There is this wall-mounted telephone on which you actually dial the number, rather than punching it or tapping it with your finger, or even speaking it with your voice. Sadly, it does not work anymore. Not because the phone is broken. But telephone companies no longer support the technology.
A calculator for the geek, using the “reverse Polish” notation. Instead of “1+2+3”, you tap “12+3+”. The battery cannot be charged anymore. Otherwise it might still work. But how many people know how to use it?
8 inch and 5-1/4 floppy diskettes.
They pre-date the 3-1/2 inch which is still being used in some places.
Big reels of magnetic storage tapes. Anyone remember the VAX/VMS?
Cassette tapes. Still playable.
A slide rule. Perhaps some people still know how to use them, but surely very few. But it is still as good as new. I have owned it since around 1970.
And a lot more. …
Much of these were way older than 1993. But it is fun poring over them, and seeing whether they can still be used.
Not surprisingly, mechanical equipment such as the slide rule tend to be more durable. What lesson does that teach us?
No comments:
Post a Comment