What Old or Obsolete Technology do you wish were still around?

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - What Old or Obsolete Technology do you wish were still around? (Page 1 of 5)

Posted: 7/31/2009 3:51:45 PM EDT

I would kill for a ride on the Hindenburg, or any rigid airship of the era.

What interesting stuff was ground under the wheels of progress? Vacuum tube radios, big block V-8's, Landau tops, reel to reel tape players, piston powered hydroplanes, McDLT.....

Posted: 7/31/2009 3:53:40 PM EDT

[#1]

Quoted:
I would kill for a ride on the Hindenburg, or any rigid airship of the era.

What interesting stuff was ground under the wheels of progress? Vacuum tube radios, big block V-8's, Landau tops, reel to reel tape players, piston powered hydroplanes, McDLT.....

Yah, well, the Hindenburg would kill you on a ride.

Posted: 7/31/2009 3:54:53 PM EDT

[#2]

Radio Shack TRS80 computer with dual floppy disk drives.

Posted: 7/31/2009 3:55:17 PM EDT

[#3]

Old fashion tube AM radio.

Yes, you can still listen to AM on a tube, but the content is different now.

Posted: 7/31/2009 3:55:47 PM EDT

[#4]

Steam locomotives

Posted: 7/31/2009 3:55:48 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:

Radio Shack TRS80 computer with dual floppy disk drives.

I had the Model III, good stuff.

Posted: 7/31/2009 3:57:11 PM EDT

[#6]

Human mods & Site Staff instead of the computerized ones that rule ARFcom with an iron fist.

Posted: 7/31/2009 3:57:31 PM EDT

[#7]

Is it true that a vacuum tube radio will continue to function after a high altitude EMP attack?

It might be good to have a few vacuum tube HAM radios up and running just in case.

Posted: 7/31/2009 3:59:18 PM EDT

[#8]

I miss the big steel cars that could actually tow a boat if you wanted to. Now cars are prissy delicate plastic and fiberglass. You have to get a big plastic and fiberglass suv or truck to feel like you're driving a manly machine.

Posted: 7/31/2009 3:59:50 PM EDT

[#9]

Personal responsibility

Oh and Freedom

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:00:32 PM EDT

[#10]

...and steam autos. Steam power in general.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:02:45 PM EDT

[#11]

The P-47 Thunderbolt.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:03:40 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
Personal responsibility

Oh and Freedom

While these are not classified as technological,they are missed as well.

Mine would be the older cars and steam locomotives.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:05:07 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:

Quoted:

I would kill for a ride on the Hindenburg, or any rigid airship of the era.

What interesting stuff was ground under the wheels of progress? Vacuum tube radios, big block V-8's, Landau tops, reel to reel tape players, piston powered hydroplanes, McDLT.....

Yah, well, the Hindenburg would kill you on a ride.

Yeah I hear the ride on that thing is to die for.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:05:18 PM EDT

[#14]

Guillotine

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:16:53 PM EDT

[#15]

Steam locomotives and cars, and airships.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:32:25 PM EDT

[#16]

Fireworks that didn't come with age limitations and location restrictions.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:34:02 PM EDT

[#17]

8 tracks

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:35:33 PM EDT

[#18]

Drive Ins.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:38:52 PM EDT

[#19]

Full blown fireworks legalization. I want the shit that will kill you, and perhaps some bystanders, if not handled properly.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:41:12 PM EDT

[#20]

Nuclear Power!

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:41:42 PM EDT

[#21]

Beer cans that required the pointy opener that you had to punch both sides to get it to flow right.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:42:42 PM EDT

[#22]

Car hops on roller skates.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:43:19 PM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
Drive Ins.

They are out there...

Just type in Drive In on google...

I found one close to my home and am going to go again real soon.

Great experience.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:44:43 PM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:
Full blown fireworks legalization. I want the shit that will kill you, and perhaps some bystanders, if not handled properly.

You can get them. May have to go a few states over, and then smuggle them back home and light them off somewhere remote, but you can.

OR

You can build your own.

I prefer the first one, almost everyone here brings home the "illegal" stuff including the police officers.
Everybody just ignores that one come the 4th.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:46:38 PM EDT

[#25]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Full blown fireworks legalization. I want the shit that will kill you, and perhaps some bystanders, if not handled properly.

You can get them. May have to go a few states over, and then smuggle them back home and light them off somewhere remote, but you can.

OR

You can build your own.

I prefer the first one, almost everyone here brings home the "illegal" stuff including the police officers.
Everybody just ignores that one come the 4th.

Cherry bombs, and silver salutes!?

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:47:00 PM EDT

[#26]

Greek fire!

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:47:24 PM EDT

[#27]

My personal one would be-

America 1776-2008 with a special emphasis on 1950-1972.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:47:25 PM EDT

[#28]

nuclear pulse propulsion.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:47:46 PM EDT

[#29]

CW on 500Khz at sea. The new emergency comm stuff is great, but a lot of tradition went away when it arrived.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:48:37 PM EDT

[#30]

pride in craftsmanship

Tang with sugar
cokes with sugar
pesticides that work

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:48:37 PM EDT

[#31]

no. Mortars (2 inch) large bottle rockets (4 foot length) etc etc.

These days I have to go to two states to get what I want.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:50:10 PM EDT

[#32]

Bring back the Chevy Big Block. I know it's only been dead for a few weeks now, but I miss it already.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:50:30 PM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:
pride in craftsmanship

Tang with sugar
cokes with sugar
pesticides that work

WOW! That is really a great list.

Luckily a bit of what you have mentioned is still around, even if you have to pay a bit more for it.

Especially craftsmanship and the pride it brings.

Pesticides that work is a good one. My wife's dad was a pest control guy and he has chuckled and told me on a few occasions that the "good stuff" just isn't around anymore.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:51:32 PM EDT

[#34]

Quoted:
no. Mortars (2 inch) large bottle rockets (4 foot length) etc etc.

These days I have to go to two states to get what I want.

All the stuff in the U.S. is b.s. kiddy crap. Nothing like the old cherry bombs and silver salutes.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:53:55 PM EDT

[#35]

Lead paint in Manhatten High-rise apartments.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:56:10 PM EDT

[#36]

Quoted:

Quoted:

I would kill for a ride on the Hindenburg, or any rigid airship of the era.

What interesting stuff was ground under the wheels of progress? Vacuum tube radios, big block V-8's, Landau tops, reel to reel tape players, piston powered hydroplanes, McDLT.....

Yah, well, the Hindenburg would kill you on a ride.

Yeah I hear the ride on that thing is to die for.

It's got a killer price tag on it.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:56:34 PM EDT

[#37]

Critical thought.

I'm not sure when it went away, but it is all but gone from this nation.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:57:17 PM EDT

[#38]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Radio Shack TRS80 computer with dual floppy disk drives.

I had the Model III, good stuff.

Had one somthing like this. http://bulk.destructoid.com/ul/user/1/17436-81299-coco2biggif-550x.jpg

Don't forget the cassette drive.
http://bulk.destructoid.com/ul/user/1/17436-81299-TandyCCR81gif-550x.jpg

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:57:27 PM EDT

[#39]

Quoted:

Critical thought.

I'm not sure when it went away, but it is all but gone from this nation.

I will second that.

Thank god that the sheeple have their TV's to think for them.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:57:32 PM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:

Radio Shack TRS80 computer with dual floppy disk drives.

Awwww, yeah. Dual 5.25" floppy drives and a whopping 48k of RAM. Played me a lot of Space Warp, Pyramid, and Raaka Tu on that thing. Also learned to program in Basic and Assembly. Fond memories...

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:57:47 PM EDT

[#41]

Quoted:

Quoted:
no. Mortars (2 inch) large bottle rockets (4 foot length) etc etc.

These days I have to go to two states to get what I want.

All the stuff in the U.S. is b.s. kiddy crap. Nothing like the old cherry bombs and silver salutes.

I just did a bit of reading on the M-80....outlawed in 1966 and contained 3 grams of pyrotechnic explosives.

Sounds fun. Wish I could get a few of them....well at least without having to leave the US.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:58:52 PM EDT

[#42]

Freon-powered BB machine guns.

Posted: 7/31/2009 4:59:08 PM EDT

[#43]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I would kill for a ride on the Hindenburg, or any rigid airship of the era.

What interesting stuff was ground under the wheels of progress? Vacuum tube radios, big block V-8's, Landau tops, reel to reel tape players, piston powered hydroplanes, McDLT.....

Yah, well, the Hindenburg would kill you on a ride.

Yeah I hear the ride on that thing is to die for.

It's got a killer price tag on it.

Trying to start a fire under his ass???