Clueless Youth Struggle With Old Technology & Stuff We Grew Up With

[Luke]

These are so funny yet tragic for those of us that lived through it... we're dinosaurs!

Hilarious video show 17 year old teenagers baffled by rotary phone
824,573 views•Jan 10, 2019

Are we supposed to pick up the phone and then do it?' Hilarious footage shows two teenagers completely baffled by a rotary telephone when given four minutes to make one call

[Kendra]

I remember how cool it was when the IBM S electric typewriters came out. And we had typing glass in HS

[p0rtia]

[jemcanada2]

I was funny how they kept picking up the receiver and hanging it ip like they were resetting the phone.

[AndyinPA]

[Frater I*I]

A sheet metal instructor at my tech school had to teach a high school kid how to use a pay phone, it had a key pad...

[MsDaisy]

Yes!

[Billdnc]

When I hiked the 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail all the way through at age 65, I can not tell you how many times I gave knot tying lessons to my fellow young hikers. Most could only tie a granny at best - a taunt-line hitch for their tent guys was like magic to them.

[Flatpoint High]

When I hiked the 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail all the way through at age 65, I can not tell you how many times I gave knot tying lessons to my fellow young hikers. Most could only tie a granny at best - a taunt-line hitch for their tent guys was like magic to them.

which is why you never see a Gen Zer as the hero in a post-apocalyptic flick. they're all Gen Xers

[northland10]

When I hiked the 2,200 miles of the Appalachian Trail all the way through at age 65, I can not tell you how many times I gave knot tying lessons to my fellow young hikers. Most could only tie a granny at best - a taunt-line hitch for their tent guys was like magic to them.

Should have sent them to camp when I was running the Scoutcraft area. I had an assistant who was extremely picky on lashings.

There are also older folks who do not quite remember what they need to do. My grandfather's funeral in rural Northwest Kansas had an American Legion honor guard though my little brother played taps because, well, professional trumpet player and all (side note, I was the organist for the service, and my dad also played tuba, the family business). Well, the time came for them to fold the flag. They were having some struggles (mainly folding the blue inside and then trying to figure out what happened when the blue went missing or starting from the wrong side). My mother was not actually horrified. While keeping straight face, she amused herself wondering how much the whole episode was torture for me. It was all I could do to not start quietly saying, no, no no, back up, etc. I have talked many a Scout honor guard through an oops and I also had to restrain myself at the funeral from walking up and doing myself.

I related this to a Navy Captain who was supervising an honor guard from Great Lakes for a local funeral at my church. She was amazed that an American Legion post, even in a rural area would mess up like that. Granted, unlike the Navy Honor guard, I doubt the Americal Legion folk practiced multiple times before the service.

[Chilidog]

I have an old rotary dial phone in the garage.

Problem.is, I haven't had an active land line it on the house in over 10 years.

[northland10]

I have a Bluetooth device that allows you to connect your landline phone to your mobile. The dial works with it (I think, though I don't use it all that often so I don't remember). I am not sure if a Rotary dialer would work with it.

[jez]

Something I learned years ago, but don't really remember where and I could be wrong, but it sticks in my head.

A lot of the landline phone systems switched to a "Tone" "Pulse" dialing (push button tones) from a pulse/Rotary systems many years ago. I'm not even sure if a Rotary would work on a landline.

Could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

[Edited to fix my wrongness]

[neonzx]

Something I learned years ago, but don't really remember where and I could be wrong, but it sticks in my head.

A lot of the landline phone systems switched to a "Tone" "Pulse" dialing (push button tones) from a pulse/Rotary systems many years ago. I'm not even sure if a Rotary would work on a landline.

Could [imgwidth][/imgwidth]be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

[Edited to fix my wrongness]

Pulse dialing was for rotary calls (not applicable to touch-tone dialing. If you remember those clicks while dialing, that was your phone breaking and making the line (pulsing the line).

Anyway, nostalgia -- my grandmother had one of those old-school black rotary phones she leased from the phone company. It was HEAVY. I think grandma liked it because it could also be used to beat a home intruder over the head and cause some damage.

[sugar magnolia]

Up until just a couple of years ago, my ultra-MCM brother and his wife had the old landline BellSouth rotary phones all over their house. I don't know if you could dial out on them but you could definitely talk on them. They still use them as decoration in their house. Mint green, yellow and the classic black in the kitchen with their aqua and silver boomerang formica and chrome diner set.

[tek]

http://www.oldphoneshop.com/products/ro ... erter.html

Converts rotary dial to DTMF "touchtone" operation. - Dials * and # from your rotary phone to access computerized services. - Use legacy equipment on tone-only lines. - Compatible with VOIP services. - Provides last number redial functionality. - Adds 7 programmable speed dial locations. Each number is up to 25 digits long. - Rotatone is an electronic module which enables phones with rotary pulse dials to work on DTMF (dual tone multi-frequency) telephone lines, tone-only enabled exchanges, or on most VOIP adapters. In addition to sending the correct tones corresponding to 0 to 9 on a regular dial, Rotatone can send the correct codes for * and #. It also features last number redial, and can dial 7 programmable stored numbers. In addition, Rotatone version 2 allows you to set one of your preprogrammed speed dial locations as a "hotline" that is automatically dialed when the phone is taken off-hook. The Low Power Option will only work for telephone with either a T1 or F1 transmitter.

[zekeb]

Something I learned years ago, but don't really remember where and I could be wrong, but it sticks in my head.

A lot of the landline phone systems switched to a "Tone" "Pulse" dialing (push button tones) from a pulse/Rotary systems many years ago. I'm not even sure if a Rotary would work on a landline.

Could [imgwidth][/imgwidth]be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

[Edited to fix my wrongness]

Pulse dialing was for rotary calls (not applicable to touch-tone dialing. If you remember those clicks while dialing, that was your phone breaking and making the line (pulsing the line).

Anyway, nostalgia -- my grandmother had one of those old-school black rotary phones she leased from the phone company. It was HEAVY. I think grandma liked it because it could also be used to beat a home intruder over the head and cause some damage.

If you were really good you could dial a number by hitting the buttons in the handset cradle. OTOH you might end up dialing a wrong number

[neonzx]

If you were really good you could dial a number by hitting the buttons in the handset cradle. OTOH you might end up dialing a wrong number

Yes, did that a few times just for the challenge. I was a dorky kid (not much has changed).

[bill_g]

There was "precise" spring driven mechanical timing imprecision between each click as the dial returned to the stop. On the other end of the wire at the CO (central office) was a bank of rotary relay accumulators storing the number. Total spaghetti factory of wire and relay logic that you know some evil genius stayed up at night figuring out.

Doubtful many systems still support rotary dial. DTMF is how it's done on POTS (plain old telephone service) lines now, and that's fading fast. The US crossed fifty percent CPO (cell phone only) near the beginning of the Obama administration. The smartphone put it over the edge hastening the end of landlines especially in urban markets. Rural markets remain poorly served by both wired and wireless carriers especially where populations densities drop below a thousand a square mile. You need a PUD or a strong tourist economy to attract carriers.

[northland10]

http://www.oldphoneshop.com/products/ro ... erter.html

Converts rotary dial to DTMF "touchtone" operation. - Dials * and # from your rotary phone to access computerized services. - Use legacy equipment on tone-only lines. - Compatible with VOIP services. - Provides last number redial functionality. - Adds 7 programmable speed dial locations. Each number is up to 25 digits long. - Rotatone is an electronic module which enables phones with rotary pulse dials to work on DTMF (dual tone multi-frequency) telephone lines, tone-only enabled exchanges, or on most VOIP adapters. In addition to sending the correct tones corresponding to 0 to 9 on a regular dial, Rotatone can send the correct codes for * and #. It also features last number redial, and can dial 7 programmable stored numbers. In addition, Rotatone version 2 allows you to set one of your preprogrammed speed dial locations as a "hotline" that is automatically dialed when the phone is taken off-hook. The Low Power Option will only work for telephone with either a T1 or F1 transmitter.

That sounds cool until you hit somebody's voice mail that says, press 1 to continue.. Oh shoot.

Rudy needs a Rotary phone. There is not butt dialing there.

It is also good for stopping your angry calls. How many people here started to call somebody in a fit of emotion but halfway through thought the better of it and stopped? Now, too late.

[roadscholar]

steampunk-computer-steampunker-13.jpg (183.45 KiB) Viewed 27343 times

By the way, fully functional.

[northland10]

I want one.

Since we are going typewriters, I for one am envious of the tools our youth have. When I was doing my thesis with the help of Endnote (and MS Word with its creative placement of footnotes) I reflected back on how much easier this was than trying to do footnotes with a manual typewriter. Yes, we used IBM Selectrics (with the ball) in typing class but my family was a bit behind technology-wise (we still had only a black and white TV). This is what happens when your family capital budget is spent on musical instruments.

But, at least manual typewriters can still make music (granted, it is modified to work as most would jam up).

[AndyinPA]

I've always loved that!

[MN-Skeptic]

Speaking of old technology… how many of you have started a vehicle by popping the clutch? How many have driven a vehicle with the starter button on the floor?

(Not that I have done these things personally, but my sweetie’s main vehicle for many years was his 1956 Chevy pickup, so I been with him as he started the pickup when coasting downhill. I’ve also seen him shift gears without using the clutch.)

[sugar magnolia]

Speaking of old technology… how many of you have started a vehicle by popping the clutch?

As recently as yesterday. Batteries don't stay charged forever during a pandemic unless you actually drive them occasionally.