Defunct technology....

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I think it's important to distinguish between "desktop computers" and "any computer that happens to fit on a desktop". The kind of desktops that MIGHT happen to be less popular than usual are the real power machines, like the Power Macs. iMacs, on the other hand, are selling as well as ever. Those are not on the decline. IMHO.

 

[propita]

I think it's important to distinguish between "desktop computers" and "any computer that happens to fit on a desktop". The kind of desktops that MIGHT happen to be less popular than usual are the real power machines, like the Power Macs. iMacs, on the other hand, are selling as well as ever. Those are not on the decline. IMHO.

We just got an iMac. Hubby was tired of looking at a laptop screen, saying it tired his eyes. And two people can't look at one laptop screen as easily as they can a 27" monitor. He wanted an iMac, not just a monitor--and we no longer had a desktop at the time we bought this. Definitely not obsolete.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Another defunct idea is the multipurpose sports stadium.

You all know the kind I mean. The bland, soulless, 'cookie cutter' stadia that pretty much dominated professional sports in the 60's and 70's. I suppose they felt at the time that they had to build them that way (most cities were going through various financial crises) and that one stadium could support both sports. But we all know by now that is not possible. You try to build a stadium for both baseball and football, you end up with a piece of crap that isn't good for EITHER sport. Fortunately, most of the cookie cutters are gone now (except for the Oakland Coliseum and RFK Stadium, which probably soon will be).

 

[Mr. B]

Split Flap Displays

I really, really miss the sound of these in airports.

For about a second or two, anyway. Then I'm grateful for the relative peace and quiet. But the lack of their familiar noise in airports, train stations, and the like is so noticeable when you think about it for a moment.

The audible indication that they are being updated was a genuinely useful feature... and it just sounds cool.

 

[Holdfast]

Split Flap Displays

I really, really miss the sound of these in airports.

For about a second or two, anyway. Then I'm grateful for the relative peace and quiet. But the lack of their familiar noise in airports, train stations, and the like is so noticeable when you think about it for a moment.

The audible indication that they are being updated was a genuinely useful feature...

Yes and no. The updating was so frequent that you ended up bobbing your head up and down continuously in a Pavlovian manner each clickety-clacky cycle and most of the time the update wasn't relevant to you. But equally, having zero noise does increase the chances of missing something that is relevant, yes.

 

[the Dagman]

MD Data discs - I still have a digital 4-track mixer that uses them. It also can use the old MiniDiscs as well. But I can only get 2 tracks from those. The only thing it is good for now is as a pre-amp for my guitar since all the multi-track recording has gone to the computer.

 

[Mr. B]

This thread is going to get a lot more crowded if we allow all of Sony's failed storage mediums.

 

[the Dagman]

^ Well, my mixer is a Yamaha MD4. So there.

 

[Warped9]

The "Walkman." This portable cassette tape recorder with headphones was all the rage when I was in high school. Now my kid has an iPod Shuffle the size of his thumb that can hold hundreds of songs.

Actually if I'm not mistaken the current Sony Walkman is an MP3 player.

 

[STR]

The "Walkman." This portable cassette tape recorder with headphones was all the rage when I was in high school. Now my kid has an iPod Shuffle the size of his thumb that can hold hundreds of songs.

Actually if I'm not mistaken the current Sony Walkman is an MP3 player.

There's a difference between THE Walkman, and the current use of the word, which is a brand covering dozens of MP3 players and cellphone models, which all combined sell less than the antique model.

 

[TorontoTrekker]

So they do. Interesting. I wonder why Toronto still uses them. They're too easy to fake (i.e. 'slugs'), are inefficient to use (nowhere near as flexible as a card - no volume discounts), and who wants to carry all those things in their pocket?

They're working on introducing a smart card system which will also allow people to swipe their credit cards through the readers and be automatically billed for the price of one ride.

Personally, I would prefer to keep getting my monthly pass. I'm not sure I trust these systems enough to use my credit card, and remembering to fill a smart card at irregular intervals will be a pain. With a monthly pass, I know that I always have to buy one by the first of the month. I don't know if they're going to phase the passes out, though.

They're also introducing smart card technology on Mississauga Transit - several buses that I've been on recently have readers installed, though they're not usable yet. (Right now, you can only pay a fare on Mississauga Transit with cash or tickets - they don't even use tokens.)

 

[Miss Chicken]

They introduced Smart Cards on our buses last year and I really like the system.

I simply put $20 on my card when I have $20 spare. I simply hand the $20 over to the driver and I am paying $20 on I get a $5 bonus fares. $25 worth of fares usually lasts me about a month to six weeks.

 

[SVD]

Anyone think the wrist watch has peaked? I know I stopped wearing one about 5 years ago. Who needs it when you have a cellphone in your pocket?

Had my cell phone for 5 years, almost never will I leave home with out my wristwatch (On the wrist of my dominant, right hand)

How could I ever give up my landline? I need it to call my cellphone so I can find it when I misplace it.

Landlines come in handy like that, don't they?


Web Browsing I'm too much a trained lab rat to switch to the "apps on a smart phone" method.

I agree, the Desktop computer is fast becoming only for institutions and some end users where the computers need to stay put for community/specific use.

The growing majority of computer users (myself included) litke to cary their computer life with them on the go, therefore the Laptop is the way they're going.

 

[cyph]

The two-way pager. I understand that pagers are still used in some work industries, but the two-way pager, which was basically a text-messaging device, went out once text messaging plans became affordable.

But it was cool at the time. :-)

 

[Joshua Howard]

Web Browsing I'm too much a trained lab rat to switch to the "apps on a smart phone" method.

I agree, the Desktop computer is fast becoming only for institutions and some end users where the computers need to stay put for community/specific use.

The growing majority of computer users (myself included) litke to cary their computer life with them on the go, therefore the Laptop is the way they're going.

I naturally despise cell phones and any other such little devices that people cart around with them obsessively. I will always use desktop computers, and I refuse to switch or evolve.

 

[Warped9]

For an insane second when I saw landlines I thought I read land mines.

 

[Goliath]

Damn it--now I want a nice fountain pen.

They do make writing a pleasure.

Hmm. The Parker Cisele is a bit pricy for me--all that silver. But a black lacquer, chrome-trim Sonnet would suit both my tastes and my budget.

And now that I think about it--spending the money on a good pen that I will use for years makes sense.

I'll probably wind up saving money in the long run, by not having to replace disposable plastic pens. (I do go through a lot of pens) And I won't be adding those aforementioned disposables to the local landfill.

 

[Mary Ann]

Damn it--now I want a nice fountain pen.

They do make writing a pleasure.

Hmm. The Parker Cisele is a bit pricy for me--all that silver. But a black lacquer, chrome-trim Sonnet would suit both my tastes and my budget.

And now that I think about it--spending the money on a good pen that I will use for years makes sense.

I'll probably wind up saving money in the long run, by not having to replace disposable plastic pens. (I do go through a lot of pens) And I won't be adding those aforementioned disposables to the local landfill.

You can pick up a basic fountain pen for a comparatively cheap price. I never pay more than £20 at WHSmiths for my daughter's pen as she's your typically "reliable" 13-year-old. I wish I could use fountain pens, but I'm a left-hander with a strange pencil grip and I drag my hand over what I've just written, so I'd smear the ink. Goodness knows my handwriting would benefit from a good pen, so it's too bad.

 

[Marten]

The "Walkman." This portable cassette tape recorder with headphones was all the rage when I was in high school. Now my kid has an iPod Shuffle the size of his thumb that can hold hundreds of songs.

Actually if I'm not mistaken the current Sony Walkman is an MP3 player.

Where I'm from, they thought Walkman didn't sound good enough, and named it Freestyle.

Had a few when I was a kid.

 

[Robert Maxwell]

Are face clocks on the decline? I remember reading an essay by Isaac Asimov when I was a kid about how face clocks are fading out, and as a result people will eventually not know what expressions like "quarter past noon" mean.

There are some face clocks at my job and I still see them here and there but I also see a lot more digital clocks in public in places like train stations.