One generation away, teens react to Windows 95

[Timewalker]

Bravo! I knew there had to be more pay phones in Canada!

And honestly, is there anyone posting in this thread who hasn't seen Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure? It's got a phone booth in it.

For the Red Green fans, there's an episode where Red Green tries to make an old phone booth into an elevator (with mixed results).

 

[Amaris]

OK, it turns out that I had to run out tonight to go pick someone up. So I snapped these pics (with my cell phone, oh teh ironeez!) so that all of you who haven't seen a payphone in decades can marvel at the technology of a bygone era!

This is at the variety store at the end of my street. (I drive by here all the time, and still forgot that there's not just one phone... there are two!)

And then not more than three minutes of driving later, I noticed a phone outside this store too. (Sorry about the image; the store was closed so all the parking lot lights were off.)

Is it possible that those of you who say that there are no payphones around, just aren't really seeing them because you don't need to look for them? Our minds and senses do tend to gloss over details that aren't important to us...

Of the three towns in which I travel most often (including the one in which I live), there are none. I know where 5 used to be, but when you go to each location, all you'll find is an empty shell and a bundle of wires.

 

[Tesophius]

I did some research and found out that they do exist in my city, so I admit I was wrong, I guess my brain just ignores them as irrelevant information, kind of like it does with ads. There's one actually 6 blocks away from me, I found it on google streetview. Maybe they don't stand out because they're not actual old school phonebooths, but kind of half-booths.

 

[Tesophius]

The anecdote about children not knowing how to turn physical pages reminded me of a scene I saw two years ago. Some guy (not a child) walked up to a tv and started tapping on it with his fingers, I was intrigued and observed him for a few seconds, soon I realized that he thought the tv had a touch-screen, which it didn't. Just goes to show you that people of all ages now automatically assume that every surface is touch-screen, it was pretty funny. Since then I've seen kids assume that computer monitors were touch-screen too. Some of them are, but it's funny that there are people that by default assume that every surface is responsive to their fingers.

 

[urbandefault]

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[publiusr]

I haven't seen a physical payphone in my area in quite a few years. g.

2600 magazine--the zine for hackers (all the old zine's like Fact-Sheet Five have gone away) has lots of pics of pay-phones the world over. http://2600-magazine.myshopify.com/

The anecdote about children not knowing how to turn physical pages reminded me of a scene I saw two years ago. Some guy (not a child) walked up to a tv and started tapping on it with his fingers, I was intrigued and observed him for a few seconds, soon I realized that he thought the tv had a touch-screen, which it didn't. Just goes to show you that people of all ages now automatically assume that every surface is touch-screen,

I was worse. For some reason, I wondered why there were no toys like today's drones back in the early 70's.
That and I seemed to think 3D printing was around back then.

I saw some of the early copiers were called duplicators and some had huge tubs the light slides across.

In my minds eye--this was a slit scan device--and that I could put an AMT Enterprise model in in somehow--and then I would have two of them.

I thought copiers were for paper--and duplicators were for objects.

Man--did Star Trek ever spoil me as a child. I knew I would never live to see the Enterprise--but communicators --I figured they would come.

Ironically--now that I could buy a cell phone or a tablet--I don't want either. Go figure.

I go to the library--browse the internet awhile--and that's all the on-line anything I want.

 

[Kemaiku]

I don't *want* to see them. Every one I have had the unfortunate luck to walk anywhere near in England and NI has just been a public restroom for the last few years, smashed glass, vegetation growing through it etc

It's why they dug most of them up in the UK.

 

[Kor]

Is it possible that those of you who say that there are no payphones around, just aren't really seeing them because you don't need to look for them? Our minds and senses do tend to gloss over details that aren't important to us...

When I see a real, live payphone, I tend to turn my head and stare at it for a while because it's becoming so uncommon. I definitely don't gloss over it.

The urban university campus I attended ten years ago had several payphones. You could pay either by coin or credit card. Once in a while they would ring, which I always thought was really weird. I suspect they were being used for drug deals.

If anyone is curious about where payphones still exist in their area, there are a couple websites that list payphone locations. I'm not sure how current the information is, though.
http://www.payphone-project.com/numbers/
www.payphone-directory.org/

Kor

 

[Amaris]

Indeed, and going by those sites we are a barren wasteland.
Yeah, if I see a payphone, I have to stop and stare for a moment, because it's like seeing a unicorn. If I *do* eventually find one around here (not likely), I'll snap a picture of it.

 

[Avro Arrow]

This does appear that maybe it's a "Canada vs. the rest of the world" thing. Is it perhaps because, since our cell phone charges are among the highest in the developed world, that our cell phone adoption rates are maybe lower? Or perhaps because Bell has a monopoly, they don't mind having payphones everywhere, even if they're losing money on them?

When I was out today, I started paying more attention, and saw three other payphones. (Didn't have time to stop for pics, sorry.) One was at another variety store, one was at a grocery store, and the third was at the gas station closest to me. The one at the gas station is about a two or three minute walk from the one at the variety store that I posted the pic of last night. To be honest, I didn't even clue in before that this one was even there, and I drive by it all the time too.

So in my immediate area, at least, payphones seem to be as ubiquitous now as they ever were.

One question keeps coming to mind, though: for those of you with no access to a landline... how exactly do you get out of the Matrix??

 

[Timewalker]

The anecdote about children not knowing how to turn physical pages reminded me of a scene I saw two years ago. Some guy (not a child) walked up to a tv and started tapping on it with his fingers, I was intrigued and observed him for a few seconds, soon I realized that he thought the tv had a touch-screen, which it didn't. Just goes to show you that people of all ages now automatically assume that every surface is touch-screen, it was pretty funny. Since then I've seen kids assume that computer monitors were touch-screen too. Some of them are, but it's funny that there are people that by default assume that every surface is responsive to their fingers.

The only time I touch any screen around here is to clean it of cat hair, dust, or if I accidentally sneeze on it (exception: my Kindle). None of my computers have touch screens, the TV doesn't, and even with my Kindle, I use a stylus instead of getting fingerprints all over it.

This does appear that maybe it's a "Canada vs. the rest of the world" thing. Is it perhaps because, since our cell phone charges are among the highest in the developed world, that our cell phone adoption rates are maybe lower? Or perhaps because Bell has a monopoly, they don't mind having payphones everywhere, even if they're losing money on them?

The expense is definitely the biggest barrier to my getting one. My landline isn't anything fancy - I bought it several years ago at Walmart, for less than $20. The sales clerk tried to steer me to an "inexpensive" phone set costing nearly $100 even after I told her how cash-strapped I was and that the only reason I was buying a phone at all was because my previous one had just died, and she claimed that they didn't sell the kind I wanted. So I told her I'd look around myself, and sure enough, I found exactly what I was looking for, in the next aisle. I went back to her, waved it under her nose, and said, "Here's the phone you told me you don't sell."

The other reason I'm in no hurry to get one is that I can't figure out what I'd actually do with it. Sure, it would be fun to take pictures of interesting things, and it would be handy to be able to call a cab or anyone else if an emergency came up... but the truth is that I use the phone so rarely that I usually keep it off the hook to avoid the telemarketers. I use it for outgoing calls, or put it back on the hook when I'm expecting a call. Anyone else who needs to contact me can do so via email. That's more reliable anyway, since I spend most of my day online and they can let me know exactly why they're contacting me. Since my phone doesn't have an answering machine and I never subscribed to an answering service, any missed call means they have to either try again or give up.

 

[Tesophius]

I was worse. For some reason, I wondered why there were no toys like today's drones back in the early 70's.
That and I seemed to think 3D printing was around back then.

I saw some of the early copiers were called duplicators and some had huge tubs the light slides across.

In my minds eye--this was a slit scan device--and that I could put an AMT Enterprise model in in somehow--and then I would have two of them.

I thought copiers were for paper--and duplicators were for objects.

Man--did Star Trek ever spoil me as a child. I knew I would never live to see the Enterprise--but communicators --I figured they would come.

Ironically--now that I could buy a cell phone or a tablet--I don't want either. Go figure.

I go to the library--browse the internet awhile--and that's all the on-line anything I want.

That's a great story, thanks for sharing, made me giggle. I can definitely relate, as I've always been a bit of a futurist and often knew of the technologies that were coming in the coming years/decades, and often felt anxious that they haven't arrived yet and then when they did, I felt annoyed when everyone acted so surprised when they were out. It's not that hard to envision the future, what's being experimented with in the labs today, is going to hit the market in 10 years.

Like the paper-thin, flexible displays, which will allow you to purchase just one newspaper and to subscribe to various papers with it, I just know that when it hits the markets, the general population will assume that it was inspired by the Harry Potter movie, but it's been in development for at least 15 years.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I don't know how I feel about this, I need an old people react to young people reacting to old technology video to help me.

 

[Timewalker]

I don't know how I feel about this, I need an old people react to young people reacting to old technology video to help me.

That's what you're getting from some of us now, just without the video - not that we're old old, just older people who have clear memories of the pre-personal computer/pre-internet world and managed to get along just fine.

 

[MacLeod]

I have two pay phones in opposite directions that take less than five minutes to walk to.

 

[stardream]

I'm not one for nostalgia or looking back but I couldn't help but be reminded of our old faithful Commodore 64. We jumped on the PC wagon as soon as we could and have never looked back. Our kids have never known a time when there wasn't a computer in the house. For a long time it was in a common area of the house and then it progressed to the point where if they wanted one they built their own. Then we all graduated to laptops and yes right now mine has a touchscreen.

One thing I remember vividly when we first went online (the old dial up thing) is my sister-in-law, a BIG Elvis fan wanted me to print out a copy of his will. I have no idea why...

But on the opposite side of the fence it amuses me when 'young people' assume that because you look to be a 'certain' age that you know nothing about computers or going online. Heh....

Now as far as phones go at the moment I just have a flip phone. I have a PC, Galaxy tablet and Kindle (some of these things were gifts). A smart phone seems like overkill but I know eventually I'll assimilate.

 

[Timewalker]

I found out yesterday that one of the members of my Doctor Who forum still uses dial up.

 

[Kor]

Even if you don't make a lot of calls, cell phones offer the convenience of SMS messaging.

In the US, a basic smart phone can be obtained for about $100. I use mine for such diverse things as navigating with Google maps, browsing the web, and online shopping while I am out and about. I would rather keep using the cell phone for such things than spring for a tablet and have yet another device to carry around.

Kor

 

[Amaris]

Even if you don't make a lot of calls, cell phones offer the convenience of SMS messaging.

In the US, a basic smart phone can be obtained for about $100. I use mine for such diverse things as navigating with Google maps, browsing the web, and online shopping while I am out and about. I would rather keep using the cell phone for such things than spring for a tablet and have yet another device to carry around.

Kor

Less than $35 if you shop on Amazon.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

I remember moving from Dos4 to 95, and being totally amazed that there was a full music video from the Wheezers on it, i played it that many times that i think i wore down the CD. lol

Little known fact, if you sit between two of these old CRT monitors you will go invisible, but just be careful they don't get two close to each other other or they will explode, cutting you off from ever becoming visible again.