The Hoot editors are feeling pretty old this week. Time is a constant in everyone’s lives, and while the years start coming and they don’t stop coming, technology seems to come as often as it disappears. So, let’s take a moment and look back at the favorites that have been around longer than us and maybe are still more functional. (Aka: what is your favorite piece of technology older than you?)
Jenna: There are just so many cool pieces of retro technology that it’s hard for me to simply pick one. But, since no one can stop me, I can pick two! Honestly, and don’t judge me, the first thing that came to mind was the classic Etch-A-Sketch. I know that might not be the typical “technology” pick, but it’s so cool. Sure, it was a struggle to draw anything, but do a quick Google search and you can see how many awesome images were somehow created from that dorky do-dad. My other, more generic answer is, of course, the classic record player. I had a friend in high school who first introduced me to listening to music on a record, and there is truly nothing like it (check out Michael’s old article about listening to records on our website!). I just love how you can hear each and every note and even focus on one layer of the sound at a time as it reverberates beautifully into your heart. In those high school days, lying on the floor, listening to records, I couldn’t help but imagine people decades ago doing the same thing, and that in itself was pretty exciting.
Judah: I love my Game Boy Advance. Not the one with the backlit screen. Not the one with the clamshell design. The one with the long and nice shoulder buttons and that convenient headphone jack. I played so many bad licensed games on that thing and Mario 3. I still have a couple that work. If only it had a backlit screen and a clamshell design.
Chloe: Now, this answer is going to be very basic—I’m not regularly using microfilm readers or phonographs—but I think honesty beats an inherently interesting answer. Any form of physical music, or media of any kind, has a special place in my heart: CDs, cassettes, records and even the iPod shuffle. I think the modern acceptance of never truly owning any art is of great detriment to artists and lovers of art. At any moment, your Spotify account could be banned, or Disney could decide to erase a show from their platform, and you would lose everything you had digitally. Now, this isn’t me saying buy every single thing you engage with, but having a physical copy of your favorite things means you will always be able to experience them again.
Desiree: I feel like this is such a basic answer, but I really love typewriters. My introduction to this piece of machinery was when I was digging through my grandmother’s bottomless closet. She was the type of woman who never threw anything out and held onto decades of trinkets. When I pulled the dusty typewriter out of its cardboard grave, her eyes lit up, and she taught me how to use it. After a while, I fell in love with the satisfying soft clacking of the keys and the chemically scent of whiteout.
Michael: Without question, vinyl records. Long story short, they just sound better! Other than that, I recently brought a lava lamp for my dorm, as a bit of a retro throwback. And I can understand why this was all the rage. Watching the purple globs glooping and glorping in the blue fluid is immensely satisfying and hypnotic. The next time you find yourself mindlessly scrolling through your phone, why not try a lava lamp instead? You’ll still waste your time, but at least you’ll be looking at a physical object. Substance use is optional.
Ethan: I like to take photos of scenic views or people in action as a hobby, but you’ll almost never see me reach for my phone, because whenever I go out with photography on the brain, I bring a digital camera instead. I firmly believe that more people should carry a camera of some kind when they travel as a default. Point-and-shoot disposables are easy to learn, take just as high-quality of photos as a phone and, in my experience, tend to come out better when physically developed. Phone photos undergo a lot of image compression, especially when converting between file formats, reducing the general quality, but most cameras are made with development in mind, resolving the issue. If you can get your hands on one, I’d even recommend a Polaroid that prints the photo on the spot. The click of the shutter really punctuates the moment!
James: I’m going to go with something really old here: the car. This answer feels like cheating because it’s just so old. The car was invented in 1886, so it definitely fits the theme of technology older than me. While I could live without a phone, computer or even a tv, I can’t imagine my life without a car. I use my car to get to my internship, home and even to get food. I know my answer is more basic and boring than most of the answers here, but it’s what I’m choosing.
Jason: The easy answer would be a vinyl player, but that’s too easy of an answer and they are terrible for the environment, so I’m gonna go with CDs. They are much more durable and preserve the sound quality so much better. Nowadays, the problem with technology is that while the products have more features, they aren’t built to last. CDs and DVDs are such an easy convenient way to not only own your media, but immortalize it. I think tech overconsumption is destroying our perception of what good tech means, but I really do think CDs are incredible.
Eva: I’ve collected vinyl records since I was 13, so I have to say a record player. I even tried running an Instagram account dedicated to records for a while, but it fell through pretty quickly. I think music simply sounds the best on vinyl, and records are a cool thing to tell people you collect. I started collecting CDs as well, but nothing can compare to the sound of vinyl. For about a year, I used an old turntable from the 1970s. It eventually fell apart on me, and I turned to a more modern record player, but it was cool to own such an incredible piece of music history while I did.
Photo from technologydecisions.com
