Obsolete tech: 40 things on their way out
21. Dialing on a Rotary Phone
Status: Nearly deceased
The ease of touchtone dialing has made active use of rotary phones a novelty, though it isn't clear whether those old Bell Telephone models will ever become truly rare, since they were built to withstand thermonuclear attack. In any case, mimes may never let the motion go from their repertoire.
22. Storing Data on a Floppy Disk
Status: Nearly deceased
A disk with 1.44MB of storage? Shyeah, right. The once-standard protocol for storing and transferring data seems puny by today's file-size standards. (And don't even get started with the truly floppy 5.25-inch variety.) Few new PCs are being built with floppy disk drives anymore; and as a result, the era of the A:\ prompt is in its twilight. As for the Zip drive, Iomega may still say it sells 'em -- but is anyone buying it?
23. Booting Up to a C:\ Prompt
Status: Nearly deceased
DOS, we'll always fondly remember seeing your blinking prompt upon boot-up. Rest in peace, dear friend.
24. Typing on an Old-School Word Processor
Status: Deceased
Let's face it: Doogie Howser wouldn't have been nearly as endearing if he had typed his nightly journal on Microsoft Office 2010. But boy, that plain blue-and-white screen just screams "1991."
25. Having Your Mobile Phone Attached to Your Car
Status: Deceased
I remember those early mobile phones that mechanics installed in people's cars. What I can't remember, though, is what today's important-looking Bluetooth-always-in-the-ear guys did to make themselves look like tools back then.
26. Putting in a Videotape to Watch a Movie
Status: On life support
Dearly beloved, we gather here today to mourn the passing of VHS. The lucky twin of the long-deceased Betamax (whose cause of death remains a source of controversy decades later), VHS gave us hours of videotape-watching enjoyment -- and almost as many hours of trying to adjust the blasted tracking knob to get a steady picture.
27. Holding Up a Lighter at a Concert
Status: Showing signs of illness
Listening to a power ballad in a dimly lit stadium without a sea of gently undulating lighters for company is like spending time at Twitter without a sea of social media experts offering their insights and informed criticism: Something about it doesn't feel right. Sure, holding up thousands of illuminated cell phones might be safer -- but even if the phones have virtual lighter apps installed, it just isn't the same.
28. Watching a Movie on a Laser Disc
Status: Deceased
The only proof that anyone ever actually watched movies on laser disc is the (at this writing) 5282 entries posted on eBay by people trying to dump their LDs. But whether fact or fiction, the technology is definitely obsolete now.
29. Using Proper Grammar and Punctuation
Status: On life support
txting and iming has made proper grammar seems kinda old skoo, dont u thnk? heres hoping 4 capitalization & punctuation 2 make a comeback in emails & other writing. the gr8 gatsby probly wuld hv been way less gr8 if it wuz written like this. lol
30. Getting a New Car With a Cigarette Lighter
Status: Showing signs of illness
Built-in cigarette lighters -- standard-issue accessories for many nicotine-friendly decades -- are losing favor among automobile manufacturers. In fact, most new cars today ship cigarette lighter-free, instead dedicating the ports to electronics charging.
31. Flipping On an Incandescent Light Bulb
Status: On life support
More and more nations are saying so long to the traditional incandescent light bulb and encouraging their citizens to use relatively ecology-friendly, energy-saving bulbs. Cartoon characters getting "bright ideas" have yet to adapt, however.
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