Things today's kids missed out on

[HighlanderNorth]

All pumps in Oregon are full service.

I lived in NJ at the beach in the 80's for a summer, and I was surprised to see that it was full service ONLY in NJ as well! By law you could not pump your own gas, but I dont know if thats still the case or not.

[jtr1962]

I was really young when my parents bought me a water rocket set. It was in 1974, and I was 6 years old. It was at the tail end of the Saturn V moon trips, and rockets and space were VERY big and in style at that time. So the set I had included 2 rockets. The larger one was a fully transparent red rocket in the shape of a NASA rocket, and the other was a smaller solid, non transparent rocket that was colored white, with black and some red stripes like a smaller scale Nasa rocket. The large red one was probably 2" in diameter and 18-20" tall, and the smaller one was around 14" tall and 1 1/4" diameter. I did a Google search but I didnt see them on page 1 there. There are these other, non-NASA looking water rockets there, but I dont remember them at all.

Aside from the 2 rockets, it came with a hand pump that had a sliding collar that connected to the nozzle at the bottom end of the rockets to hold them in place, air and water tight while they were being pumped up using the pumping handle. Then when you finished pumping, you simply slid the collar back which released the rocket. However, the more you pumped it, the harder it was to slide the collar back because of the additional pressure holding it in place.

Also unlike the water rockets shown around the internet, these were launched right from your hand instead of remotely, so that you were sprayed with water as it accelerated upward! In other words, it wasnt a toy you played with in the middle of winter, because you got wet every time you launched it, which I assume was supposed to be part of the fun of it, especially on a hot summer day!

I know exactly what you're talking about. I had two water rocket sets as a kid (early 1970s). One of them looked exactly like the one on the far left in this picture. The other one was longer (can't find a pic), and I think it was two-stage. I don't recall if that worked all that well in practice. I do vividly remember that I could regularly get the rockets to go higher than the 6-story apartment building we lived in. It may not sound like much, but for a kid in the 1970s it was a pretty cool toy.

[mcnair55]

Real good old fashioned money,no plastic cards to get more from a hole in the wall.

[Monocrom]

All pumps in Oregon are full service.

So are all the pumps in New Jersey. But that's only because a bunch of safety Nazis in the state capitol decided that NJ residents are too stupid to pump their own gas.

[ElectronGuru]

In about 1985, my Dad bought my brother and I one of those early Atari computers for Christmas. At that time, the available computers included the Commodore Vic-20(?), the early Apple computer(McIntosh??), and 2 Atari computers, of which we had the cheaper one.

The white case vic 20 was first, followed by the dark gray cased 64, in the same form factor.

So are all the pumps in New Jersey. But that's only because a bunch of safety Nazis in the state capitol decided that NJ residents are too stupid to pump their own gas.

It was weird for me at first, but now prefer it. I believe here its a kind of jobs program, to help with chronic unemployment.

Something else weird, that I've also grown to prefer is 100%/automatic absentee voting. It comes without asking, you fill it out whenever you want (within a window of time), and drop it off or in the mail.

[Monocrom]

The job program is just a B.S. political excuse. The state politicians want to show they've done something to ease unemployment. But honestly, how much does a gas station attendant make?

[HighlanderNorth]

The white case vic 20 was first, followed by the dark gray cased 64, in the same form factor.




It was weird for me at first, but now prefer it. I believe here its a kind of jobs program, to help with chronic unemployment.

Something else weird, that I've also grown to prefer is 100%/automatic absentee voting. It comes without asking, you fill it out whenever you want (within a window of time), and drop it off or in the mail.

Without getting into a political discussion, I have heard(and seen) how the absentee ballot system can be manipulated. I think it should only be for people who are overseas in the military, or similar. Otherwise people should go to the polling place, show a legitimate ID, and vote. I was watching a special where this one lady was sending in absentee ballots for people who simply werent going to vote, so she just sent them all in, voting for the politicians that SHE wanted to be elected. It needs to always be one person, one vote(and provably so). It would be interesting to see how many absentee ballots were filled out by the same person, covertly hired by a particular politician or party. Remember Acorn in Ohio, who would also register a single person to vote repeatedly under different names, and one guy testified he was registered by them 86 times in the same place in Ohio!(Not to mention the 400,000 or so fraudulent voter registrations).


Those top tier 80's computers were pretty expensive as I recall. Like the Apple and the Commodore, etc. The Atari wasnt nearly that much because it didnt come with its own monitor as I recall.

[Empath]

Without getting into a political discussion, ...

You didn't succeed. Please take your political opinions to the Underground.

[nbp]

The job program is just a B.S. political excuse. The state politicians want to show they've done something to ease unemployment. But honestly, how much does a gas station attendant make?

Or, more importantly: how much will the cost of my gasoline go up on account of having to pay some guy to push the buttons for me.

[StarHalo]

Or, more importantly: how much will the cost of my gasoline go up on account of having to pay some guy to push the buttons for me.

An extra dollar a gallon at the Beverly Hills stations.

[ElectronGuru]

The job program is just a B.S. political excuse. The state politicians want to show they've done something to ease unemployment. But honestly, how much does a gas station attendant make?

Sorry, didn't mean to spark a political discussion. Everything I wrote is my own opinion. I have not read or heard anyone from any organization (public or private) with any information pertaining to my above examples.


Back on topic...

Paper based information storage. Black books, Rolodexes, card catalogs (made of actual cards).

[gadget_lover]

All pumps in Oregon are full service.

This is *without a doubt*, the most Interesting thing I've learned today ! ! !

_

Don't get too excited. It's not REAL full service. They will pump the gas, and take your money. They will sometimes clean the windows.

They have NEVER offered to check the water, the oil nor tire pressure in the 30 or 40 times I've driven through Oregon. The wipers are sometimes looked at but seldom mentioned. The muffler is never checked, and neither is the tread measured.

When I was a kid the local station did all of the above, and cleaned the headlights, tail-light and mirrors too. All for under 25 cents a gallon.

Dan

[gadget_lover]

Do kids still run to the new Telephone Directory to check out their listing? We used to do that. There would be choruses of "Found it!" and careful checking to see if it was spelled correctly and checking each digit to make sure it was correct.


In recent years I don't think we have even checked to see if we were listed. The book goes on the shelf and we toss the old one (un used) in the recycle bin.

Daniel

[EZO]

Do kids still run to the new Telephone Directory to check out their listing? We used to do that. There would be choruses of "Found it!" and careful checking to see if it was spelled correctly and checking each digit to make sure it was correct.


In recent years I don't think we have even checked to see if we were listed. The book goes on the shelf and we toss the old one (un used) in the recycle bin.

Daniel

The term "Let your fingers do the walking" seems to have a whole different meaning now. And even the fingers are different. It's thumbs now.

[StarHalo]

Do kids still run to the new Telephone Directory to check out their listing?

Kids don't see the point of phone books. And they wouldn't look up that tiny bit of data about themselves when they can look at their house on Google Earth, publish their thoughts and videos on Facebook and YouTube, etc.

[will]

In recent years I don't think we have even checked to see if we were listed. The book goes on the shelf and we toss the old one (un used) in the recycle bin.

Daniel

Phone books have become useless due to the number of people who only have cell phones. There are still folks out there that still have land lines, but that number decreases every year. Way back when, there was only one phone company in the area. They could provide a complete listing of everyone. Now - Verizon , ATT, Sprint and the list goes on. Yellow pages still exist, but they have an online version as well...

[Norm]

Public phone booths on street corners.



Norm

[Monocrom]

No phone booths, but there is a working payphone stand two miles from where I live.

I'm honestly amazed it's working.

[StarHalo]

If you look closely at the full-res image, the toaster in the front of the row is an all new model - the bread actually pops up out of it! What will they think of next?!

More info: The photo is of C. Schneider's Sons Electric Store in Washington, D.C., taken May 2nd, 1929.

About that new toaster; a crop from the full-res image:



It's a Toastmaster Model 1-A-1, new as of 1926, and here is the instruction card that came with it:







And this explains why, when watching TV shows from the 50's, the person making toast would use both hands to push down the lever for the toast - it's two levers and you have to press them both down to get the toaster to work.

[HighlanderNorth]

Don't get too excited. It's not REAL full service. They will pump the gas, and take your money. They will sometimes clean the windows.

They have NEVER offered to check the water, the oil nor tire pressure in the 30 or 40 times I've driven through Oregon. The wipers are sometimes looked at but seldom mentioned. The muffler is never checked, and neither is the tread measured.

When I was a kid the local station did all of the above, and cleaned the headlights, tail-light and mirrors too. All for under 25 cents a gallon.

Dan

I had forgotten all about the true "full service" phenomenon, but I do remember as a kid in the back seat of our '70 Olds Cutlass(with the Olds Rocket 350) or our slightly used '74 Lincoln Mark IV(with 460), and we'd stop by service stations and they'd offer to check your oil pretty much without fail as I recall, and they'd clean your windshield.

I dont think about it much anymore, but I dont recall seeing many pay phones these days, so thats something that the next generation are going to miss out on(poor them! LOL)

Dirt roads maybe? There were sill a few fully dirt roads here and there in the 70's and 80's, but they've all been paved years ago.

Building your own forts! We built several forts from ages 11-15 in different places. We also bought 2 forts from some older kids who were more knowledgeable about carpentry, and had more parent loaned money for lumber, so they got tired of 2 of them, moved on, and sold them to us for like $5 each.

Three wheelers. They were really fun, but were banned about 23 years ago due to a tendency to roll over diagonally forward, causing injury.

[jtr1962]

Dirt roads maybe? There were sill a few fully dirt roads here and there in the 70's and 80's, but they've all been paved years ago.

Actually, the way things are going as far as US infrastructure goes, I think dirt roads will become much more familiar to today's youth than they might have been even to people who are now senior citizens.

[EZO]

Dirt roads maybe? There were sill a few fully dirt roads here and there in the 70's and 80's, but they've all been paved years ago.

I live on a dirt road, a highly traveled and very well maintained one I might add. Many of us around here have made it a point through community wide balloting over decades now to avoid the unnecessary paving of roads for a number of good reasons. Millions and millions of people around the country also live quite happily out beyond where the pavement ends and for urbanites and suburbanites to assume that dirt roads are a relic of the past is an indication that they should get out and see more of the country. Glad your statement had a question mark at the end.

[StarHalo]

Johnny Carson.

(Did you hear the intro music when you read that?)

Word has it Jay Leno will be replaced by Jimmy Fallon next year.

[Cyclops942]

Johnny Carson.

(Did you hear the intro music when you read that?)

Word has it Jay Leno will be replaced by Jimmy Fallon next year.

I've never watched Jimmy Fallon, and I saw far more episodes of Johnny Carson than I ever have (or probably will) of Jay Leno. Jay's a nice enough fellow, but he's not Johnny Carson-- and nobody else could be.

[HighlanderNorth]

I live on a dirt road, a highly traveled and very well maintained one I might add. Many of us around here have made it a point through community wide balloting over decades now to avoid the unnecessary paving of roads for a number of good reasons. Millions and millions of people around the country also live quite happily out beyond where the pavement ends and for urbanites and suburbanites to assume that dirt roads are a relic of the past is an indication that they should get out and see more of the country. Glad your statement had a question mark at the end.

I wasnt saying that all dirt roads are now paved, only that the ones in the rural to semi rural areas that I have lived are now paved, so kids in this area and in many other areas wont see them like they would have back in the 50's-70's. The topic was about things that kids today may miss, and most kids dont yet drive, so if they are raised in an area like mine, or in the city or suburbs, and their parents dont drive out into the country very often, then they, as kids, will miss out on that. I personally know places out in rural-most Lancaster county Pa, Sussex county De, or Cecil county Md where there are still a few dirt roads, but I'm not a kid anymore, so it doesnt count in the context of this thread. But the fact remains that far less kids today will live on dirt roads than they did 30-60 years ago, which cant be denied, I dont think...

[EZO]

I wasnt saying that all dirt roads are now paved, only that the ones in the rural to semi rural areas that I have lived are now paved, so kids in this area and in many other areas wont see them like they would have back in the 50's-70's. The topic was about things that kids today may miss, and most kids dont yet drive, so if they are raised in an area like mine, or in the city or suburbs, and their parents dont drive out into the country very often, then they, as kids, will miss out on that. I personally know places out in rural-most Lancaster county Pa, Sussex county De, or Cecil county Md where there are still a few dirt roads, but I'm not a kid anymore, so it doesnt count in the context of this thread. But the fact remains that far less kids today will live on dirt roads than they did 30-60 years ago, which cant be denied, I dont think...

HN - I get what you are saying. Here in Vermont people take their dirt roads pretty seriously and drive them proudly. That is to say, "most" of us. Some start to waver during the upcoming "mud season" that ironically we've had our first taste of just today, the first warm sunny day we've had in quite awhile where the snow is beginning to melt and the frost is coming out of the ground. Thirty years ago there was a burst of road paving going on around here but then the townsfolk decided that the rural character was being lost so everyone voted to stop paving any more roads so that their kids, grand kids and hopefully great grand kids too wouldn't lose the lifestyle that is the reason many of us live here. It turned out that our town of 2000 was among many within the state that felt the same way. Not long before, in the nearby "metropolis" (35,000) we all watched a magnificent stretch of picturesque rich farmland and meadows turn into what is now strip development with all the usual fast food chains and a Home Depot, so what was once there is something "today's kids missed out on".

[EZO]

I may be a bit premature and ahead of the curve with this one but probably not by much; 35mm film canisters. Yesterday, as I was feeding a parking meter with quarters I keep in one of those black Kodak film cans with a grey plastic top I started thinking about all the stuff I've kept stored in those film cans over the years and still do. I thought, "What am I gonna do when you can't get these things anymore?!!? I even still have a prized collection of the old screw cap metal ones that are no longer made that are great because they are completely waterproof and airtight.

Things could get worse, I 'spose. I was making a fire in my wood stove yesterday, crumpling up an old newspaper when I suddenly thought, "What happens with all the stuff we use old newspapers for when the news is delivered only electronically? How will we "paper train" our puppies and what do we put in the bottom of the hamster cage?"

Some comments to this thread speak about us "old guys" but you know, when it comes to things "today's kids missed out on" we all seem to be getting old faster and faster.

[ElectronGuru]

The last 20 years has seen a wholesale conversion of key technologies from analog to digital. The pool of things yet to convert to digital is quickly drying up. When it does, digital -> digital improvements will not feel as dramatic (aka, incremental).

[EZO]

The last 20 years has seen a wholesale conversion of key technologies from analog to digital. The pool of things yet to convert to digital is quickly drying up. When it does, digital -> digital improvements will not feel as dramatic (aka, incremental).

Obviously, that was in part what my post was about, but not entirely. I think it is the realization that the transformation and conversion to digital is not just about the information itself, i.e, film based photography to digital or newspapers to electronic news delivery. It is also about the loss of the real world material objects that have been key to that information being conveyed or stored. It is about what media the information is contained in or on, such as paper and plastic, and the ancillary but vital uses we have found for them that have become such an integral part of the fabric of our lives for generations. I am sure that people will find little containers to keep their parking meter change in (for as long as they use actual coins) or come up with things to use to start fires or line the birdcage with but these will still be necessary regardless of digital technology and the loss of these things are the kind of things that Alvin Toffler was alluding to in his "Future Shock" books.

[nbp]

Sometimes I could really use some film canisters and a newspaper.