Remember the flip phone, cassette and pager? Yeah… now they’re just technologies that you used to know.
Now Ancient Technologies That You Use To Know
Let’s give a look at technologies of the past. You know those tech that made us go WOW. That same technology that we now look back on and think – OMG REMEMBER HOW MUCH THAT SUCKED. Yes, times have changed. Kids today wouldn’t know what to do if they were taken back to the 90’s.
America Online
Anyone remember the days of America Online? Before the internet as we know it, many of us used this service to log on, surf and meet people.
AOL was the match.com before dating websites. It was the craigslist before marketplace listings. AOL was the chat before AIM. It was the Facebook before Facebook. Now? Now AOL is aol.com, nothing like it use to be an sure to be extinct.
Gone are the days of receiving AOL CDs in the mail. RIP AOL!
Web TV
Remember Web TV? Created in 1995, there were high hopes that this would revolutionize the internet and move internet to the television.
Yeah, it never seemed to work. Microsoft purchased and Web TV was renamed to MSN TV.
image via wikipedia
Cue Cat
Cue cat anyone? Anyone remember this barcode scanner debuted in 1999. Digital Convergence Company had big plans with this device, but ultimately it ended up flopping.
Special barcodes were placed through-out magazines, you would scan and then be taken to a URL. Sounds a little like QR codes, right? Good idea, before it’s time.
image via wikipedia
Zip Drives
I recall having to purchase one of these for my first college design class. The Iomega Zip Drives could hole massive *insert modern eye roll* amounts of data. How massive?
We’re talking a *insert another eye roll* whopping 100 mg! Later versions could hold up to 750 mg. Yes, 1000 mg is 1 gig and yes 1 gig storage devices are now the size of my pinky.
You can file floppy drives under this as well.
Tube Televisions
Kids, before we had the sleek 1 inch thin LED televisions that we have today, we had lovely tube TVs.
These massive televisions weighed a ton and required a table to hold them (**exaggeration** for those folks who only see black and white). Today you can hang your tv on the wall. These tv’s required shelves to hold them up. Goodbye heavy televisions with crappy picture quality!
Pager or Beeper
Last but not least, the beloved pager or beeper. Who remembers beeping your friend so that they would call you back.
I will say, up until a few years ago I remember seeing doctors still using beepers. I was shocked but it was an efficient way to talk to a doctor without fuss (so said my OBGYN.) Surely in 2024 this technology is extinct!
What Technology Is Next To Be Something That You Use To Know?
