Cutting Edge Tech
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September 27th, 2011 at 8:42:22 PM
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Remember when cutting edge technology was having
a motorized TV antenna on the roof? The neighbors
had one in 1957 and my dad was jealous because
he couldn't afford one. They could get 5 stations and
we only got 3. Then they got a color TV in 1959, when
the only prime time show in color was Bonanza. They
put the box the TV came in out by the road a week before
it was picked up so all the neighbors could see how well
they were doing.
a motorized TV antenna on the roof? The neighbors
had one in 1957 and my dad was jealous because
he couldn't afford one. They could get 5 stations and
we only got 3. Then they got a color TV in 1959, when
the only prime time show in color was Bonanza. They
put the box the TV came in out by the road a week before
it was picked up so all the neighbors could see how well
they were doing.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 27th, 2011 at 9:50:05 PM
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Little did they know they created a bitter monster next door :P
September 27th, 2011 at 10:11:56 PM
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Quote: ikilledjerryloganLittle did they know they created a bitter monster next door :P
What do you mean? I loved that color TV, I was
right there in front of it every Sunday night. I
was friends with that kid till we moved a few years
later. There was always a bunch of kids and adults
there every time an all color show was on, it was
a real novelty.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 27th, 2011 at 10:18:28 PM
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First song I learned to play on guitar was the bonanza theme. One of the best shows of all time.
September 28th, 2011 at 6:40:30 AM
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Remember the early remotes. Had a cable running from the TV to the couch. All that and only 3 channels LOL
September 28th, 2011 at 6:46:45 AM
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Quote: buzzpaffRemember the early remotes. Had a cable running from the TV to the couch. All that and only 3 channels LOL
My memory doesn't go back that far.
I remember cable boxes with a cable running from the converter to a large box with switches, though. Also ultrasonic remotes, which drove dogs out of their minds. What I remember more vividly are the first TVs without a channel display.
Donald Trump is a fucking criminal
September 28th, 2011 at 7:01:16 AM
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When I was young I was the remote. Standing there holding the tuner till my dad decided what he wanted to watch.
September 28th, 2011 at 8:44:40 AM
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Quote: buzzpaffRemember the early remotes. Had a cable running from the TV to the couch. All that and only 3 channels LOL
First remote I saw had no electronic signal, it whistled. And you could watch the channel dial move on the TV from your chair as if turned by an invisible hand.
"Poker sure is an easy game to beat if you have the roll to keep rebuying."
September 28th, 2011 at 9:11:31 AM
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Am I the only one who remembers the small screen TV with the big magnifying glass in front of it ?
September 28th, 2011 at 9:14:48 AM
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Or placing this special please of plastic on the TV screen so you could use crayons to draw a bridge for the hero to cross on Winky Dink and You,
Remember Howdy Dowdy? What was the name of the detective on that show? COWABUNGA Can we get a little help from the peanut gallery ?
Remember Howdy Dowdy? What was the name of the detective on that show? COWABUNGA Can we get a little help from the peanut gallery ?
September 28th, 2011 at 9:46:32 AM
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Quote: buzzpaffAm I the only one who remembers the small screen TV with the big magnifying glass in front of it ?
POssibly.
I have seen them, though. Also models that had a horizontal screen mounted on top of a console, and a amgnifying mirror set ata more vertical angle for viewing.
I do recall when a TV was seen as furniture, too, with wood cabinets and legs to stand on. Some had doors to cover the screen when not in use.
Donald Trump is a fucking criminal
September 28th, 2011 at 9:50:42 AM
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I remember the plastic thing that allowed you to use a crayon to follow the story on certain shows.
I also remember the beating I got the time I forgot to use the plastic...
I also remember the beating I got the time I forgot to use the plastic...
I invented a few casino games. Info:
http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ —————————————————————————————————————
Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
September 28th, 2011 at 10:10:01 AM
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I remember a local kids show after school that had a number you could call in to participate in a "video game". The kid on the phone would yell, "pow!" to trigger the video game to shoot at a moving target displayed on the TV. Due to the lag between the audio and video feeds, as well as the cycle time between shots, it was really difficult, if not impossible, to time shots accurately. The most entertaining thing for me was hearing the frustration in the kid's voices as they realized that their carefully timed "Pow!" was not even close to effective, and then they almost always broke out into a machine gun "Pow, pow, pow, pow...." as the time ran down.
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication - Leonardo da Vinci
September 28th, 2011 at 10:45:13 AM
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Ever see the ads in magazines that for $9.99 ( a lot of money in the 50's ) that changed B&W sets to color. LOL
Was a multicolored plastic sheet to put on the screen.
Was Mad Man Muntz local to Baltimore or nationwide, He sold his brand at cheaper prices by replacing networks with a resistor and like that.
Did you local Drug store have a tube tester? Which was really only a filament tester ??
Was a multicolored plastic sheet to put on the screen.
Was Mad Man Muntz local to Baltimore or nationwide, He sold his brand at cheaper prices by replacing networks with a resistor and like that.
Did you local Drug store have a tube tester? Which was really only a filament tester ??
September 28th, 2011 at 12:07:15 PM
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Don't remember a detective. The regular Howdy Doody (not Dowdy) characters that I remember were: Howdy, Buffalo Bob (Smith), Phineas T. Bluster, Clarabell, Cornelius J. Cobb, Chief Thunderthud, Princess Summerfallwinterspring, and the Flubadub. (Probably several spelling errors there.) Both Howdy and Mr. Bluster had brothers who rarely appeared, but I don't remember their names.Quote: buzzpaffRemember Howdy Dowdy? What was the name of the detective on that show? COWABUNGA Can we get a little help from the peanut gallery ?
September 28th, 2011 at 5:55:55 PM
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Quote: buzzpaffAm I the only one who remembers the small screen TV with the big magnifying glass in front of it ?
We also had fake color TV, with a plastic wheel and colored
cellophane. You turned the wheel and adjusted the colors till
the people looked bright yellow or orange.
When the TV broke down, which was every few months, an
actual live repairman would come and fix it. Just like an actual
live doctor came, and a milkman, and breadman. We thought
nothing of it, till they disappeared for good.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 28th, 2011 at 6:36:15 PM
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I remember my first real computer game in the early 80's - Rogue. Minimal graphics, the 'monsters' were all letters of the alphabet (B=Bat, C=Centaur, etc). You moved around using just directional keys. It was great. I spent hours playing that. Even made it to level 26 and found the legendary Amulet of Yendor once!
"Bite my Glorious Golden Ass!" - Bender Bending Rodriguez
September 28th, 2011 at 6:40:20 PM
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Quote: Toes14I remember my first real computer game in the early 80's - Rogue.
In the bar in 1979 we got Pacman, then Ms Pacman, then Space
Invaders. Primitive by todays standards, but god did the bar make
a ton of money off those games. They were all being played all
the time, 25 cents a pop. Between the machines, the pool table,
and the jukebox, they paid most of the bills. Everything else was
profit.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 28th, 2011 at 6:44:10 PM
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Living in Pittsburgh, I remember the original Mr Rogers; it was called The Children's Corner, and he cohosted with Josie Carey.
I remember some of the other stuff, we mostly watched Captain Kangaroo (& Mr Green Jeans); just an occasional Howdy Doody. We had a B&W set that had about an 18" screen, and the tube was circular but cut off at the top and bottom. I think it was circa '56 or so. When we moved in '59 we got a new TV, still B&W, and an antenna on top of the house with a direction changer. The antenna changer was called a Tenna-Rotor, and it turned the antenna to maximize the reception. The Tenna-Rotor was usually broken, and Dad didn't want to climb onto the roof to fix it. He paid to have it fixed once, and from then on it was left broke, picking up 2 & 11 really well, 4 not so well, and 13 barely at all. Finally we just put the rabbit ears on the set, and in the '70s got cable.
I remember some of the other stuff, we mostly watched Captain Kangaroo (& Mr Green Jeans); just an occasional Howdy Doody. We had a B&W set that had about an 18" screen, and the tube was circular but cut off at the top and bottom. I think it was circa '56 or so. When we moved in '59 we got a new TV, still B&W, and an antenna on top of the house with a direction changer. The antenna changer was called a Tenna-Rotor, and it turned the antenna to maximize the reception. The Tenna-Rotor was usually broken, and Dad didn't want to climb onto the roof to fix it. He paid to have it fixed once, and from then on it was left broke, picking up 2 & 11 really well, 4 not so well, and 13 barely at all. Finally we just put the rabbit ears on the set, and in the '70s got cable.
A falling knife has no handle.
September 28th, 2011 at 6:52:30 PM
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If Mr Rogers looked like this today and was seen
hanging around an elementary school, somebody
would call the cops on him. "Come here little boy,
I've got some candy in my car for you."
hanging around an elementary school, somebody
would call the cops on him. "Come here little boy,
I've got some candy in my car for you."
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 28th, 2011 at 7:03:17 PM
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I remember when TV ended at midnight. Star spangled banner to test pattern. Then fuzz. Maybe that still goes on in places.
There's no secret. Just know what you're talking about before you open your mouth.
September 28th, 2011 at 7:25:17 PM
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Quote: rxwineI remember when TV ended at midnight.
Remember when the nightly news was 15min long? And
cartoons came on about 6am Sat morning and ran till
noon. The good cartoons, not the crap they went to in
the mid 60's. And the only reruns you saw were I Love
Lucy.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 28th, 2011 at 7:26:26 PM
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Quote: EvenBobIn the bar in 1979 we got Pacman, then Ms Pacman, then Space
Invaders. Primitive by todays standards, but god did the bar make
a ton of money off those games. They were all being played all
the time, 25 cents a pop. Between the machines, the pool table,
and the jukebox, they paid most of the bills. Everything else was
profit.
The first video game to hit the bars was Pong in 1974/5. Used to spend more money on that game than beer when it first came out and I spent a shitload on beer.
Be careful when you follow the masses, the M is sometimes silent.
September 28th, 2011 at 7:34:02 PM
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Inspector John J. Fadoozle ("America's number 1 private eye")
September 28th, 2011 at 7:38:14 PM
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I grew up in Baltimore and we could pick up a UHF station that never went off the air. And no public service announcements. We always figured in case of nuclear attack by the Russians, we could still watch Horror movies or figure 8 stock car races on UHF.
They also had roller derby. Don't know it it was fixed, but seems winning team was only decided on the very last pass all the time, LOL
They also had roller derby. Don't know it it was fixed, but seems winning team was only decided on the very last pass all the time, LOL
September 28th, 2011 at 7:40:31 PM
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I would sell rolls of quarters to customers and they would
come back for more. This was cutting edge.
come back for more. This was cutting edge.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 28th, 2011 at 7:43:44 PM
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Quote: buzzpaff
They also had roller derby. Don't know it it was fixed,
We had boxing and Big Time wrestling on Sat nights. Boxing
was huge in the 50's, all the old fat guys in the audience with
their 10 cent stogies in their faces.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 28th, 2011 at 7:54:06 PM
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Friday Night Fights Gillette And as a kid did you think the wrestling referee was just DUMB.
Actually the ref ran the show, telling the wrestlers when to break a hold, put foot on ropes, etc.
And Cassius Clay modeled his act after Gorgeous George.
What's the possibility any young viewer might not recognize Cassius ?
Actually the ref ran the show, telling the wrestlers when to break a hold, put foot on ropes, etc.
And Cassius Clay modeled his act after Gorgeous George.
What's the possibility any young viewer might not recognize Cassius ?
September 28th, 2011 at 8:00:16 PM
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It is really amazing when you stop think about how things have changed in just a few generations. I know the young posters on the forum will be thinking that I am just an old fart reminiscing, True. My mother grew up on the Prairies and lived in a 'sody' (a house with a dirt roof and a dirt floor) as a kid and was always pissed off her mother made her sweep the dirt floor every day and complained about it until she died in her 80's (it was already dirt for God's sake). I can remember being excited when we got rid of our crank phone and got a modern dial phone. My wife and I both remember how excited our parents were when they got their first cars. Today my grandkids are pissed at me because I won't buy them an I-Pad.
Be careful when you follow the masses, the M is sometimes silent.
September 28th, 2011 at 8:00:24 PM
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Quote: buzzpaffFriday Night Fights Gillette And as a kid did you think the wrestling referee was just Dumb.
The old wrestling rings were on springs, and sometimes
it was like they were on a box spring bed. The springs
took all the force out of the body slams, but often they
were weak and worn out and it looked like they were
on a rocking and rolling ship.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 28th, 2011 at 8:06:52 PM
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Who was the only wrestler to appear on "Person to Person" with Edward R. Murrow???
Heres a clue : He was depicted wrestling Superman on the cover of the Superman #155 (August 1962) comic book.
Heres a clue : He was depicted wrestling Superman on the cover of the Superman #155 (August 1962) comic book.
September 28th, 2011 at 8:18:42 PM
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The biggest change I see in kids today ? I resell stuff on Amazon that I buy at yard sales, garage, estate sales. Does not matter whether I am in the rich or poor parts of town. Fridays or Saturdays. I don't see no damn kids running and playing anywhere. As a kid
growing up, we were always playing ball, riding bikes, starting fires, stealing empty milk and soda bottles, hopping on trains, getting in trouble at the stockyards, etc.
Gee wonder why childhood obesity is such a problem today?
growing up, we were always playing ball, riding bikes, starting fires, stealing empty milk and soda bottles, hopping on trains, getting in trouble at the stockyards, etc.
Gee wonder why childhood obesity is such a problem today?
September 28th, 2011 at 8:48:21 PM
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Quote: buzzpaffAs a kid
growing up, we were always playing ball, riding bikes, starting fires, stealing empty milk and soda bottles, hopping on trains, getting in trouble at the stockyards, etc.
Yup, we were forced to play outside, there was
nothing to do in the house. I remember the kid
next door and I found a paper bag in somebodies
garage that was full of .22 rounds. Had to be
hundreds of them in there. We took the bag and
threw it into the burn barrel (remember those?)
and hid in the bushes. It was like firecrackers going
off.My mother went berzerk, saying we could have been
killed. It was years before I found out bullets have
no velocity unless shot from a gun.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
September 28th, 2011 at 8:57:30 PM
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Wonder how many hot boxes us kids caused by stealing the axle grease out of train wheels for our torches ??
September 29th, 2011 at 6:41:27 PM
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Remember how big a deal it was in the 50's when the
new Sears and Wards catalogs came out? Our family
ordered lots of things from them. There was an old
guy that came around on a three wheeled bike that
sold odds and ends. He had hundreds of items, like
kitchen matches, needles and thread, bandanas, pens
and pencils, cigarettes and cigars. He was the tail end
of a tradition that goes back hundreds of years, the street
peddler.
new Sears and Wards catalogs came out? Our family
ordered lots of things from them. There was an old
guy that came around on a three wheeled bike that
sold odds and ends. He had hundreds of items, like
kitchen matches, needles and thread, bandanas, pens
and pencils, cigarettes and cigars. He was the tail end
of a tradition that goes back hundreds of years, the street
peddler.
"It's not called gambling if the math is on your side."
