Remember When
Quote: vegasWhen I was a child they had a cartoon half way through the newscast. Maybe the weather and sports came after the cartoon, can't remember. I guess it was to get kids interested in the world more. This was around 1960. We had Encyclopedia Britannica to get our info in those days.
What kills me today is they intentionally tell half the story then tell you to wait 30 minutes for the rest. I still think the cable outlets would do well to do a 30 minute newscast similar to the networks. Slogan of "all the news in half the time."
Quote: EvenBobRemember when the nightly network
news reports were 15min long on TV?
Remember when we got most of our
news from newspapers, AM radio and
weekly magazines.
That era feels like horse and buggy days
now, so slow and plodding. I'm reading
that the 24hr news cycle is causing
stress issues for more than a few people.
They have no idea what it was like to
live in an era where it took a real world shaking
event to stir things up. I miss those days.
Cable news was one of the worst things to come out of the 20th century. Sometimes I'll watch the local news and they can't even fill the 30 minutes they have with anything newsworthy.
The irony is that 24 hour news COULD be very valuable and educational... there is always something going on in the world but they don't want to report on it. If I turn on CNN at 11 in the morning I should be seeing news of what happened in Europe or Africa that day. Turn it on at 3 in the morning or whatever and I should be getting some Asian news. Put some correspondents in every country and show me what's going on around the world at every hour of the day. Nobody wants to do that.
Quote: AZDuffman15 no, 30 yes. Thing is they could still get it all done in 30.
Up until I was in High School,
it was on for 15 min every
evening.
"On September 9, 1963, the Huntley-Brinkley Report expanded to 30 minutes, following a similar move by CBS."
Can you imagine cramming the
world news into 15 min? They
could do it because it was just
real news, not opinion. Most
'news' now is just talking heads,
there was none on that in the old
days.
Quote: EvenBobUp until I was in High School,
it was on for 15 min every
evening.
"On September 9, 1963, the Huntley-Brinkley Report expanded to 30 minutes, following a similar move by CBS."
Can you imagine cramming the
world news into 15 min? They
could do it because it was just
real news, not opinion. Most
'news' now is just talking heads,
there was none on that in the old
days.
I am guessing that they just had someone reading headlines, nobody onsite. From what I heard there were no commercials in the 15 mins. News was a "service" not profit center.
Headline News used to do it all in 30 minutes and it was great. But they got bored and got away from that.
Quote: AZDuffmanI am guessing that they just had someone reading headlines, nobody onsite.
It was not unlike network newscasts
now. They discussed news, had
film of other reporters on site,
had guests in the studio. 15 min
can be a long time if it's done
right. What was considered 'news'
was different then.
came out it 1960, there were still millions of people alive
who remembered 1910. They would be the first to tell
you that there was a galaxy of difference between life in
1910 and life in 1960.
Now consider the difference between 1969, which is 50
years ago, and today. Not that much has really changed.
We still watch color TVs, go to movies, talk on phones,
drive cars. It must have been a real shock to people alive
in 1960 who were adults in their early twenties in 1910. It
was a different universe entirely.
Quote: EvenBobEver think about timelines. When the movie Music Man
came out it 1960, there were still millions of people alive
who remembered 1910. They would be the first to tell
you that there was a galaxy of difference between life in
1910 and life in 1960.
Now consider the difference between 1969, which is 50
years ago, and today. Not that much has really changed.
We still watch color TVs, go to movies, talk on phones,
drive cars. It must have been a real shock to people alive
in 1960 who were adults in their early twenties in 1910. It
was a different universe entirely.
I think the biggest difference in the last 50 years is the internet. Everything is instant communications. Anything that happens in the world is relayed across the universe instantaneously. The internet opened up a whole new world.
Quote: EvenBob
Now consider the difference between 1969, which is 50
years ago, and today. Not that much has really changed.
We still watch color TVs, go to movies, talk on phones,
drive cars. It must have been a real shock to people alive
in 1960 who were adults in their early twenties in 1910. It
was a different universe entirely.
I was just talking about that on some other thread! About how very little has changed since the 1980's. I don't think things are going to change much more in my lifetime, in the next 30-50 years. Obviously medical stuff is always advancing, but what else? Computers will be a little faster, cars are going to look a little different, but that's probably about it. If we land a man on Mars or have a Moon base in that time I'll be impressed.
Unless you were in the center of a densely populated area, you might have to call a taxi company 1 day in advance to make a reservation.
A ride to the airport (30 miles for me) would be around $90 each way...sometimes more than the flight I was taking. Now closer to $30, and even out in “BFE” it’s rare to wait 10 minutes from the time you request it
Quote: TigerWuI was just talking about that on some other thread! About how very little has changed since the 1980's. I don't think things are going to change much more in my lifetime, in the next 30-50 years.
We had plenty of instant communication
in 1969, without puters. Phone, TV, radio,
even telegraph. 50 years from now we'll
just have improvements of what we now
have. There will never be again the gigantic
change that happened between 1910 and
1960. My wife's granny said the biggest
event in her life was when a car came to
her rural town in 1911. The entire town
turned out to see it. A famous woman
reporter said in 1990 that Lindburgh
crossing the Atlantic was the biggest
story of her lifetime. It jolted people into
the 20th century.
Quote: TigerWuAbout how very little has changed since the 1980's.
1978 Chevy small block - 160hp / 13mpg
2020 Chevy small block - 650hp / 30mpg
Using the stars v GPS
Rand McNally v MapQuest
Mechanic / plumber / roofer / electrician / mason v YouTube
"Eye witness" v facial recognition
78 spy satellite "someone built a hangar" v 20 spy satellite "he drives a VW Polo plate #L56 32EO"
"Please allow 4-6wks" v same day shipping
Vapor lock v "the hills block my Sirius"
Backpack sized personal wireless phone v backpack sized personal laser CNC (CNC cheaper now than those Zack Morris phones were)
"We'll open you up" v "2cm cut for the scope"
Pitfall v Borderlands 3
Encyclopedia Britannica v Google.
First reusable shuttle v r/c cars on Mars and commercial passenger orbits.
Eons of selective breeding v genetic modification
"You've got 2 months" v "1 pill thrice a day"
Trickle down economics and perpetual desert wars v... oh. Er, well... "the more things change...", amirite?
Remember in 1899 Charles Duell said "everything that can be invented has been invented." He was Commissioner of US patent office. He thought the same as you do that very little change is coming. I would love to see 100 years in the future!!
Quote: Face1978 Chevy small block - 160hp / 13mpg
2020 Chevy small block - 650hp / 30mpg
Using the stars v GPS
Rand McNally v MapQuest
Mechanic / plumber / roofer / electrician / mason v YouTube
"Eye witness" v facial recognition
78 spy satellite "someone built a hangar" v 20 spy satellite "he drives a VW Polo plate #L56 32EO"
"Please allow 4-6wks" v same day shipping
Vapor lock v "the hills block my Sirius"
Backpack sized personal wireless phone v backpack sized personal laser CNC (CNC cheaper now than those Zack Morris phones were)
"We'll open you up" v "2cm cut for the scope"
Pitfall v Borderlands 3
Encyclopedia Britannica v Google.
First reusable shuttle v r/c cars on Mars and commercial passenger orbits.
Eons of selective breeding v genetic modification
"You've got 2 months" v "1 pill thrice a day"
Trickle down economics and perpetual desert wars v... oh. Er, well... "the more things change...", amirite?
You make my point perfectly. None
of these are society changing. 90%
of Americans lived on a farm in 1900.
Some of the inventions of the next 30
years were society and life changing.
Cars, tractors, phones (invented in the
1870's but most didn't have one until
well into the 20th century), wired for
electric (which my grandparents didn't
get till 1945}, manned flight, radios.
These all changed lives and society in
ways we still haven't recovered from.
Quote: FleaStiffNews today is "filler" for commercial breaks. Everyone seems to cover the same top stories.
There are a lot of ads in the news too. Last time I watched local news, one of the stories was that Starbucks had a new product.
Quote: vegasI think the biggest difference in the last 50 years is the internet. Everything is instant communications. Anything that happens in the world is relayed across the universe instantaneously. The internet opened up a whole new world.
Comparing the 1980s to life today , it’s hard to think of a major change in day to day life that’s not related to the internet.
Quote: michael99000Comparing the 1980s to life today , it’s hard to think of a major change in day to day life that’s not related to the internet.
Radio changed society far more than
the internet has. It brought the world,
live, into people homes for the first
time in history. We went from reading
in the evening, to huddling around
the radio in the living room or parlor.
We heard news as it was made and
didn't have to wait for next days paper.
The internet has made things more
convenient. Is my life all that much
different than 30 years ago? Not really.
Quote: EvenBob
The internet has made things more
convenient.
It's also made people much more annoying! Haha
Exactly. Mostly there have been extreme refinements of things. But nothing remotely close to going from horse & buggy to landing on the moon in 60 years.Quote: michael99000Comparing the 1980s to life today , it’s hard to think of a major change in day to day life that’s not related to the internet.
Jet airliners and even jet fighters today - 50 years later - are, at their core, pretty much the same as back then.
The next major changes will probably be “medical”. Stop aging process, ability to have any kind of baby you want, etc.
As far as medical......
30 years ago cataract surgery was a multiday affair requiring either General Anesthesia or a nerve block. Now the docs can use a few drops of local, a mild sedative, and you are home before lunch time.
30 years ago a cholecystectomy (gall bladder) was a 5 day inpatient procedure, extremely painful. Now have it on Friday morning, be home for lunch, and be back at work on Monday.
30 years ago you get AIDS, you die. Now, you take some drugs and live.
Cardiac stents instead of having your chest cracked.
Targeted chemo instead of more systemic poison.
Viagra.
Propofol instead of Pentothal.
Bariatric surgery.
Etc.....
Quote: SOOPOOTo me, the internet has totally changed my life
And I can find 10 people who's
lives it's barely changed. You
know the invention that really
changed the world? And nobody
ever guesses it correctly.
Refrigeration. It not only preserved
food, it kept it edible when frozen
for an indefinite period. It changed
lives everywhere. But what it changed
most of all was when it was used
for air conditioning. This change
was massive. It made FL, TX, and AZ
livable year round. It turned the
Middle East into a habitable place.
On some comprehensive lists
refrigeration is listed as the most
important invention of mankind
so far.
Quote: EvenBobAnd I can find 10 people who's
lives it's barely changed. You
know the invention that really
changed the world? And nobody
ever guesses it correctly.
Refrigeration. It not only preserved
food, it kept it edible when frozen
for an indefinite period. It changed
lives everywhere. But what it changed
most of all was when it was used
for air conditioning. This change
was massive. It made FL, TX, and AZ
livable year round. It turned the
Middle East into a habitable place.
On some comprehensive lists
refrigeration is listed as the most
important invention of mankind
so far.
I've read that about refrigeration as well. But if you want to count harnessing electricity as an individual change, it probably trumps the rest.
We must travel in different circles..... you know 10 people that the internet hasn't changed.... I don't know any.
Quote: SOOPOOI've read that about refrigeration as well. But if you want to count harnessing electricity as an individual change, it probably trumps the rest.
We must travel in different circles..... you know 10 people that the internet hasn't changed.... I don't know any.
The internet hasn't changed my life very much...
My job doesn't depend on the internet at all. It just makes ordering certain parts from suppliers a little more efficient, but I could easily do it without the internet.
My personal life isn't very different, either. I really only use the internet for streaming movies and TV, and if that didn't exist I would probably just have cable.
If the internet disappeared tomorrow I could get on with my life without missing a beat. I certainly wouldn't miss arguing with strangers on the internet.
Quote: SOOPOOyou know 10 people that the internet hasn't changed.... I don't know any.
Right off the top of my head, a
friend from HS who was an engineer
has never had an internet connection
or a cell phone. Another friend from
the 70's, ditto on him as well. I'm
sure I know way more than 10 that
never use social networks and use
computers seldom if at all.
Quote: EvenBobRight off the top of my head, a
friend from HS who was an engineer
has never had an internet connection
or a cell phone. Another friend from
the 70's, ditto on him as well. I'm
sure I know way more than 10 that
never use social networks and use
computers seldom if at all.
I wonder if they are better off for it?
I have thought about limiting my access to 30 minutes per day. I think I may be addicted.🙄
Quote: MaxPenI wonder if they are better off for it?
I have thought about limiting my access to 30 minutes per day. I think I may be addicted.🙄
Yes and no. They are both very ill
informed about what's going on,
and they don't really have a lot
to add to a conversation.
What the net has done for me is
give me the equivalent of few
college degree's in various
subjects and has increased my
depth of knowledge hugely.
Quote: EvenBob
What the net has done for me is
give me the equivalent of few
college degree's in various
subjects and has increased my
depth of knowledge hugely.
It’s also enabled you to share your insight and opinions here on this forum.
Quote: michael99000It’s also enabled you to share your insight and opinions here on this forum.
Not really, this place has a very
limited scope of conversation.
Quote: EvenBobYes and no. They are both very ill
informed about what's going on,
and they don't really have a lot
to add to a conversation.
What the net has done for me is
give me the equivalent of few
college degree's in various
subjects and has increased my
depth of knowledge hugely.
Your last paragraph, it’s pretty comical what’s happened with our education system. With places like EdX, or MIT open courseware, essentially anything that’s not a masters or doctorate level course you can get for free or close to online. Yet college costs 5x what it did in the ‘80’s even though an equivalent education can be attained for essentially free unlike then. Just paying for the piece of paper and “college experience.”
Quote: TigerWuI was just talking about that on some other thread! About how very little has changed since the 1980's. I don't think things are going to change much more in my lifetime, in the next 30-50 years. Obviously medical stuff is always advancing, but what else? Computers will be a little faster, cars are going to look a little different, but that's probably about it. If we land a man on Mars or have a Moon base in that time I'll be impressed.
The big thing that has changed since the 1980s, more the 1970s, is specialization and customization. In the late 70s there was almost no cable TV. Cable was just your local channels. You got 3 networks, PBS, a local UHF or two. It you were lucky you could subscribe to, or pirate, HBO. As a kid almost anyone I knew that had HBO had an illegal hookup. HBO was only on from about 4PM to 2AM. You watched the networks.
In 1978, GM had almost half the market and very few people drove imports. I don't know how many people I knew had a mid-size GM coupe. Cutlass Supreme being the most popular. But there was little real choice.
Coffee was regular or decaf. No fancy coffee drinks. Restaurant choice was nowhere near what we have today. Fast food was burgers mostly. Grocery stores were 1/4 to 1/10 the size of today. No fancy stuff.
Way more conformity in everything. Office men wore white shirts only. People who did not live then just do not get how much more choice there is now vs. 40-50 years ago today. "Mad Men" does not do it justice.
Quote: EvenBobYou make my point perfectly. None
of these are society changing.
For a great many of the examples, you are right. They're huge leaps within themselves, but not groundbreaking in and of themselves. The ICE was groundbreaking. The sheer power that could be generated to move tools, yes, that's your society change. Ditto for Pony Express v Ma Bell. I get what you mean.
But internet is that. What is human if not intelligence? The workings of the human mind defeat comprehension, and the internet is the sum total of all of them.
But on the other hand, after the initial awareness, the nuclear age is still evolving after all this time.
Quote: mcallister3200Just paying for the piece of paper and “college experience.”
In 1930 you got a better education
with a HS diploma than a college
grad did in 1985 with a college BA.
Who knows how bad it is now, Kids
go into freshman college math and
2/3 of them drop out because they
didn't learn basic math in HS.
Quote: FaceBut internet is that. What is human if not intelligence?
I have to disagree. I was in my early
40's in the early 90's when I got my
first computer, older than you are
now. I remember life before then
in vivid detail. It wasn't that much
different than now. It's more
convenient now. I can look at weather
radar from home, and order an
overnight package from Amazon
and look at any porn I want anytime.
My Uber driver is told by his phone
where to turn, I had to use a map.
I can look up facts and figures right
away, I didn't have to wait till I went
to the library. I no longer have a
shelf loaded with almanacs and
reference books.
It was a bigger change when the
mom and pop butcher, baker, shoe,
clothing, hardware stores were run
out of town by Walmart, Costco and
Sam's Club.
Nothing much. Compulsory. Mind numbing. Emphasis on conformity, suppression of individuality. Greatest offense was homeschooling or any challenge authority and the lock-step production of socialized robots.Quote: mcallister3200Your last paragraph, it’s pretty comical what’s happened with our education system
Yes ,it is wonderful.Quote: mcallister3200. With places like EdX, or MIT open courseware, essentially anything that’s not a masters or doctorate level course you can get for free or close to online.
With few jobs available to 'the educated' rather than 'the previously employed'.Quote: mcallister3200Yet college costs 5x what it did in the ‘80’s even though an equivalent education can be attained for essentially free unlike then.
The triumph of the education system's emphasis on teaching "learned helplessness" and lockstep conformity. You can read about the Sheepskin Psychosis, but not put it to use.Quote: mcallister3200Just paying for the piece of paper and “college experience.”
I thought the internet was pictures of cats, recipes for spaghetti sauce and notifications from Nigerian princes.Quote: FaceBut internet is that. What is human if not intelligence? The workings of the human mind defeat comprehension, and the internet is the sum total of all of them.
Quote: EvenBob
It was a bigger change when the
mom and pop butcher, baker, shoe,
clothing, hardware stores were run
out of town by Walmart, Costco and
Sam's Club.
A&P and Sears ran them out of business when Sam Walton was still a Ben Franklin franchisee.
Quote: AZDuffmanA&P and Sears ran them out of business when Sam Walton was still a Ben Franklin franchisee.
Did Swanson's TV Dinners run restaurants out of business?
Walmart accelerated the trend and extended the geographical scope of driving local merchants out of business but once everything is a commodity and quality is meaningless, you can only compete on price and speed.
Craftsmanship means nothing, the item sells at the price of a slap dash item.
Yuppies rent Furnished Housing and move on. Companies hire through Labor Providers and pay no benefits.
Quote: FleaStiff
Walmart accelerated the trend and extended the geographical scope of driving local merchants out of business but once everything is a commodity and quality is meaningless, you can only compete on price and speed.
What everyone forgets is indeed WMT was really late to "driving locals out of business" and the locals were not all that great in most cases. "Mom and Pop" could never compete on price. Never will be able to. But do people not notice how a WMT strip center is always fully rented?
How many regional places did THD put out of business? THD was far better than Builder's Square so Builder's Square went bye-bey. Someday WMT and THD will be surpassed. A&P was unbeatable in the 1950s, average by the 1970s, dying by the 1990s. and now is no more.
futuristic cars in the last half
of this 1953 video resemble
cars actually produced in the
late 50's and into the 60's.
Quote: EvenBobIt's amazing how many of the
futuristic cars in the last half
of this 1953 video resemble
cars actually produced in the
late 50's and into the 60's.
When an idea is planted, people design based on what they've learned. When cellular phones became more advanced, it was inevitable that one would be designed like a Star Trek communicator.
Quote: AZDuffmanA&P and Sears ran them out of business when Sam Walton was still a Ben Franklin franchisee.
I remember the Ben Franklin store in Grand Marais MN when I was a kid in late 60s. We couldn't get everything in a single store like now. Had to go to the dairy store for milk, ice cream, eggs; the Red Owl for veggies and canned food; butcher for meat; bakery for fresh triticale bread which I haven't seen on store shelves in decades.
Quote: DRichI am thinking Amazon, I know it os just an extension of the internet, but getting anything you want in one day is incredible.
I wish that were true. Some things
will come next day, many are two
days and some take 5 or 6. I ordered
cat collars last week and they shipped
from Calif, took a week to get here.
I just ordered more anchovies and
they'll be here tomorrow.
Quote: zippyboyI remember the Ben Franklin store in Grand Marais MN when I was a kid in late 60s. We couldn't get everything in a single store like now. Had to go to the dairy store for milk, ice cream, eggs; the Red Owl for veggies and canned food; butcher for meat; bakery for fresh triticale bread which I haven't seen on store shelves in decades.
They are before my time, but really it was the 1990s before they really had grocery and dry goods all in the same store. You had some junk food in K-Mart and such, but you could not do all of your grocery there like you can at Super Wal-Mart.
What amazes me more is the grocery variety at some of the mega-groceries. We have one near me, though I only hit it a few times a year as other locations are closer. The amount of fancy stuff is out of this world.
When Kruschev came over he wanted to see a supermarket. He was amazed. This place he would drop dead of shock. You go into these places and realize it took 50 or more years to get the distribution and organization all just so.
No one is ever lost - they have GPS. They can call people if they are lost on Mt Everest!
Automation and robotics will continue to change the nature of jobs. There will be fewer and fewer skilled manual jobs -and fewer unskilled jobs. More and more people will have no salaried career jobs.
People are becoming more isolated from others. Video games are the leading edge of virtual reality.
Children are fat and don't play outside as much any more.
Home delivery is another step in people turning away from car ownership. With self-driving cars, learning to drive will become as sketchy as learning cursive.
Cash money has been disappearing from society -except for gambling and drug dealing.
Communicating with people far away is a completely different deal. Remember long-distance phone calls?
Books and newspapers are disappearing.
Pornography is a huge change since the 1980s. Or, um, . . . so I've read.
