figure out why something has happened.
Dog Star said:
Here's another one...... batteries!
Remember back in the 1970s and you'd get something for Christmas that needed batteries. For a start they never came with batteries, but when you did have some batteries they were rubbish. They'd be flat in no time.
These days batteries seem to last forever - and usually the only reason I flatten them is because I leave whatever it is switched on.
Yep. I hear that the energy density is a large fraction of petrol or explosives.Remember back in the 1970s and you'd get something for Christmas that needed batteries. For a start they never came with batteries, but when you did have some batteries they were rubbish. They'd be flat in no time.
These days batteries seem to last forever - and usually the only reason I flatten them is because I leave whatever it is switched on.
Probably lots of hidden materials technology like tyres, oil or cheap composites.
Dog Star said:
Here's another one...... batteries!
Remember back in the 1970s and you'd get something for Christmas that needed batteries. For a start they never came with batteries, but when you did have some batteries they were rubbish. They'd be flat in no time.
These days batteries seem to last forever - and usually the only reason I flatten them is because I leave whatever it is switched on.
Pfft!!! Back in the Seventies you'd get something for Christmas that needed mains and it didn't even have a plug on it! Remember back in the 1970s and you'd get something for Christmas that needed batteries. For a start they never came with batteries, but when you did have some batteries they were rubbish. They'd be flat in no time.
These days batteries seem to last forever - and usually the only reason I flatten them is because I leave whatever it is switched on.
That's another thing my son will probably never have to do - wire a plug.
12TS said:
RicksAlfas said:
Or a plug!!
Do you remember electrical stuff sold without plugs?
Oh yes! And what a wonderful piece of legislation it was to make plugs compulsory.Do you remember electrical stuff sold without plugs?
I'm quite handy + have the correct tools and even then it's a bit fiddly. You do wonder how the less able/well equipped coped.
Kermit power said:
Pfft!!! Back in the Seventies you'd get something for Christmas that needed mains and it didn't even have a plug on it!
That's another thing my son will probably never have to do - wire a plug.
My first job (1974) was putting plugs on TV's, getting them to work and delivering them. At least 30% didn't work out of the box. These days I guess it'd be much less than 1%That's another thing my son will probably never have to do - wire a plug.
..and then there were cars...
Quality control is SO much better. My last 4 new cars haven't broken down at all, ever. And they were all assembled in the UK!
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