Rotary pulse-dial phones.
In Maryland my mother still has a phone line that can accept pulse dialing. I always used to like calling people up in the old days.
(The 2-Belo OH SHI--[Sound of impact][End of recording], Fri 5 Nov 2010, 2:00, 5 replies)

VHS
The Lion King still gets a viewing now and again.
And wot?
(bredstkcriminal, Fri 5 Nov 2010, 1:50, 1 reply)

my house is rammed full of the stuff
i drive a scabby old 2cv i've had for ages that i gave fifty quid for.
i also ride a forty five year old vespa 150 super.
casette tapes and mini discs are mrs amoebas prefered recording medium, so we have hundreds of the things everywhere, i bought her a shiny new zoom digital field recorder but she fucking hates it.
we have huge mixing desk and an old fosdex d 80 multitrack.
a roland sh1 synth, that no longer works, but i refuse to throw out and a bunch of old amps and speakers that will never fly again.
a realy massive old episcope projector like the ones they used to have at school.
games wise there is an amiga 1200, an original nintendo entertaiment system with the indiana jones game bundle, a mega drive with sonic built in, all in the original boxes ready to go.
( amoebaboy chose for death by unga bunga on, Fri 5 Nov 2010, 0:53, 4 replies)

"Sega" means
"wank" in Italian.
(barbedwiretumbleweed Fast 'n' Bulbous!, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 23:59, 2 replies)

Atari 2600
Not only does Mr Entity have one, among 22 other consoles, but he designs the labels for NEW Atari 2600 games.

Yes that's right there are people who still make games for the 2600. He's working on the Christmas special right now.
( Mrs Entity is in hiding., Thu 4 Nov 2010, 23:50, 3 replies)

Not old tech
but where I work the IT department is so clueless about IT that the PC's are still P4's running XP and in some cases Win 98. They refused to update beyond Internet Explorer 6 for the past 2 years stating that they cannot verify the security of Firefox or IE 7. During one of the many meeting I have attended with them, me and other technical staff have tried to make them see sense but they simply refuse, stating that older is more secure, and I quote:

"The vast majority of virus' are written for more advanced browsers, by not upgrading we are protecting our network"

Never mind the 20 odd un-patched security exploits then?

Last month they finally allowed staff to download IE7

Next is the new building we are moving into at Media City in Salford Quays. When we submitted our equipment list for the various hardware we needed they questioned it:

"Why do you need so many apple macs?" said one manager as he rested his cup of tea on his gut.

"Well we use Final Cut Pro Studio, coupled with Pro Tools for audio post production. We only use a few PC's for Maya, but it runs in OS X too so we can work in one platform with no compatibility issues" says we

"Can't you just install Final Cut in Windows XP? that would save a lot of cash and we could use a lot of our current PC's that we have across the department now"

You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife but look on the bright side, last weeks memo stated that they have begun research on Internet Explorer 8.
( Bamboo Steamer, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 23:46, 2 replies)

I still use flipcharts for presentations.
Fuck you powerpoint.
(Vigilante Man weeps because you're stupid., Thu 4 Nov 2010, 23:36, 2 replies)

Old computing
Running Hercules IBM mainframe emulator on my pc...writing in COBOL and Jcl. Runs like shit off a stick...

If only I could find an ICL emulator running vme...then I'd be truly happy.
(GhostAtTheFeast Soup Sir?, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 23:34, Reply)

retro computing
sadly my Sinclair ZX81 won't power up any more, but I still enjoy playing 3D Monster Maze on an Emulator. 1Kb of RAM expandable with the wobbly RAM Pack, 2 colours, but hours of fun, and POKE 16510,0 to change the first line number to 0. so nobody could edit it and change your name.

0 PRINT "FUCK OFF"
1 RUN

in John Menzies on the High Street. Happy memories.
(f_rev, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 23:20, 6 replies)

My main transport
Is a 1976 Honda CB400/four, which I may have mentioned here before. Everyone loved them when they were new, one of the first japs to handle properly matched with a smooth and solid SOHC 4 engine (reputed to be one of Soichiro Hondas favourite designs).
Mine is a plain blue F1 model, bought via ebay-unseen! 3 owners who obviously looked after her, and only 25000 miles on the clock.
Two years and nearly 16000 miles later, and I still love riding this bike. I've spent stupid amounts of money on repairs, renovations and improvements, but every bit has been worth it. This bike is nearly old enough to be my mum, but still copes with a 40 mile a day commute in all weathers, except snow and ice. We're off down to Coventry for the weekend tomorrow.
( Greenbat, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 23:18, 2 replies)

I've just borrowed my parents usb turntable to convert my vinyl to digital audio for my ipod
turns out half of them were too scratched to save, and most of the rest were just terrible music :( Anything good i'd already 'found' on the internet anyway...
( mictoboy shitting in your cunt since, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 23:04, 1 reply)

confessions of an audiophile (hifi geek)
Not only do I own hideously expensive speakers and turntable, but I use valve amplifiers (that's vacuum tubes for you 'merkins) for the entire signal chain.
If you think that's bad enough, not only do I use valve electronics, but I built the damn things four years ago from kits sold through a Hifi magazine. only 15 watts but plenty loud enough for me.
I'm planning to build another amplifier from scratch over the winter.
(f_rev, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 23:01, 3 replies)

I find myself in need of a dragon 32 emulator.
one that, specifically, plays calixto island and that one where you start as a serf and work your way up to lord, or something, that I deleted by accident in 1986. can you help?
( janet aylia y'all motherfuckers need jesus, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 22:54, 3 replies)

old music equipment
it's sometimes hard to get over folks' attachment to their favourite 1959 Fender Strat, or their Marshall valve head from 1972 but that's musicians. I even saw a dude gigging in Exeter with a cassette tape delay machine, literally running an endless loop of 6-inch long magnetic tape- he'd have to take apart a cassette and splice a length with scotch tape if it ever snarled up.... but some people insist.

I'm sure there are still a large number of Alesis and Tascam 4-tracks in operation in bedrooms and cellars up and down the land, although mainly by people who say 'it's a shit business, innit' and who used to be in creme Brulee....

Slash's latest album was recorded , mixed and mastered purely on magnetic tape transport and some vintage 1970s mixing desks with quadrant faders. Sounds fine!
( Rotating Wobbly Hat That's not a banana. THIS is a banana., Thu 4 Nov 2010, 22:46, 6 replies)

PINE
Since webmail is inexcusably slow here at the university where I'm doing research these days, I check my email with PINE, using the PuTTy telnet client. HTML-formatted emails come through as fairly crap, but I can save attachments to the file server with three keystrokes.

I also keep in touch with friends by writing letters. With a fountain pen and postage stamps. If I'm lucky I get one letter back for every ten I write, but it's better than nothing.
(norumbegan, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 22:39, 4 replies)

i can be strangely techno-phobic at times
i would rather wash my own dishes than use a dishwasher, i still write down phone numbers instead of just storing them on a phone, if i have to go somewhere i will usually walk or ride my bike.
hell, i don't even own a hoover. i have cushioned flooring, it's much quicker to simply sweep the floor clean.
don't get me wrong, i'm not saying all technology is bad, i'm not exactly a luddite, it's just that i prefer not to have to rely on technology for things i can do myself without it.
( Smash Monkey lowering the tone of the whole internet, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 22:38, 8 replies)

I've got a bucket of sand and a garden hosepipe, just in case the fire service becomes privatised.

( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 22:33, Reply)

Far from pro-audio
I recently bought a walkman so I could back up some old music stuff from cassette(I also have a load of mini discs and player). It cost me £2.50 on eBay. I chuckled as I passed Maplin the other day as they're flogging USB ones for about £15.
(mcnelson, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 22:28, Reply)

I still whip out my original GameBoy
To play Tetris until my eyes bleed and you just can't beat it. That thrill when the little men come out and play the theme tune *shivers*

I also regularly use my two knitting machines that are older than I am but that's another story.
(Chicken Little This signature has been left blank., Thu 4 Nov 2010, 22:24, 2 replies)

chopsticks
fuck off forks
( enoughblueskyforsailorstrousers, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 22:15, 8 replies)

I love old technology
I am a closet steampunk fan, but even without that, adulthood has bought me an income that has allowed me to pick up all the things I listed after as a child/teenager but could never afford.

I've got an Atari 1040STe, Apple Macintosh LCii, Apple Newton, a couple of old Silicon Graphics machines, a G3 iMac and god knows what else, but the machine I love most is my G3 "Pismo" PowerBook. It's got WiFi, a DVD srive, it's light, the battery lasts a long time and it has the nicest keyboard of any laptop ever. It's also nice to hold and good looking. If they made a Core2Duo version I'd sell my mother for it. I love that laptop more than is healthy...
(Chad, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 22:11, Reply)

David and the insects.
Not entirely sure if this counts as being on-topic or not, but any excuse to tell one of my favourite stories from my childhood and all that.

~~~~A few wavy lines ~~~

It was about eight years ago now that I first met my cousin, who we shall refer to as David, for that was his name. My mum’s sister lives in Spain, thus we rarely get to see her, but we as a family needed a holiday and being a tad low on funds had to go and stay with her. I had been warned beforehand by my mother that David had severe learning and communication difficulties and that he might be difficult to understand at times – being a young lad myself I hadn’t had much experience with things like this. Needless to say, my 11 year old mind ran wild with images of a seven-limbed gargantuan, perhaps with an extra eye or head.

Upon our meeting I was pleasantly/disappointingly surprised. He only had four limbs, two eyes and one head. It also became apparent to me that David was a very smart guy, and was quite capable of stringing a sentence together. In fact the only noticeable thing regarding his disabilities was his inability to grasp correct grammar when either speaking or writing (irregular verbs especially were a problem and anything that had the audacity to be in the past-tense was awarded the suffix ‘ed’ for example ‘I was’ became ‘I wased’, ‘I had’ became ‘I haded’ etc. – you get the idea). Other than that though he appeared to be normal.

(For those qotw purists out there, this is the bit involving technology). I was getting along with my new-found cousin quite well, but things really moved along when he invited me to his bedroom (settle down at the back there!). Turns out this guy LOVED insects and all that goes with them – praying mantis bed sheets, stick insect curtains, stag beetle lampshade, every toy going that looked remotely bug-like. The crowning joy of this collection, however, was an enormous ant farm that took up almost an entire wall of his bedroom and, this being a time when ant farms were cool (especially to ten year old boys), what an ant farm it was – glass walls, blue neon lights for when it gets dark, several other gadgets and gizmos designed to make watching the little guys all the more enjoyable. It was an absolute masterpiece (quite technological – see, its slightly on topic) of retro equipment.

We went back the following year, all was well, Mum and Aunty were twittering away as Mums and Auntys tend to do. I overheard that in the winter David had had what was described as an ‘episode’ resulting in the destruction of his beloved farm, and that the ants had run riot in the house for a few days before they could get an exterminator in to deal with them. I was slightly gutted for the loss of that late 90’s must have piece of kit. My guttedness was premature, however, as dearest Aunt went on to explain that David had worked hard and built a new farm - a much smaller one - but a farm nonetheless. As is only natural I went to investigate, peering into his room I saw him pining over a tiny little Perspex box containing about 17 ants, with a blue torch underneath to replicate that neon effect. I could see that he was over the moon with his creation, so I thought I’d play along for a bit. I’ll never forget his response when I asked what it was – he smiled warmly and said "It’s my re-doned ant technology".

Do you know what? I apologise for neither length nor lack of funnies. *Re-lurks*
(2_Killer_Mockingbirds Listened to all the same songs on, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 21:39, 4 replies)

My Sega Megadrive
Is still in complete working order, and does get used. I have it plugged into my 37" tv though... Which does look rather odd, but Streets Of Rage, Sonic and Toejam and Earl will never be beaten.

I also have my N64 hooked up to it as well, souly for Mario Kart 64 and Goldeneye
(TaZ44, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 21:16, 7 replies)

Raw Milk
Not that is out of date, that would be horrid, but proper green top milk with a big blob of cream on the top and a pleasant taste of milk instead of the coloured watery piss masquerading as milk.
(Littlesirjohn sprung up his head and so amazed them all., Thu 4 Nov 2010, 21:13, 9 replies)

I know
there is going to be much mention of vinyl this week.
I feel sorry for those that have had to get rid of their collection for one reason or another. The joy I had perusing the racks in Probe records, taking home a big square carrier bag, splitting the cellophane with my thumbnail, pulling out the round black shiny goodness, all stuck to the inner sleeve with static, and playing it for the first time.


Then again, old Herb Alpert records from the charity shop gave me the same pleasure and makes up about a 1/3 of my collection!
Life would not be as fun without Herb.
( Herb Alpert's Taxi Driver I have very beautiful lips, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 21:09, 6 replies)

I teach English
as a foreign language. No txtspk. No using "like" every other word. No prepositions at the end of sentences. Things that are redundant in the UK now. Vinyl, though.. Love it as always!
(barbedwiretumbleweed Fast 'n' Bulbous!, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 20:54, 5 replies)

The computers we use here at work
Are all HP's designed for Windows 2000. They have Intel Pentium 3 processors and when one of them crapped out, they had to replace the memory, all 128 megs of it. We are getting upgrades in about 3 years time.
(CactusZack Shaved his coin purse on, Thu 4 Nov 2010, 20:51, 1 reply)