Chat Do You Remember?

Ruth · Apr 2, 2018

I guess this thread depends on your age in a way, and in what you remember from days gone by. How about posting something from your past that happens in our lives in some way?

I'll begin:

Do you remember having a rotary telephone with a cord? I recall my dad having the same one for about 40 years. My brother finally got him a cordless touch tone.

There are many things we can recall from yesteryears. What can you recall?:disgonbegood:

NewCreation435 · Apr 2, 2018

I can recall when we first got cable back around 1980. We went from 3 main channels and PBS to over a hundred in one day. the first movie I watched was "Heaven Can Wait" with Warren Beatty

tango · Apr 2, 2018

I remember friends of mine being surprised to see I had a mobile phone. That was before they came free in every pack of cornflakes.

Ruth · Apr 3, 2018

jsimms435 said:
I can recall when we first got cable back around 1980. We went from 3 main channels and PBS to over a hundred in one day. the first movie I watched was "Heaven Can Wait" with Warren Beatty

You got it before I did. I waited till we had no choice.

tango said:
I remember friends of mine being surprised to see I had a mobile phone. That was before they came free in every pack of cornflakes.

Cool! Yes, everyone has a Cell phone now!

faramir.pete · Apr 3, 2018

Ruth, what a great topic. And you are right this is going to be very much dependent upon the age of folks.

For example I recall that the first home I lived in with my parents had no central heating, we relied entirely upon an open coal fire to heat the home and we had one in the lounge and a coal boiler in the kitchen to heat water.

I also recall my grandfather's house did not have a bathroom indoors. They had a outdoor privy and used to bath in the kitchen in a big zinc bath which was kept in the coal store!

Oh and I recall when people would have to go out to a telephone kiosk on the local street corner to telephone anyone too!

So I guess I am showing my age here! LOL

Pete from Peterborough UK

ImaginaryDay2 · Apr 3, 2018

Do you remember (some might not) riding with mom or dad listening to an old 8-Track? Our favorites were 'Abbey Road' and some random Johnny Cash. CCR was on the list, too

tango · Apr 3, 2018

Ruth said:
Cool! Yes, everyone has a Cell phone now!

Yep... back when I got one I paid the equivalent of $250 for it. It made calls and, because I got the more advanced of the two options, it also sent text messages. The monthly contract cost about $40 - my provider was revolutionary at the time because they actually included some minutes in the monthly cost. At the time the other providers charged a monthly access fee but didn't include any airtime with it - everything was extra. I had to pay extra for text messages. With costs like that it was unthinkable for a child to have a cellphone and most working people didn't have them. I got one because I decided I was on the road enough that it would be sufficiently useful to warrant the price of it, although there were many times I wondered if it was really worth having.

Now my friend's 10-year-old son has a smartphone.

Albion · Apr 3, 2018

Oh and I recall when people would have to go out to a telephone kiosk on the local street corner to telephone anyone too!

...when there actually were telephone booths on the streets...and in train and bus depots--a whole row of them.

Do you remember (some might not) riding with mom or dad listening to an old 8-Track?

I remember cars having bench seats. Now you and your passenger are supposed to position yourselves in what amounts to a cockpit.

faramir.pete · Apr 3, 2018

Albion said:
...when there actually were telephone booths on the streets...and in train and bus depots--a whole row of them.

I remember cars having bench seats. Now you and your passenger are supposed to position yourselves in what amounts to a cockpit.

Telephone 'boxes' in the U.K. were red and big enough to shelter from the weather in, not small booths.

Pete from Peterborough UK

ImaginaryDay2 · Apr 3, 2018

Some auto repairs could be done temporarily with duct tape until you could find the right hose

Josiah · Apr 3, 2018

I remember CD's....

ImaginaryDay2 · Apr 3, 2018

Josiah said:
I remember CD's....

Yeah, my car now was having an existential crisis when they built it - a CD player and an auxiliary jack, but no USB port.

Josiah · Apr 3, 2018

I remember when cell phones were just..... phones

They use to be flip things - reminded me of communicators on Star Trek.

ImaginaryDay2 · Apr 3, 2018

I still have one. It's for when I go to the States, and serves its purpose just fine

tango · Apr 3, 2018

ImaginaryDay2 said:
I still have one. It's for when I go to the States, and serves its purpose just fine

I use a smartphone that's not locked to any carrier so when I travel I just put a different SIM card in it and away I go.

tango · Apr 3, 2018

I remember learning to drive in a car with a 5-speed gearbox and my friends thinking I sounded snobbish because they were all learning with 4-speed boxes. Manual gearboxes, obviously

I remember cars not having seatbelts in the back at all.

I remember early days of online BBS when a modem might run at 1200/75 baud and the only way to connect it was to take the cover off the rotary phone and use crocodile clips (I think you call them alligator clips in the US)

I remember when it wasn't considered child abandonment if an 8-year-old walked the half mile to their friend's house. I used to do that all the time - we'd play in the neighbor's fields (with his permission) and it was like an exploration mission.

I remember when the choice of drink was orange squash or lemon squash, and boys would always drink lemon squash because it showed you were tough enough to deal with it.... choosing orange squash was equivalent to carrying a big sign saying you were a sissy. The things that matter when you're 7 years old....

Ruth · Apr 4, 2018

faramir.pete said:
Ruth, what a great topic. And you are right this is going to be very much dependent upon the age of folks.

For example I recall that the first home I lived in with my parents had no central heating, we relied entirely upon an open coal fire to heat the home and we had one in the lounge and a coal boiler in the kitchen to heat water.

I also recall my grandfather's house did not have a bathroom indoors. They had a outdoor privy and used to bath in the kitchen in a big zinc bath which was kept in the coal store!

Oh and I recall when people would have to go out to a telephone kiosk on the local street corner to telephone anyone too!

So I guess I am showing my age here! LOL

Pete from Peterborough UK

I am close to your age. Glad you like the topic! Wow, didn't know people relied on coal for heating.

Ruth · Apr 4, 2018

Josiah said:
I remember CD's....

Hey, I still listen to cds on my old but powerful stereo!

Ruth · Apr 4, 2018

ImaginaryDay2 said:
Do you remember (some might not) riding with mom or dad listening to an old 8-Track? Our favorites were 'Abbey Road' and some random Johnny Cash. CCR was on the list, too

I recall as an adult listening to new 8 tracks. Whatever happened to them anyways?

NewCreation435 · Apr 4, 2018

Ruth said:
I am close to your age. Glad you like the topic! Wow, didn't know people relied on coal for heating.

I know several people who use wood burning stoves to keep their house warm still today.

Chat Do You Remember?

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