The other day I was sitting down to watch an episode of “How To Get Away With Murder” on Netflix and it got me thinking how fast technology has changed. It’s pretty amazing if you think about it.
Though I was young in the 80’s and 90’s I still remember things pretty clearly.
I remember how my sisters and I would listen to the radio and when our favorite songs would come on we would make sure our radio was in record mode that way our cassette tapes could record the song for us. This way we could listen to the song over and over again and learn the lyrics. Let’s not even talk about how horrible the recordings always sounded but it did the job and we learned the lyrics. It makes me laugh to think about how excited we were to learn Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise".
We would also record ourselves singing our favorite songs and we would say our age and the date. Oh how I wish I could find those cassette tapes now but so many times we would record over them so who even knows if they still exist? I also remember how the tape inside would come out and you would have to wind it back in but often that meant that there was no saving of your recording and it just was never the same.
I remember the good ole Walkman and how I felt so cool to have one when I finally got one. How you would walk down the street and listen to music and hope that everyone could see that yes, you too have a Walkman.
I remember how I would tell my friends the exact time to call my house that way when the phone rung I would say loudly, “It’s for me!” and run to the phone as quickly as I could. Of course there was always that sneaky person that would still pick up the phone and try to listen but then you’d say something like, I can hear you and that person would hang up. Sometimes my sisters would play games but eventually they would hung up. I think the most mortifiying thing was sneakily calling a boy you like and then your mom and dad picking up and listening. Man that was mortifying. It’s kinda sad that kids these days won’t even have that embarrassment.
I remember when television on Friday nights were a big deal. There was no such thing as catching up in the future on your own time. If you missed it, you missed it and then at school you could not talk about it. Now a days we can watch television on our own times and that is huge in itself.
Do you remember the VCR? Oh man. How much space it took along with the videos? How it would take forever to rewind and fast forward. I’ve got to say that I’m glad we’re done with that because it was not convenient at all.
I remember learning to type on a typewriter. I loved the sounds that it would make each time you typed a letter. That I actually miss. I remember not feeding paper in the typewriter correctly and having to do it over and over again until it was fed properly. That I do not miss.
Remember when you would make a mistake when you typed and how you would try to go back and fix it but it just didn’t fix it and having to start all over? That was so tedious.
I remember the first time I saw a computer at school and being so confused about what it was. It was just this big, white thing that was just so foreign and I could not comprehend it. And then it was like, OMG, I could use this instead of the encyclopedia. Wait. What? Do you remember having to actually go to the library and using the encyclopedia in order to complete book reports, etc. Kids these days have it way too easy!
But it’s amazing how a computer looks now. How a cell phone looks now. How televisions look now. DVD players in place of a VCR. CDs in place of cassette tapes.
There is so much that has changed between then and now. Some for the better and some not so much. But it’s amazing in just 30-40 years how much things has changed. And how it is quite possible that someone could be making this same exact post in 30-40 years about how things have changed from now. Can you imagine technology being even better than it is now? Mind boggling.
Anything you remember while reading this post? Please share because I’m sure I’ve missed so much and would love to reminisce.
Though I was young in the 80’s and 90’s I still remember things pretty clearly.
I remember how my sisters and I would listen to the radio and when our favorite songs would come on we would make sure our radio was in record mode that way our cassette tapes could record the song for us. This way we could listen to the song over and over again and learn the lyrics. Let’s not even talk about how horrible the recordings always sounded but it did the job and we learned the lyrics. It makes me laugh to think about how excited we were to learn Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise".
We would also record ourselves singing our favorite songs and we would say our age and the date. Oh how I wish I could find those cassette tapes now but so many times we would record over them so who even knows if they still exist? I also remember how the tape inside would come out and you would have to wind it back in but often that meant that there was no saving of your recording and it just was never the same.
I remember the good ole Walkman and how I felt so cool to have one when I finally got one. How you would walk down the street and listen to music and hope that everyone could see that yes, you too have a Walkman.
I remember how I would tell my friends the exact time to call my house that way when the phone rung I would say loudly, “It’s for me!” and run to the phone as quickly as I could. Of course there was always that sneaky person that would still pick up the phone and try to listen but then you’d say something like, I can hear you and that person would hang up. Sometimes my sisters would play games but eventually they would hung up. I think the most mortifiying thing was sneakily calling a boy you like and then your mom and dad picking up and listening. Man that was mortifying. It’s kinda sad that kids these days won’t even have that embarrassment.
I remember when television on Friday nights were a big deal. There was no such thing as catching up in the future on your own time. If you missed it, you missed it and then at school you could not talk about it. Now a days we can watch television on our own times and that is huge in itself.
Do you remember the VCR? Oh man. How much space it took along with the videos? How it would take forever to rewind and fast forward. I’ve got to say that I’m glad we’re done with that because it was not convenient at all.
I remember learning to type on a typewriter. I loved the sounds that it would make each time you typed a letter. That I actually miss. I remember not feeding paper in the typewriter correctly and having to do it over and over again until it was fed properly. That I do not miss.
Remember when you would make a mistake when you typed and how you would try to go back and fix it but it just didn’t fix it and having to start all over? That was so tedious.
I remember the first time I saw a computer at school and being so confused about what it was. It was just this big, white thing that was just so foreign and I could not comprehend it. And then it was like, OMG, I could use this instead of the encyclopedia. Wait. What? Do you remember having to actually go to the library and using the encyclopedia in order to complete book reports, etc. Kids these days have it way too easy!
But it’s amazing how a computer looks now. How a cell phone looks now. How televisions look now. DVD players in place of a VCR. CDs in place of cassette tapes.
There is so much that has changed between then and now. Some for the better and some not so much. But it’s amazing in just 30-40 years how much things has changed. And how it is quite possible that someone could be making this same exact post in 30-40 years about how things have changed from now. Can you imagine technology being even better than it is now? Mind boggling.
Anything you remember while reading this post? Please share because I’m sure I’ve missed so much and would love to reminisce.
Girl so much nostalgia. I definitely remember recording songs off the radio. And TGIF, and staying up late to watch music videos and sneaking to watch Arsenio Hall! I remember my digipet and how excited I used to be to use AOL dial up and mad when the phone rang and kicked me offline. So much has changed its almost scary.
ReplyDeleteI remember the VCR and all of the videos. I still have a VCR so I can watch my wedding video.
ReplyDeleteI remember cassette tapes; playing them in the car for the kids. Playing one in particular at night because it had on the most beautiful lullabies and saving it a couple of times because the tape came out and I had to use a pencil to get it back in.
I remember record players - lifting the needle so and replaying a song; and trying not to scratch a record.
I remember the typewriter - and having to change the ribbon. I found the whole process cathartic - loading the paper; setting the line spacing; hitting the carriage return and typing. asdf jkl; asdf jkl;
I think it was better to watch a TV show and if you missed it, you missed it. Oh well life goes on and it's just a show.
Memories! Thanks.
It is crazy how quickly technology has advanced in a ridiculous short amount of time. It's a blessing and a curse, no doubt. I used to record songs off the radio, especially from Casey's Top 40 every Sunday. I also would record TV shows or movies on the VCR. I remember the Walkman and the Disc Man! (that thing was massive!). We always had computers from when I was small, but they were massive and required a giant floppy disc I think we played Oregon Trail and Number Munchers or something. Good post... I miss the 90s.
ReplyDeleteI used to record songs on the radio and hope commercials don't play during th song. Technology has been amazing but i think its taking over world. When we go out to dinner we see people on their phones instead of interacting with each other. Its also good if used the right way
ReplyDeleteI remember having to set up the VCR to record ER on Wednesday nights, because that was religion night, and if I wanted to talk about the show with friends on Thursday I had to have it all set to record!
ReplyDeleteI also remember having to wind up the tape from cassette tapes if it got all out of whack. I also remember my very first CD and thinking it was so cool!
And just the other night I was talking with Scott about having a teen line, and the only reason my family had a separate line was because the Internet was dial up, and we couldn't have our main line busy if someone was on the computer. HA!
It's crazy how much technology has changed.
Oh gosh...this post brought back to many memories! Things have changed a great deal. I got a computer my second year in college. In my first year, I had a word processor. Remember those?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I remember how clunky cell phones were. I got my first one in my junior year of college! Gosh...times sure have changed! :)
I just love this post, so many great memories. I knew I was getting old when my younger cousins were trying to explain snapchat to me and I was like "and what is the point of that?" hehehehehe.
ReplyDeleteI remember instant messenger and having to wait for a response at your computer so that you didn't miss someone you were trying to catch up with. Not like now where you can take your phone everywhere and just answer when you get a notification :).
I remember not having a cell phone and waiting patiently in my room for an important phone call I didn't want to miss.
Those were the days I tell you. Great trip down memory lane
Memories, my favorite was trying to record a song onto a cassette player. I dont the number of times I stayed close to the radio waiting for a song so I could hit record. Then when I have to leave the song plays n I have to run so fast to hit record... Smh. Dial up internet was a pain in the butt. So slow and and a long wait. Technology has come a long way.
ReplyDelete* dont remember
ReplyDelete