What did people do before mobile phones?

Nala

Me and a few of my friends have been discussing this-what did people do in the days when we didn't have mobiles? What if you were stuck in traffic and would be half an hour late to meet up with someone, what if you lost someone in a nightclub and needed to find them at the end of the night, what if your car broke down, and what if you gave someone your number and when they ring they get through to your parents!!! Any time I've ever lost my phone I feel like I've lost an arm!

LundiMardi

I remember just calling round to friends houses instead of texting to see if they're available to do anything. The rest doesn't apply to me cos i didn't do all those things.

aidan_walsh

What if you were stuck in traffic and would be half an hour late to meet up with someone

Carrier pidgeon.

what if you lost someone in a nightclub and needed to find them at the end of the night

Sod off home and call them the next day. Or spend half the night hunting around town for them. Or carrier pidgeon.

what if your car broke down

Walk to a phone box. Or carrier pidgeon.

what if you gave someone your number and when they ring they get through to your parents

Your parents give you the phone. Or they hang up.

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

johnny_ultimate

Wait wait wait. There was a time BEFORE mobile phones? *finally grasps the concept of time*

Celticfire

johnny_ultimate wrote:

Wait wait wait. There was a time BEFORE mobile phones? *finally grasps the concept of time*

Don't let him know there was a time before television... :eek:

Dave!

Ye old telegram

User45701

well i used to ring my friends off a landline back then too young to get into pubs (12) so losing people in oubs was not an issue

Agamemnon

I can't remember how I ever got by without one. I have vague, confused memories of using those weird "landline" thingies.

I used to hate mobiles and I thought they made their owners look like prats. Now mine is as indispensable as money. If it came down to a choice between my mobile and my kidneys, I'd pick the phone. Modern mobiles have so many features anyway that they could probably perform all the functions of kidneys but more efficiently.

TerrorFirmer

I haven't a clue. I was just thinking this today.

Luckily I've had one since I was 11 or 12, so I can't remember remember life without them as such, and thank god for that - even something as trivial as ringing somebody to ask where they are in a nightclub, wondering where they are when you call to their house, etc, is taken for granted, but imagine not having a phone.....every slight inconvenience would become an irritating obstacle.

Rb

I've had a phone almost as long as I can remember. Before I had a phone, I was really young so most of the above wouldn't have applied. Generally just called over to friends or rang the landline.

johnp

Twas simple really. Ring a friend on the landline:
"Scoops?"
"Yeah"
"8?"
"Yeah"
You make your way to the pub, and guess what? You'd be on time or possible even early :eek:

If you happened to be late, it was no problem, your friend would simply get themselves a pint and wait. No hassle, no worries and no stress. Sometimes I long for those days again :rolleyes:

nesf

We survived. You only rely on mobiles when everyone else had one. Similar to how people managed to live before google was there to tell them how to boil an egg.

Captain Trips

Nala wrote:

Me and a few of my friends have been discussing this-what did people do in the days when we didn't have mobiles?

What if you were stuck in traffic and would be half an hour late to meet up with someone,

...you were just late and arrived when you arrived.

what if you lost someone in a nightclub and needed to find them at the end of the night,

...you were a grown up and just presumed they had pulled/scored and you went home.

what if your car broke down,

You strolled around and found the nearest payphone to call the AA.

and what if you gave someone your number and when they ring they get through to your parents!!!

You included your parents in your life because they could offer good advice.

Mossy Monk

Nala wrote:

what if you gave someone your number and when they ring they get through to your parents!!!

do your parents lack conversational skills or something?

Nightwish

Lived a "ringtone free" life - bliss

simu

It was awful tbh. You'd miss out on nights out, get interrogated by parents when a new voice of the opposite sex called on the house phone, got stranded...argh! //

And before the internet, you were just so isolated. Your only choice of friends was amongst people living nearby, you'd have to scour magazines for info on bands and so on, you would spend ages trying to find out what some sex slang word you didn't dare to admit you didn't understand actually meant... the list goes on.

Viva communications tech!

Bob the Builder

Back then, you rang them on the landline, said be there, time, etc... and giving the speed that ireland was going at, each person would casually arrive, 10 mins late... Now, if your 10mins late, you've just missed that all important appointment....

Ruu_Old

What if you were stuck in traffic and would be half an hour late to meet up with someone

You were stuck in traffic..that is all. No excuses these days though.
"Well you could have rang and let us know".

what if you lost someone in a nightclub and needed to find them at the end of the night

You just thought they ended up getting off with someone else or made their own way home.

what if your car broke down

There was always a garage nearby..or at least in my experience there was.

what if you gave someone your number and when they ring they get through to your parents!!!

Wow we have a winner \o/...your parents handed you the phone.

Any time I've ever lost my phone I feel like I've lost an arm!

You rely too much on it, seek help. You hip kids these days and ye're t'internet and "technology"!

o1s1n

You big pack of Yuppies

woosaysdan

whats a mobile phone???

Ruu_Old

woosaysdan wrote:

whats a mobile phone???

I got one yesterday, they are feckin' brilliant, so there are..look. Oh what an age we live in!

NADA

To be honest I couldn't really be with my girlfriend now if it wasn't for the mobile phone. I mean imagine asking somebody to their face to go out with you?

padi89

I prefered life without mobiles, you ACTUALLY got off your ass to call around to people,people WERE on time,people WOULD meet up,things now that are just too excuseable with the old text message and im guilty of all of these.Dont get me wrong theres times im glad ive had one but when they werent around they couldnt be missed.

johnny_ultimate

People also shouted to communicate. If I remember correctly, the pre-mobile age was basically just a lot of noise as people shouted really really loudly to try and contact their nearby friends.
For cross ocean communication a string and two cups were used.

Sad Professor

Imagine a world without mobile phones, without awful ringtones, without text speak, without annoying texts from work collegues asking you to work for them, without o2 and their crappy website. Imagine all those bus/truck drivers who'd have nothing to do but concentrate on the road, how boring.

Imagine a world without *gasp* Crazy Frog.

Ruu_Old

NADA wrote:

To be honest I couldn't really be with my girlfriend now if it wasn't for the mobile phone. I mean imagine asking somebody to their face to go out with you?

Well its a sad truth. The number of PI threads asking similar to, grl in my clas I lke, shud i txt her?




*activates cloaking device to post in PI.

purple'n'gold

Before the advent of mobile phones, posers would come into their local pub and say to he barman, “if any one calls, I’m not here” made them look so important. (In their eyes). And then when the mobiles came out first, the same posers would come in and make a big thing about leaving their huge phones on the bar in front of them. And lo and behold after about 10 minutes it would ring. (Probably pre arranged with their Mum).

woosaysdan

Ruu wrote:

I got one yesterday, they are feckin' brilliant, so there are..look. Oh what an age we live in!

but wheres the cables??? where does it plug into the socket???

Terry

weekdays, 7pm at the shops and then a game of football.
weekends, 7pm at the shop and then beer.
quite simple really.

most weekend arrangements were made during the week and if someone couldn't make it, it really wasn't the end of the world.
*shops were central to everyone, so it was easier that way.

embee

Nala wrote:

-what did people do in the days when we didn't have mobiles?

We used landlines. Or sent letters!!

Nala wrote:

What if you were stuck in traffic and would be half an hour late to meet up with someone

You were a half hour late.... Back in those days, people didn't seem to be such sticklers for punctuality. Saying "I'll be there at 8" meant anytime between 8 and half past.

Nala wrote:

what if you lost someone in a nightclub and needed to find them at the end of the night

We always used to plan with each other "If we get seperated, we can meet at the toilets/cloakroom etc at such and such a time"... it worked everytime, even when stocious drunk.

Nala wrote:

what if your car broke down

I dunno... I didn't have a car back then. Try to flag down a friendly-looking motorist I suppose?

Nala wrote:

what if you gave someone your number and when they ring they get through to your parents!!!

Usually, I'd tell them to ring at an EXACT time, so I could be standing by the phone, ready to pounce.

OfflerCrocGod

I'd just use my handy portable semaphore.

Sarky

padi89 wrote:

I prefered life without mobiles, you ACTUALLY got off your ass to call around to people,people WERE on time,people WOULD meet up,things now that are just too excuseable with the old text message and im guilty of all of these.Dont get me wrong theres times im glad ive had one but when they werent around they couldnt be missed.

QFT. Before everyone had a mobile phone, they actually allowed for time in traffic, or the shower, or whatever. I think they've made people really f*cking lazy as regards socialising. You can do better, you know. We managed all the time before we had them. Stop taking those little numbers and names for granted. Make some MEANINGFUL contact with your friends. And for God's sake, quit putting lol in text messages. It's embarrassing.

Also, kudos for whoever said there'd be no crazy frog.

Sam Vimes

clacks towers anyone?

faceman

Nala wrote:

Me and a few of my friends have been discussing this-what did people do in the days when we didn't have mobiles?

er, where you dead back then????

faceman

Commander Vimes wrote:

clacks towers anyone?

'cept that one in rathmines, does it tell a different time on each side? or is it just broke?

connundrum

NADA wrote:

I mean imagine asking somebody to their face to go out with you?

OMG teh shock and horror of it all :eek:

I didn't really bring a mobile around with me till I was 17 or thereabouts. I thought it was great tbh.

Friday in class - see you tomorrow night in the usual at 8 bells? Yeah!

I remember when I got separated from the group on nights out and I'd just go round chatting to randommers instead of having to ring them/text them every few minutes, trying to co-ordinate a search and rescue operation.

Mobile phones, whilst I can clearly see their benefits, leave nothing to chance any more. It a way for us to keep closer tabs on each other, and it allows for fewer and fewer mistakes... or opportunities.

I reckon I'd survive tbh

walrusgumble

funny ya dont see many phone booths any more on quiet roads. i remember a mate use to go to every phone box to lok for used phone caards. the saddo collected them. still i dont miss the boxes. on a sunday morning (beore we got the landline phone installed in the house) we use to go to the phone box and ring the gran or the football manager to see where we were to meet up before the game. it use to be hell trying to find a clean phone box, because after saturday night adventures the boxes would either have been smashed in, full of puke and sometimes even blood. then also the odd johhny on the handset.

the mobiles can be a curse, my mates parents use to constantly ring him to see were he was at or when he was coming home after discos (i was lucky i would switch mine off)worse also if you have an untrusting g/f who decides to check who you have called or texted to recently or received.

ic urrently share an office with a girl and some day i am gonna chuck her mobile out into the liffey if she dont turn off the voulume or stop taking personal calls. if i hear "hello moto" and its ridiculous tune one more time.....

I was thinking about this yesterday and asked my Dad
He said landline in his day were a bit expensive (they had had one since the 60's though) but some of the pay phones on the streets didn't have the technology to cut you off (providing you were calling local and he also said the one on Greencastle road in Coolock was notorious for even letting you call international landline's for a certain amount of time on 10p or whatever it was at the time

constitutionus

you know theres still alot of people who dont have or refuse to get a mobile

only got mine myself about four years ago and that was cause i got it on the cheap from a mate who worked for seimens at the time.

how did i get by? i turned up when i said i would at the last meeting with my mates or used the landline at home to ring em to confirm. they might be a godsend for confirming meeting times but to be honest i kinda miss the fact when i was off my job couldnt get me unless i was at home, now the feckers can get me anytime:(

that said for all their faults mobiles have freed me from Eircom. damn fleecing bastards made my life a misery and ditching em was the best thing i ever did. least now i dont have to pay line rental anymore

Miguel_Sanchez

The constant barrage of texts that people send these days is irritating. You arrange to meet in a pub. The person comes in and if you're not directly in their line of sight at the door they whip out the phone and text 'Where r u?' instead of just *gasp* walking around the pub and looking for you.

****ing idiots.

Guess_Who

People just made proper plans before mobile phones. You knew where you were going to meet your friends, you always knew the ones who'd be late so you'd be accordingly late. Now you arrange to meet, you get a text saying they're late, so you go somewhere else and by the time you meet up the meeting place has changed a few times.

And before mobile phones you wouldn't have had some tosser behind you on the bus to work, with an annoying ringtone, organising his weekend at the top of his voice just to prove to everyone that he has friends!

simu

walrusgumble wrote:

funny ya dont see many phone booths any more on quiet roads. i remember a mate use to go to every phone box to lok for used phone caards. the saddo collected them.

Oi! I used to do that! Great laugh!

Ruu_Old

^Very retro indeed, collectors items! Zing!

pepper

Ruu wrote:

^Very retro indeed, collectors items! Zing!

o:D mgf i remember them

ha ha ha:D

Exit

Why are people talking like it all happened "Once upon a time..." Mobiles only got popular around 1999.

I was back in Ireland for a couple of weeks last year, and obviously didn't have a mobile phone for the two weeks, and it wasn't a problem whatsoever. If anything, it was a bit of a relief not receiving calls about where I was or what time I was coming home.

I'd use the house phone to arrange meeting up with mates, and when I was out and needed to ring home, I'd just use a payphone. No biggie.

Archeron

Used to be that if you broke down on a deserted road before mobile phones, you approached the nearest vampire riddled 800 year old castle where you asked for help, and then, strangely, decided to stay the night.
Sadly, the increase in mobiles has seen the demise of the haunted castle as a major employer of the walking dead in this country.

Rabies

Archeron wrote:

Used to be that if you broke down on a deserted road before mobile phones, you approached the nearest vampire riddled 800 year old castle where you asked for help...

Its weird, but that is what was done. Car breaks down, walk to the nearest house, ask to use the phone, have a cup of tea and leave. People were nicer back then.

petes

String Telephone

brown*eyed*girl

This thread makes me laugh. I got my first mobile back in Xmas 2001 when I was 26!! Wouldn't get one before then as I thought they were for posers but eventually gave in when my daughter gave me her old Nokia 3210 and she upgraded to a 3310, well I think that's what they were called. God I miss Snake.

As for managing without a mobile all through my teens and a fair chunk of my twenties well all I can say is you can't miss what you never had so basically it was grand. We never had a land line in the house so I used to have to go over to my aunts house or the phonebox around the corner if I needed to ring my friend. The best part was trying to fit in all we could say before the beeps!! We always made our arrangements for the next day the night before and we were always on time. My friends would go over and ask whoever I fancied would they go off with me & vice versa as teenagers!! It was so much simplier then and easier to get away with things like knacker drinking because your parents couldn't check on you and you could sober up before you get home & wouldn't be asked why you didn't answer your phone. I really miss those days.

Comparing my daughter (who's nearly 14) to what we had I often feel we had it better as it was simpler. I'm just so glad we didn't have Bebo back then as so many memories are cringeworthy. I often wonder what it'd be like if had a Bebo account back in 1989 but I'm glad I don't really.

Oh now I have great video/camera phone and yes I find it hard to live without which are words I thought I'd never say.

Terry

Christ. I couldn't tell you what model of phone I have.
I know it has a memory card and plays mp3's, so it doubles as an MP3 player and that suits me just fine.
Oh, and I downloaded scrabble onto it, which is nice.
I've ahad a mobile for about 9 or 10 years now. it used to only be for work, but that changed over the years.