The next generation...

[EricKei]

I made the mistake of letting my mind wander a few minutes ago. Now that I've released the hounds and I'm sure that they'll have it back soon enough, I was wondering...

Once the current "kids" generation (10 and under) reach the point where they have kids and teens, will they know the meaning of terms like...?

...roll up a window?

...dial a phone?

...curl up with a [paper-based] book?

...rent a video at the store (as opposed to downloading)?

...pop a top (not many these days seem to remember that)?

...go visit (in person)?

...pick up a newspaper/magazine?

Any others?

[PawnPrincess Ardra]

... go outside and play? LOL

[sms001]

I think about this regarding song lyrics quite often. Jim Croce's tagline in "Operator" springs to mind: "...you can keep the dime...." means nothing to someone who (if they've even SEEN a payphone) can't imagine it costing ten cents.

More as they come to me.

[MoonCat]

Anyone else remember the Bloom County strip in which Binkley asks his dad, "What does it mean, to 'wind a watch'?"

[Chanlin]

'wind a watch'?"

HOLY CRAP you can wind them?

I kid, my parents have an old style cuckoo clock that is wonderfully awesome

[EricKei]

Anyone else remember the Bloom County strip in which Binkley asks his dad, "What does it mean, to 'wind a watch'?"

That was actually my inspiration for this. I was so glad when the collected editions came out (similar to what peanuts has been doing for years now, different publisher)

It's my understanding that Breathed waited so long to pull the trigger because he was afraid that nobody would get the references (especially political ones)...Tho, ya know, the longer you wait, the more true that tends to become ^_^

[telecom_goddess]

Turning a dial on a tv (or anything for that matter) ...they won't know what it's like to even have a house phone anymore. It's all cell phones now.

"what, phones used to have cords?".....sigh.

My kids don't know what records are like really. They've seen them packed in boxes.

[Bandit]

It's actually here now.

I have a niece and nephew who get really confused when they are here - I have not only a rotary phone but also records.

It's a constant source of amusement to their grandmother and I.

Mind you they beat the crap out of me on Guitar Hero, so I guess it could be called even.

B

[EricKei]

My kids don't know what records are like really..

I do know that the recording industry at least made a token effort to revive LP's a year or three back -- BigYellowTag had a kiosk up front full of modern re-releases...Which really just makes me suspicious that they're using digital audio as the source material, and thus, eliminating the "warm" sound that is vinyl's main advantage >_<

On the other hand, you can get a decent-quality vinyl-to-USB converter turntable these days for maybe a hundred bucks.

<public service announcement> Just...don't use VBR when setting the bit rate. Ever. No excuses. Nor MP3 or something else compressed for the "archival" format. Save to WAV (redbook audio) at the maximum available bitrate, or FLAC, then convert the songs you want on your ipod or whatever to decent MP3's. </psa>

[bhskittykatt]

It's actually here now.

I have a niece and nephew who get really confused when they are here - I have not only a rotary phone but also records.

BFF recently had to get an LP from the University library for a class for some reason. They keep their LPs down in the closed stacks. When she asked for assistance to get them, the student clerk had absolutely no clue what my BFF was talking about! The clerk ended up finding someone else who knew what an LP record was.

[tropicsgoddess]

Playing vinyl records or cassette tapes

connecting to the internet via dial up

having a cellphone that only was for calling and texting only

using or calling a pager/beeper

using a non-GUI operating system (cough cough Windows 3.1)

[Becks]

I do know that the recording industry at least made a token effort to revive LP's a year or three back

Metallica's always re-releasing stuff on vinyl, bless their hearts.

[Mytical]

Lets see..I remember before tv (ok tv's were out, but too poor to own one..so listened to things like "The Shadow" on radio). Didn't even have a wall phone till I was 13 I think. Remember when computers took up entire rooms, even used one of the ones that had punch cards. ((Today something the size of a cell phone is MUCH stronger then the 'super computers' of those days...makes me wonder what a supercomputer now would be capable of (ie a single computer using todays tech that takes up an entire room). The mind boggles.)) Still board games around, so can't count that...hmmm

I'll have to think of some others..lol Oh wait. 8-track. Those were fun. Vinyl (of course). Ah..here is a good one, though a few purest still use them)...type writer ribbons. Messy things those.

[sms001]

Bloom County strip in which ....

& EricKei

All of 'em, afai can tell:

http://www.gocomics.com/bloomcounty/1980/12/08

[wolfie]

...they won't know what it's like to even have a house phone anymore. It's all cell phones now.

"what, phones used to have cords?".....sigh.

Did anyone else see the "start of the story" movie from the new (a.k.a. "Starbuck is a woman") version of Battlestar Galactica? People on a tour of the BSG museum are shown ancient artifacts like "phones with cords".

Another one that the next generation might ask "Why do people call them 18-wheelers?"

With wide-base singles (such as the X-One) becoming more common, it will probably be less than a generation before standard (i.e. 5 axle) big rigs have only 10 wheels.