Remembrance of Things Past (Part 1)
The 'Save' Square and Other Oddities
The ‘Save’ Button
To Millennials and Gen Z, it’s the “Save” button. To those of an older vintage, it was an actual item that was the cause of much anxiety, frustration and anger. The Floppy Disc - that relic from the early internet age is gone, but for some of us, it will never be forgotten.
For those of us who battled with this flimsy and ironically not floppy reality of early computer life, it’s questionable as to whether or not we’ll ever recover. The level of stress that accompanied the inevitable problems that would arise when using a floppy disc cannot be forgotten.
There was nothing more infuriating than click, click, clicking the “save” button only to find out that, upon restarting or reopening the supposedly saved file, nothing was saved. Of course there were a number of reasons as to why the disc didn’t save but were they clear to the frustrated user?
No.
Looking back now, one has to laugh that so much consternation resulted from an item that had 100 KB to 1.44 MB storage, max. Incredible, isn’t it? It is to laugh.
Not only were the floppy discs stiff and unyielding, they were frustration-inducing as well. There was no sorrow when this archaic tool of the early computer age finally died a well-anticipated death long after they should have disappeared off desktop computers everywhere.
Carbon Paper
How many of those in the younger generations would know that “ccing” someone (on an email or otherwise) is actually a reference to carbon copies - copies of documents that were made with one of the messiest, smudgiest items in history? Like the “Save” button, “I cc’d you” is a phrase that many who were born after computer use was the norm, would not understand.
Like the “Save” button, “I cc’d you” is a phrase that many who were born after computer use was the norm, would not understand.
Carbon paper - the vessel through which one had to endure the messiness, the blurred results and the bother - is what we had to endure, despite our best efforts. Similar to the mimeograph, it’s all that we had so we had to make do.
We used to actually put these things in our typewriters in order to make copies of what we were typing. Yes - that’s how we cc’d. We literally “carbon-copied” what we were typing (or writing, as it was used to make duplicates of documents written by hand.) Hard to believe these days, but the idea of copying then pasting your content digitally was an unimaginable feat during these prehistoric times. The act of preserving what had been written - or typed - involved the use of pigmented or dry ink, which was bound with wax. The end result was often a messy, smudgy and hardly legible document. More vexingly, the whole process of using carbon paper inevitably involved black residue on hands, clothes and otherwise. The experience of dealing with it wasn’t fun, but it was necessary if you wanted to have a duplicate version of whatever you were typing. Thankfully the digital age eliminated the use of physical carbon copies, allowing us once and for all to keep our hands and clothes clean.
CBS News - The Invention of Carbon Paper
The Crank Window and Car Vent Windows
Long, ago in a galaxy far, far away, there existed a relic of antiquity that would be considered inconceivable today. Found in mid-century cars, all the way up to the 1980s, was the once-common draft window, presumably a way in which one could get some extra air in a steamy, packed vehicle. These relics from the past were just one of two ways to get air flowing in the car. The second was a hand-cranked, roll-down lever(s) to be used to open the same vehicle’s manual car windows.
“But why not just turn on the air conditioning?” you may ask.
Well, that’s because for the most part, there was no air conditioning.
It’s hard to believe today, but there was actually a time when air conditioning in cars was considered a luxury and one that was experienced only by the very rich. The rest of us - well, we had to suffer in the long, hot, dog days of summer. Sweltering in the stagnant heat of the season, we knew that manually cranking the window open was an exercise in futility. It was still ridiculously hot and stuffy in that car, and there was nothing we could do about it. Sure - there was that aforementioned additional option to supposedly keep us cool called the “vent (or draft) window,” but little relief did it provide for hot and bothered passengers.
Sweltering in the stagnant heat of the season, we knew that manually cranking the window open was an exercise in futility.
For those unfortunate enough to have to endure a car ride when the temperatures were high, these items were laughable. One has to wonder whether the draft window in particular was added to vehicles as a cruel joke or form of mockery to the poor suckers who didn’t have the money for cool relief. For these unfortunate souls, the sweltering, scorching air wasn’t going anywhere, regardless. Add to the mix the very strong likelihood that at least one adult was smoking cigarettes in the car (it was cool back then, after all), and you have all the makings of a disastrous outing all around.
Good times.
The TV Channel/Dial
Imagine a world where you had to actually work to get a little bit of pleasure. This was the reality of life pre-digital, when analogue was the only option. What this meant was that doing something as simple and mundane as watching TV required physical exertion. Perhaps not a lot in the larger scheme of things, but even getting up off the couch to take a few steps towards the television is an effort when you’re exhausted. Now add to this the mandatory and frequent adjustment of the ubiquitous “rabbit ears” antennae of the time, and you have the makings of a veritable nightmare.
Will that be VHF or UHF?
Will that be VHF or UHF?
You had your choice of either one, but not both at the same time. That would be too high-tech. Those old TV sets taunted us with the possibility of more than just four TV channels, which was the norm at the time (no, cable and 24/7 TV did not exist yet). VHF - an acronym for “very high frequency” and UHF - Ultra High Frequency, were the two tantalizing options on the home entertainment menu. It was the latter that really taunted us with the notion of perhaps getting lucky on that particular day when all the stars - and the rabbit ears - aligned. The reality was that on any given day, completely randomly, you may be treated with additional channels on the UHF dial that were often from the far reaches of the ether. What made them special was the ephemeral quality that they possessed: here today, gone tomorrow, unpredictable and fleeting.
It was the latter that really taunted us with the notion of perhaps getting lucky on that particular day when all the stars - and the rabbit ears - aligned
We’ve been spoiled and lulled into indolence with the ever-present remote control. Heck, you can even control the TV with your ever-present phone these days, what’s not to like?
These relics from another time have been largely forgotten in today’s world, when speed and comfort are crucial elements that exist within any new innovation. If it’s made for consumers, it has to be fast, easy-to-use and above all, stress-free. None of these attributes could be applied to the “save” button, hand-cranked windows or the messy, aggravating carbon paper of days past.
HAHAHA! Yep!
You also couldn't hear anyone talking in the car, or the radio, with the windows open, especially at high speeds on the highway!