Things we did before the internet and smart phones

Watched a lot of TV

kavanada

Augmerson wrote: »

Used to watch the Italian soccer show on Channel 4 to see what was going on in Serie A (when it was the good)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mAo7TrQ0aXw

This! Coming home from morning mass and sitting down to watch it while mother got going on the roast. I enjoyed (for some weird reason) the reporter translating the headlines. Thought he had a great gig living out there. Loved the theme song too.

Also, anyone remember the Ryan Giggs soccer school with Bobby Charlton?? Think it was on after it.

Anyway, I digress. Sticker albums and swapping 10 crap cards for the really rare one with a mate in school.

dresden8

People used to turn up on time.

None of this "be there in 10" bullsh1t for an hour.

whisky_galore

zcorpian88 wrote: »

Listening to your elders telling you if you put to put a telecom eireann card in the freezer that it would give the card full credit. Didn't try it but the myth goes that it worked, had to be bulls**t!

Not being able to bust bullsh*t stories from others with a bit of googling, they call such BS 'urban legends' now.

Duggy747

smash wrote: »

Did anyone else have a pager?

Get a life

Get a minicall!

No. 1 One Direction Fan

No. 1 One Direction Fan wrote: »

Check football results on teletext

Ceefax page 302 if memory serves me correctly

fryup

GL scrappy wrote: »

Reading the Buy&Sell

is that still for sale anymore??

RobbingBandit

Bought the pink edition of the Evening Herald for the footy results.

The Strawman Argument

Before smartphones we pretended our mobile phones were fascinating things that could endlessly occupy us when we were stuck in a room with someone we didn't want to talk to.

pragmatic1

Links234 wrote: »

Honestly? There's just something about a physical product, and some special editions and the like can come with some really cool extras, especially the Japanese ones. Like the new Maximum The Hormone album came with an actual comic book, seriously. Haven't read it yet though. Or the special edition of Dir En Grey's Arche which was 2 CDs, DVD and book with a load of interview and stuff. I've gotten posters with the new Nocturnal Bloodlust, and other things. But there's just something about a physical album I can't put my finger on, buying it makes it seem that much more special, I feel as though I appreciate it and enjoy it that much more. I just get something that I don't get out of a digital download.

It's a bit strange, because for other things I'm all aboard with digital copies of things, games especially, I love Steam oh so much. But there's just some things I'm probably never gonna get onboard with for digital media, comic books for one.

Ah I understand. Personally haven't bought any music since around 2007. Got pissed off buying expensive CDs with maybe only a couple of decent songs on the entire album. I used to love going into old record stores though, so I understand the connection.

I'd be the same with books. Could never see digital books replacing hard copy for me.

Photo-Sniper

Spending 50 cent a text to get sms updates on all United matches from Vodafone. Cost me a fortune

Dexter Bip

Using Poste Restante to collect letters from the Ma when backpacking abroad.
Letter would be addressed to Dexter Bip c/o Alice Springs GPO or somewhere knowing that I would be passing through at some point.

Looking up phone numbers in a phone book.

Reading the small ads in the papers.

Buying airline tickets at a travel agent.

pragmatic1

StereoSound wrote: »

Spent a good bit of time on my Amiga and reading Amiga magazines. I didn't have the net so I could only use magazines to get updates in the technology world. Use to cycle a lot with friends and sit around the park chatting. Bought choc ices a lot too. Then Indiglo started offering cheap dial up internet so my dad got us a new windows 95 PC which we paid for on the old ESB bill monthly and everything changed forever.

Jaysus, Amigo and Indigo. Major blasts from the past.

pragmatic1

dresden8 wrote: »

People used to turn up on time.

None of this "be there in 10" bullsh1t for an hour.

Don't know about that. Irish people are notorious for being unpunctual.

foggy_lad

Buona Fortuna wrote: »

Phoning London in the 80s. You had to go into the post office and tell the woman behind the counter the number. Buy £5 of 10p coins from her. Go outside to the phone box. Pick the reciever and wind the windy handle. Speak to woman in post office and tell her again. She connects you and then as you're speaking jam the 10p s into the slot (about one every 4 seconds).

Some things are definately better.

women in our estate used to load up the one A/B payphone(2p, 5p & 10p) with 2p coins till the box was full as then it was free calls till it was emptied, there was always a Q when the free calls kicked in even up to 10 or 11pm when all the long distance calls were made.

_Whimsical_

Lay in the dark with nothing to distract us but our thoughts when we couldn't sleep.

I wonder if my insomnia would improve if I left my phone downstairs.

eviltimeban

SpaceTime wrote: »

I just remember the environmental damage.

Bins were thrown outside houses often in black bags that were torn up by roaming dogs. Plastic bags in the trees.
There was no recycling, no wheelie bins.

Dublin and Cork sat under a thick haze of coal smoke and you'd constantly have chest or ear problems as result. Even your laundry got soot on it.

I just remember being a kid and absolutely choking on coal smoke all winter.

The major urban rivers had raw sewage in them and would turn your stomach with the stench. I remember seeing clumps of toilet roll floating down the Lee!

It was a bit of a kip to be honest.

Not sure how the internet or smart phones would've helped with any of that.

Green Giant

Rang someone's doorbell to let them know when we were outside

Played Snake and boasted about polyphonic ringtones

Got out photos from a disposable camera printed in a camera shop

Used AA road maps for navigation

Taped songs off the radio hoping that the DJ wouldn't talk over them

Waited for the morning newspaper to find out the score of a match if I had no telly/radio to access

Relied on Encarta Encyclopedia

Had pen pals

Prayed to god I had 20p for the phone box

eviltimeban

Magazines would have pages and pages of ads for "the latest" ringtones.

You phone's battery would last for about 6 days.

People made fanzines before fansites existed (dial-up is still the internet btw!)

You'd promote your gig / event with flyers, not Facebook "event" pages.

The Golden Pages was a vital tool in any sales office. You could do a full day's work without using a computer - GP, telephone, refill pad.

You'd look at the road when you were driving.

chewed

You'd sit there looking awkward in a pub while your mate/mrs went to the jax!

Cee-Jay-Cee

Had conversations with the people we live with.

eviltimeban

You could go out without worrying about your phone. One less thing to lose when you were drunk.

Photos that looked like they were old polaroids from the 70s were actually old polaroids from the 70s. And they weren't pictures of food.

An auction was something for houses or art. Not any old cr*p on eBay.

shedweller

Going out in the early nineties was a case of agreeing to meet in a certain pub at a certain time. And even if we all met up as agreed, there was a major chance we'd split up at some point of the night and not see each other for another week, when we'd do it all again!

Cycling 10k into town to get a video. Only to find out when you get there that they were all out and you had to look for something else to watch. Then cycle home and watch it. Cycle in the next day to return the video. Jaysus.

Pinch Flat

Its the omni presence of hand held devices that is most noticeable along with the range of functions they can do.

I came back from london in the mid-90s with a Panasonic mobile phone - bit like the one in the link below

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HZysQlVNWXg/hqdefault.jpg

All the lads on the pub insisted on using it to make a call home - "guess where I am - in the pub - ON THE PHONE!". Mobile phone usage was still a novelty here. I can remember having a summer job as well in 1992 - the crew I worked with had a "talking brick" for contact with the head office from remote locations. Same craic - making calls from patchy locations, the odd one home (guess where I am?)

I'm in my mid 40s and can remember having up pick up a phone to call a number with the operator - down the sticks in waterford our number was "waterford 3180". So if someone wanted to get us, they'd have to ring the operator on 10 and ask for waterford 3180.

Phone service was also patchy and often went out for days on end. Neighbours used to come to our house to use the phone as we had the only one gif mile around - we had a business inthe house do needed it.

Calls abroad had to be booked in advance - we would ring our cousins in nz on Christmas day but book the line. The operator would ring you to say it's clear now and she's waiting to connect us. Calls were brief as they were hideously expensive. Deaths and births were relayed via telegram and I can still recall getting these from far flung locations.

All change now - we can Skype free from a mobile phone on the sofa. Amazing.

Links234

pragmatic1 wrote: »

Ah I understand. Personally haven't bought any music since around 2007. Got pissed off buying expensive CDs with maybe only a couple of decent songs on the entire album. I used to love going into old record stores though, so I understand the connection.

I'd be the same with books. Could never see digital books replacing hard copy for me.

Hmm, I don't think I've really had much of an experience of buying an album and only liking a couple of songs on it, at least not recently. I can think of loads of albums that don't have a bad moment and I could quite happily listen to right the way through from start to finish, probably my album of the year for 2014 was Lynch.'s Gallows and it was absolutely incredible, I'd go for a walk or to the shops or on the bus and listen to the whole thing.

But I kinda think that might have a lot to do with the kind of music I listen to, I think metal in general is just more album-focused. Behemoth doesn't release any singles. A lot of metal albums are to be taken as whole works, there's often a theme or story, songs are written with an album in mind, there's a progression and songs will flow into each other. Other genres can be all about the singles, with albums often being just afterthoughts and there's a lot of filler, I remember reading how the majority of pop fans just don't buy albums. Of course that's not an absolute, there's plenty of metal bands that release singles, especially in Japan.

It's down to how we enjoy our music though, I'm sure there's gonna be people who'll read this and think to themselves "Jesus, I'd never listen to a whole album right the way through!" and that's cool too. For me, albums are where it's at, so I rarely find myself thinking what a waste of money that was.

eviltimeban

Links234 wrote: »

For me, albums are where it's at, so I rarely find myself thinking what a waste of money that was.

I agree, I like to "own" albums, to physically hold it, to look at the artwork and read the liner notes and so on. Also the very act of waiting to go into Tower or HMV to buy it, it makes it more of an event. Even if I then put the album on my iPod and store the CD away!

However Thom Yorke recently released his album on Bandcamp for a fiver and I got it. I wouldn't have bought it if it was 14.99 on CD however.

My brother only listens to music on Spotify - only. I couldn't deal with that, I like there to be something I own, even if it is just mp3s.

Links234

eviltimeban wrote: »

I agree, I like to "own" albums, to physically hold it, to look at the artwork and read the liner notes and so on. Also the very act of waiting to go into Tower or HMV to buy it, it makes it more of an event. Even if I then put the album on my iPod and store the CD away!

However Thom Yorke recently released his album on Bandcamp for a fiver and I got it. I wouldn't have bought it if it was 14.99 on CD however.

My brother only listens to music on Spotify - only. I couldn't deal with that, I like there to be something I own, even if it is just mp3s.

I'll rip the CDs as well, listen to mp3s on my phone, etc. But we've got two steroes in the house as well, so I'll still whip on a CD, especially if I'm cooking. Nothing like some metal when you're chopping onions! :pac: I'm actually surprised I'm getting so many thanks for my posts in this thread, I kinda expected someone to say "Ah, you still buy CDs? Haha, yer some eejit!"

Girlfriend uses Spotify, but she's a big fan of vinyl too. Me? Couldn't do Spotify, they're useless for the kinda stuff I like.

Btw, this is Lynch. who I mentioned above

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDRfP5MwyY4

Probably won't be to most people's tastes, but seriously album of the year for me.

magicmushroom

Saralee4 wrote: »

Nothing compared to our parents who 'walked to school in 10 foot of snow' haha

"Bought music in record stores." - this is the one I really miss. Its just to easy to get a song now. I remember when I used to buy a cd with my babysitting money and I would be listening to it for months until I got my next one. I would spend hours in the cd shop and then id line up the next cd that I was going to get. I much prefer to have an actual cd rather than downloading.

My Dad was a head wrecker with the tele-text though. He was always on it checking his races. I don't live at home anymore but im pretty sure he still uses it. But there used to be a fun questionnaire game on it called 'Bamboozle', anyone remember that?

OMG I used to play Bamboozle with my Grandad, loved it!
Haha haven't thought of that in years

gormdubhgorm

Wait under clery's clock....

eviltimeban

gormdubhgorm wrote: »

Wait under clery's clock....

I remember friends of mine were going on separate European trips but they agreed to meet in the centre of Bordeaux at a specific date and time, weeks, if not months ahead. And they did!

chewed

eviltimeban wrote: »

I remember friends of mine were going on separate European trips but they agreed to meet in the centre of Bordeaux at a specific date and time, weeks, if not months ahead. And they did!

Nowadays we'd probably forget unless we had a reminder in our phone to meet!

eviltimeban

chewed wrote: »

Nowadays we'd probably forget unless we had a reminder in our phone to meet!

Or you'd be able to cancel by sending a text easily. If you wanted to cancel, you couldn't otherwise you'd be leaving your mate high and dry.

Menas

eviltimeban wrote: »

Or you'd be able to cancel by sending a text easily. If you wanted to cancel, you couldn't otherwise you'd be leaving your mate high and dry.

In fairness though, you could always just phone the local shop at home and have them drop a message down to your mates mother telling them to tell him, if he calls, that you cant make it.

Jeez, life was hard back then!

eviltimeban

Trigger Happy wrote: »

In fairness though, you could always just phone the local shop at home and have them drop a message down to your mates mother telling them to tell him, if he calls, that you cant make it.

Jeez, life was hard back then!

But we valued time and effort a lot more.

roadsmart

Write letters.
Send postcards.

Agricola

Live in the moment.

Photo-Sniper

I enjoyed going to a restaurant and not being met at the door by 150 camera flashes while rag wearing, lidl smelling hipsters took pictures of every single ****ing angle of their baked potato.

eviltimeban

Photo-Sniper wrote: »

I enjoyed going to a restaurant and not being met at the door by 150 camera flashes while rag wearing, lidl smelling hipsters took pictures of every single ****ing angle of their baked potato.

I thought you were about to talk about before you were a celebrity.

Photo-Sniper

eviltimeban wrote: »

I thought you were about to talk about before you were a celebrity.

Heh heh

AllGunsBlazing

Played poker with an actual deck of cards and with people in the same room as you.

ClovenHoof

in the main square of the small southern Italian town I went vacationing with my parents decades ago

Ah ya poor thing ya.

Nothing has changed for me really. Back then we watched the Holiday shows, these days Google Earth.

Could not afford to go either way.

eviltimeban

AllGunsBlazing wrote: »

Played poker with an actual deck of cards and with people in the same room as you.

Actually that's a good one - no "online" computer games, or Xbox Live, or things like Minecraft, or games where there'd be a community of people playing. You played it at home by yourself and that was it.

wil

Talk
Read
Remember stuff

/copypasted from the Nostalgia forum

MRnotlob606

Teletext scared me. I don't even know why....

chewed

I always remember the star prize on Bullseye was a Colour Television with Teletext! It was as if you were getting free 3G on your set!

H3llR4iser

ClovenHoof wrote: »

Ah ya poor thing ya.

Nothing has changed for me really. Back then we watched the Holiday shows, these days Google Earth.

Could not afford to go either way.

Lol, a lot of users on this forum are actually not Irish...I was born and living about 200km from said "small southen Italian town". It's like somebody going from Dublin to Wexford for the holidays

But at the time it was considered cool. Now, if you don't at least get to Sharm El Sheik, people won't really consider it a holiday :mad:

Menas

Waiting for Godot would have been a fairly short brutal play if it was written in 2015.

Conall Cernach

Masturbate with our eyes closed.

Son Of A Vidic

Conall Cernach wrote: »

Masturbate with our eyes closed.

Our eyes? I think most of us prefered going solo, but whatever floats your boat I suppose.