8 technology revolutions that are now relics

[mrjarrell]

Wow. With the exception of the Laser Disc, I've used all of these. I can think of other things that could also be on this list, of more recent vintage. Man, things sure do move fast. Must say that I was glad when Apple killed off the floppy, tho. They always were ahead of the curve.

8 technology revolutions that are now relics | MNN - Mother Nature Network

 

[eldirector]

Other than the "Ditto machine", I've used them all!

Add overhead projectors, reel-to-reel tapes (audio, video, or data), CRTs (all but obsolete), answering machines, cassette tape data storage (on my old Commodore computer), and car phones that were actually attached to the car. Now I feel old

What's the most recent tech that is already extinct?

 

[Colt556]

Used em all. I must be old!!

 

[mrjarrell]

What's the most recent tech that is already extinct?

The PDA. Like the older Palm Pilots. Now we have smart phones or iPod Touches instead. HD/DVD players, now obsolete and replaced with BlueRay. Mini-Discs, even tho they never really caught on. Vinyl records are just curiosities and audiophile niches, right now.
Other techs are heading that way, too. CD's will be gone in the near future, they're just too small to be useful anymore and folks are digitising their music and using other means to store data. Shoot most games now come on DVD's, not CD's. Or you just download them from the company.

 

[eldirector]

I didn't think about PDAs, or pagers.

How about paper photographs? I have THOUSANDS of digital pictures, but only a small album of photos. That reminds me, I need to back those up.....

In 1000 years, archeologists may have a HUGE hole in history, as all of this digital stuff disintegrates.

 

[Clay]

Ive used all of those, but have limited experience with 8 tracks. Funny thing is, thanks to the Sony store we used to have in town, my parents have a metric crap ton of laser discs, and a working laser disc player, still to this day. We are the only ones Ive ever known to have one.

 

[stilllearning09]

The only thing I wasn't familiar with was the laser disc. Anyone remember the BETA format to video recorders?

 

[trnsplntfrmohio]

I still use vhs I perfer not to have my dvr tv shows erased by a cable company being pressured by the government.

and i had a teacher in grade 4 that had a huge huge collection of laser discs

 

[Benny]

I've used 3 out of the 8(VHS, cassette and 3 1/2 in floppy)...I've seen someone use an instant camera and slide projector though.

I've never even heard of a ditto machine.

 

[Woodsman]

I've never even heard of a ditto machine.

It's not so much the hearing them as it is the smell they produce!

 

[indyjoe]

What's the most recent tech that is already extinct?

HD-DVD.

Can't agree with Palm Pilots, my Palm Pre does everything my Palm Pilot (and Latest Palm 755p did). It is just a more modern incarnation. Didn't really die.

It's not so much the hearing them as it is the smell they produce!

I always knew when a teacher was late getting things done, when you paper is still slightly damp and cool from the solvent evaporating.

 

[revsaxon]

I didn't think about PDAs, or pagers.

Pagers are still big among certain groups. Mostly medical, and us poor poor IT support staff. A text messages has no guarantee of a speedy delivery, while every pager I have seen in the last 5 years had it implicitly stated in the contract that if you were in a covered area, you were getting the page within a few seconds.

 

[mrjarrell]

It's not so much the hearing them as it is the smell they produce!

^^This! I used to love the smell of fresh ditto's in the morning. That semi-wet paper and light blue type. Oh, man....

 

[INyooper]

Oh the ditto machine ...imagine a room full of third-graders inhaling the fumes of freshly ditto'd worksheets.... almost as real as an 8-track flashback. What was the portable 8-track player that was square, had a T handle that changed the track when you pushed down on it? ....it came in several groovy colors too! Chevy vans with tear-drop windows on the sides... Somebody play Freebird ...or Uncle Ted Wango Tango...

...and who can forget the Betasaurus Rex!?! ...hey, I think American Band Stand is almost on ...right after Soul Train....

Snif 'n The Tears....

 

[magic man]

I've used all of those except the Ditto machine and I was born in '93.

 

[stilllearning09]

I still have ditto copies in my file cabinets.

 

[CountryBoy19]

The PDA. Like the older Palm Pilots. Now we have smart phones or iPod Touches instead. HD/DVD players, now obsolete and replaced with BlueRay. Mini-Discs, even tho they never really caught on. Vinyl records are just curiosities and audiophile niches, right now.
Other techs are heading that way, too. CD's will be gone in the near future, they're just too small to be useful anymore and folks are digitising their music and using other means to store data. Shoot most games now come on DVD's, not CD's. Or you just download them from the company.

CD's will be around a lot longer than you think. I won't go into much detail, but they're critical to our national security in a way that I won't expound upon. I don't think something so major will go away anytime soon. They may not be prevalent, but they'll be around for decades to come yet.

 

[04DarkShadowGT]

I knew one person who ever had a laser disc player, those just weren't that popular at their peak. The others I have either seen or used.

 

[revsaxon]

I knew one person who ever had a laser disc player, those just weren't that popular at their peak. The others I have either seen or used.

Only time I ever saw one was in 7th grade science class... God, its been over a decade and I can still hum the theme song to "Voyage of the Mimi" ::shudder::

 

[Benny]

It's not so much the hearing them as it is the smell they produce!

Haha, yeah I heard it was very pleasant.

Many years ago I was watching a movie with my buddy(Heaven Help Us, I believe) and during one of the beginning scenes the teacher passes out paper and every kid in the class picks up the paper and smells it at the same time...My buddy's older brother was there and said "ahh, yes! I loved the smell of fresh ditto paper."