The Over 40 Crowd

[Sammy]

If you are 40, or older, you might think this is hilarious!

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were. When they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning.... Uphill... Barefoot...BOTH ways. yadda, yadda, yadda

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on my kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it!

But now that I'm over the ripe old age of forty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today. You've got it so easy! I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a Utopia!
And I hate to say it, but you kids today, you don't know how good you've got it!

I mean, when I was a kid we didn't have the Internet. If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!!

There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter - with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox, and it would take like a week to get there! Stamps were 10 cents!

Child Protective Services didn't care if our parents beat us. As a matter of fact, the parents of all my friends also had permission to kick our butts! Nowhere was safe!

There were no MP3's or Napsters or iTunes! If you wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the record store and shoplift it yourself!

Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio, and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and mess it all up! There were no CD players! We had tape decks in our car. We'd play our favorite tape and "eject" it when finished, and then the tape would come undone rendering it useless. Cause, hey, that's how we rolled, Baby! Dig?

We didn't have fancy stuff like Call Waiting! If you were on the phone and somebody else called, they got a busy signal, that's it!

There weren't any cell phones either. If you left the house, you just didn't make a call or receive one. You actually had to be out of touch with your "friends". OH MY GOD !!! Think of the horror... not being in touch with someone 24/7!!! And then there's TEXTING. Yeah, right. Please! You kids have no idea how annoying you are.

And we didn't have fancy Caller ID either! When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your parents, your boss, the collection agent... you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances, mister!

We didn't have any fancy PlayStation or Xbox video games with high-resolution 3-D graphics! We had the Atari 2600! With games like 'Space Invaders' and 'Asteroids'. Your screen guy was a little square! You actually had to use your imagination!!! And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen... Forever! And you could never win. The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died! Just like LIFE!

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on! You were screwed when it came to channel surfing! You had to get up and walk over to the TV to change the channel!!! NO REMOTES!!! Oh, no, what's the world coming to?!?!

There was no Cartoon Network either! You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning. Do you hear what I'm saying? We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons, you spoiled little brats!

And we didn't have microwaves. If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove! Imagine that!

And our parents told us to stay outside and play... all day long. Oh, no, no electronics to soothe and comfort. And if you came back inside... you were doing chores!

And car seats - oh, please! Mom threw you in the back seat and you hung on. If you were lucky, you got the "safety arm" across the chest at the last moment if she had to stop suddenly, and if your head hit the dashboard, well that was your fault for calling "shot gun" in the first place!

See! That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled rotten! You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1970 or any time before!


Regards,
The Over 40 Crowd

[Befferz]

I'm not even close to 40, and I can relate to all of that. Now I feel really old.

[dancinmama]

There was no cable TV. You had ABC, NBC, and CBS - that was about it and it was in black and white!!

There were no DVRs or VCRs. If your favorite show was on and you missed it, you missed it.

There was no selection of movies (DVDs) to watch at any time that you wanted.

There was no such thing as a calculator. You used pencil, paper, and what you learned in math class.

Phones were not push button; they were rotary dial.

Cars did not have electric windows or locks.

There were no such things as automatic drip coffee pots. You either percolated ground coffee (took quite a while) or you drank instant.

If you were writing a paper for school, you printed it by hand or typed it on a typewriter.

There were no digital clocks.

I'm sure there's a ton more that I'm not thinking of.

[Loopdilou]

Wow you people are old.

(that said, I totally miss pong and space invaders... atari rulez)

[ummboutthat]

Things Babies Born in 2011 will never know
by Stacy Johnson

Wednesday, January 5, 2011
provided by


Huffington Post recently put up a story called You're Out: 20 Things That Became Obsolete This Decade. It's a great retrospective on the technology leaps we've made since the new century began, and it got me thinking about the difference today's technology will make in the lives of tomorrow's kids.

I've used some of their ideas and added some of my own to make the list below: Do you think kids born in 2011 will recognize any of the following?

Video tape: Starting this year, the news stories we produce here at Money Talks have all been shot, edited, and distributed to TV stations without ever being on any kind of tape. Not only that, the tape-less broadcast camera we use today offers much higher quality than anything that could have been imagined 10 years ago -- and cost less than the lens on the camera we were using previously.

Travel agents: While not dead today, this profession is one of many that's been decimated by the Internet. When it's time for their honeymoon, will those born in 2011 be able to find one?

The separation of work and home: When you're carrying an email-equipped computer in your pocket, it's not just your friends who can find you -- so can your boss. For kids born this year, the wall between office and home will be blurry indeed.

Books, magazines, and newspapers: Like video tape, words written on dead trees are on their way out. Sure, there may be books -- but for those born today, stores that exist solely to sell them will be as numerous as record stores are now.

Movie rental stores: You actually got in your car and drove someplace just to rent a movie?

Watches: Maybe as quaint jewelry, but the correct time is on your smartphone, which is pretty much always in your hand.


©Will D/flickr
Paper maps: At one time these were available free at every gas station. They're practically obsolete today, and the next generation will probably have to visit a museum to find one.

Wired phones: Why would you pay $35 every month to have a phone that plugs into a wall? For those born today, this will be a silly concept.

Long distance: Thanks to the Internet, the days of paying more to talk to somebody in the next city, state, or even country are limited.

Newspaper classifieds: The days are gone when you have to buy a bunch of newsprint just to see what's for sale.

Dial-up Internet: While not everyone is on broadband, it won't be long before dial-up Internet goes the way of the plug-in phone.

Encyclopedias: Imagine a time when you had to buy expensive books that were outdated before the ink was dry. This will be a nonsense term for babies born today.

Forgotten friends: Remember when an old friend would bring up someone you went to high school with, and you'd say, "Oh yeah, I forgot about them!" The next generation will automatically be in touch with everyone they've ever known even slightly via Facebook.

Forgotten anything else: Kids born this year will never know what it was like to stand in a bar and incessantly argue the unknowable. Today the world's collective knowledge is on the computer in your pocket or purse. And since you have it with you at all times, why bother remembering anything?

The evening news: The news is on 24/7. And if you're not home to watch it, that's OK -- it's on the smartphone in your pocket.

CDs: First records, then 8-track, then cassette, then CDs -- replacing your music collection used to be an expensive pastime. Now it's cheap(er) and as close as the nearest Internet connection.

Film cameras: For the purist, perhaps, but for kids born today, the word "film" will mean nothing. In fact, even digital cameras -- both video and still -- are in danger of extinction as our pocket computers take over that function too.

[Minivans Making a Comeback]

Yellow and White Pages: Why in the world would you need a 10-pound book just to find someone?

Catalogs: There's no need to send me a book in the mail when I can see everything you have for sale anywhere, anytime. If you want to remind me to look at it, send me an email.

Fax machines: Can you say "scan," ".pdf" and "email?"

One picture to a frame: Such a waste of wall/counter/desk space to have a separate frame around each picture. Eight gigabytes of pictures and/or video in a digital frame encompassing every person you've ever met and everything you've ever done -- now, that's efficient. Especially compared to what we used to do: put our friends and relatives together in a room and force them to watch what we called a "slide show" or "home movies."

Wires: Wires connecting phones to walls? Wires connecting computers, TVs, stereos, and other electronics to each other? Wires connecting computers to the Internet? To kids born in 2011, that will make as much sense as an electric car trailing an extension cord.

Hand-written letters: For that matter, hand-written anything. When was the last time you wrote cursive? In fact, do you even know what the word "cursive" means? Kids born in 2011 won't -- but they'll put you to shame on a tiny keyboard.

Talking to one person at a time: Remember when it was rude to be with one person while talking to another on the phone? Kids born today will just assume that you're supposed to use texting to maintain contact with five or six other people while pretending to pay attention to the person you happen to be physically next to.

Retirement plans: Yes, Johnny, there was a time when all you had to do was work at the same place for 20 years and they'd send you a check every month for as long as you lived. In fact, some companies would even pay your medical bills, too!

[Watch: Toddler Can Name U.S. Presidents]

Mail: What's left when you take the mail you receive today, then subtract the bills you could be paying online, the checks you could be having direct-deposited, and the junk mail you could be receiving as junk email? Answer: A bloated bureaucracy that loses billions of taxpayer dollars annually.

Commercials on TV: They're terrifically expensive, easily avoided with DVRs, and inefficiently target mass audiences. Unless somebody comes up with a way to force you to watch them -- as with video on the Internet -- who's going to pay for them?

Commercial music radio: Smartphones with music-streaming programs like Pandora are a better solution that doesn't include ads screaming between every song.


Hiding: Not long ago, if you didn't answer your home phone, that was that -- nobody knew if you were alive or dead, much less where you might be. Now your phone is not only in your pocket, it can potentially tell everyone -- including advertisers -- exactly where you are.

[Loopdilou]

Jan 10, 2011 23:54:32 GMT -5 @missmargarita said:

Bite me Loop!

[Peace Of Mind]

Loopy! You need to be nice and respect your elders!!

[Loopdilou]

Oh please. You people aren't even verging on decrepit yet.. I don't respect elders until they're on their deathbed.

Or if they gain respect for some reason other than, "I've been on earth longer than you."

[Peace Of Mind]

Jan 11, 2011 0:45:43 GMT -5 Loopdilou said:

Oh please. You people aren't even verging on decrepit yet.. I don't respect elders until they're on their deathbed.

Or if they gain respect for some reason other than, "I've been on earth longer than you."

I don't know... with the state of affairs we've been in lately that's a pretty big accomplishment.

[TD2K]

Nibble me Loop!!!

[Loopdilou]

Oooo.. too bad I don't have a nibbling emote handy or I totally would.

And you may have a point there, POM. Stupid world.

[ktunes]

this song sums it up pretty well...

[DebMD (banned)]

There were no microwave ovens to cook our food 40 yrs ago

[suzwantstobefree]

And there were stryofoam containers We didn't know how much we were damaging the enviroment.

[DebMD (banned)]

And 'pampers' weren't around then.

[suzwantstobefree]

But we actually ate dinner together too. If it took an hour to make dinner then we would eat it together. And no TV while we ate!!!

[Deleted]

My oldest son in college and my 10 year old live and breathe technology. My eldest son tells I don't type..I peck. My 10 yr old is always showing off his big brain. They've grown up with all this technology, I had to adapt. It isn't easy.

[lisabelle]

We were much more active and played outside all summer long - sports, biking, swimming etc. and I don't recall too many kids overweight due to how active we all were.

[Anne_in_VA]

Remember party lines? You didn't have a dedicated phone, but shared a line with your neighbors. Each home had a type of ring and you were only supposed to answer if your's rang. There were no private telephone conversations, since the rest of the homes on the party line could pick up and listen in on any call.

No street lights either in the suburbs (this was the mid to late 50's). I lived in a suburb of a fairly large city but we didn't have street lights. Boy was it dark!

[Deleted]

There were Pampers 40 years ago. There were Pampers very early in the 60s, but they were just about useless because when they got wet, they shredded.

A Diaper Genie was the mom...rinse diapers in the commode, wring 'em out, toss 'em in a covered diaper pail until there were enough to launder. It was necessary to have three or four dozen cloth diapers if there was a baby in the family.

It took a while for Madison Avenue to figure out that frozen food or any food in a box that merely required water and maybe an egg or some oil had to be advertised as good for you rather than easy or convenient. The Lady of the House didn't want to be seen as too lazy to cook from scratch.

[lisabelle]

OMG Anne - I exalt you! I forgot about party lines.

[Deleted]

Wow! Ann, you must have lived in a city. We didn't have dial phones. We picked up the phone and the operator said "Number, please." We thought we were really modern when we went from a 12-party line to only six, then down to four, then two. If we wanted to talk to somebody on our line, we answered with the letter suffix when the operator wanted the number. "M on this line, please."

Lots of people were on party lines because private lines were too pricey. We were on a party line because it was the only service we could get living on the edge of town.

[kimber45]

Yep, I am definitely in the over 40 crowd, I can remember all that stuff quite well.

[Miss Tequila]

LMAO!! Sam, these were hysterical and so true...

[Deleted]

Jan 11, 2011 6:36:05 GMT -5 @suzwantstobefree said:

But we actually ate dinner together too. If it took an hour to make dinner then we would eat it together. And no TV while we ate!!!

We do this now (under 40 ) because that's the way I grew up and think it's important!

[TrixAre4Kids]

Y'all forgot PACMAN?!?!?!?!?!?

[BeenThere...DoneThat...]

...I still have a tape deck in my car...

[ken a.k.a OMK]

My parents didn't lock the doors. We walked everywhere.

[bean29]

Wired phones: Why would you pay $35 every month to have a phone that plugs into a wall? For those born today, this will be a silly concept.

Read more: notmsnmoney.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=fun&action=display&thread=1378&page=1#ixzz1Aktelijh

This reminds me I soo need to cancel my land line I think $35 is about $5 less than Time Warner is charging me. No one but telemarketers calls on the land line anyways.

Oh, and My (2003) car has a CD/cassette combo too. Does that mean I deserve a newer model?

[ken a.k.a OMK]

Car radios were AM only and had 1 speaker.