Things You Don't See Anymore
February 16th 2009 06:01
Received a telegram lately?
Have postcards gone the way of the Beta Video Recorder?
As the pace of society quickens - so too does the vanishing act of things that we used to take for granted.
For instance - when was the last time you found a action figure or plastic collectable inside your breakfast cereal?
Or you saw a kid reading either a comic or a Mad Magazine?
Even licking the back of a stamp and or envelope - as fun as that sounds.
So what is it from your upbringing or even recent past that you just don't see anymore?
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Comment by AmyHuang
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Comment by Damo
I do not miss licking tghe back of the Queens head at all.
Mad Magazine was never as funny as the cover implied.
My breakfast cereal came with a digital timer.
If I want the good old days I can watch Life on Mars.
Comment by Lilla
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Wow, nostalgia abounds now... <<<whoosh>>> off I go again to lala land...Yes, I was born pre digital enhancement and my youngest daughter calls my old vinyl LPs *Black Discs.* She has no idea what to make of my few remaining 78s (*lol* they even look funny to me now).
I do not miss my 8track though or cassettes, all those hours and hours of rewinding them to find my favourite song again .. only to find it wonky and stretched when i finally found it, counting down the little rolling number counter on my old black cassette player. Yes, I was one of those privilidged kids on the block with all the mod cons a young girl growing up in London in the 60s could ask for *chuckle*
I do miss having to replace my needle in the sterio, it was always such fun and the music sounded so clear afterwards ..
I kept a few of my trolls and a yoyo or two, too ... *lol* but I miss by gyroscope, kaliedescope, spirograph and Konkers. (the latter two hard balls (like pool balls) on string that you bounced together and eventually mastered the art of them clacking together top and bottom .. but not until you had bruised your wrists beyond recognition. As I said it took great skill to master the art (a bit like nut chungs did, too) *chuckle* ...
gosh id better stop there...
Lilla ...
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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"Old Days" - gosh - that probably makes my time pre-historic
Cheers
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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When what replaced the Etcha sketch becomes obsolete
And the idea of a postage stamp fades
You accept the fact Mad still sells more copies each month that Rolling Stone
And that digital timers are great for those kids who couldn't tell the time unless Mickey's big hand was pointing to the 12 and his little hand pointing to the 4
Then sure - believe that Life on Mars was what the world was all about way back then.
Today will one day be a good old day - hope you get the chance to enjoy . . . all your today's - tomorrow.
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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Konkers - I'd forgotten all about those.
Have to admit - they were pretty much your 'chick' toy - and they always seem to surface at school after the Sydney Royal Easter Show - back in the early 70's at least.
Replacing the needle on the turntable is of course coming back into vogue as 20 some-things of today clammer for vinyl - as evidenced by so many stores including Virgin restocking those black discs (in fact I think U2 just released an album purely on vinyl) - so there you go!
As for pulling reams and reams of cassette tape out of your car's tape deck when it chewed up your favourite album - yep - I can live without that.
78's! I've still got around a dozen or so we play on the gramaphone - so I'm continually trying to source steel needles - which unlike normal diamond tipped turntable stylis - you normally only get to use once or twice - ouch!
Stay well and make sure you tune in tonight - I've got Steve Miller tee'd up for you.
Comment by Johnny Come Lately
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Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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Good to see you old boy!
How many kids do you see with Hula Hoops anymore either?
Not too many scraped knees full stop - kids aren't allowed to run anymore - anywhere - for fear of living a little . . .
Cheers champion
Comment by Cheryl J
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Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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Ding bats - cool - I remember those - even had a Coke version - very privileged indeed.
Never had one of those bouncy bum things - thought I know exactly what you'r talking about - not too many boys admited to owning (or asking for) one.
As for yo yo's - still have two from around 73/74 stashed away in the roof - oh the shame . . .
Comment by Wilson Pon
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Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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To be honest - the Etch a Sketch continually frustrated me. Could never work out how to jump from picture to picture without connecting everything.
But boy - talk about the height of technology - apparently you can still buy them . . . more than can be said for a Beta Video recorder.
Cheers
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
I loved Mad Magazine. Especially the very early Mad issues, and the special edition small Mad books as well. Long live Don Martin. I wanna buy the special tribute book to all his work, but its damn expensive.
I remember BETA and VHS in the video stores at the same time. Then quite quickly the BETA tapes disappeared off the shelves. The irony was BETA was "beta" quality; broadcast quality in fact.
Viewfinders anyone? Now they were a hoot!
Double Happys? They went off a bang!
Slot-car racing sets? I wished for one every Xmas.
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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Retro no matter which era is pretty cool and the late 60's early 70s is no exception.
I used to get the hand-me-downs of Mad and thought the fold outs were great - and pretty clever for the time.
Spy vs Spy you just had to love - as corny as it was.
Still have a Beta recorder in the garage roof - basically turned out to be a $1000 digital clock in the end really - as for viewfinders - what a step back in time they were - Scalextrix racers were only for the really lucky kids - I got the Motorific Race-a-rific version.
Now did I mention ant farms . . .
Cheers
Comment by Cheryl J
Rhythmatism
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Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
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Thanks MNG, I really looked forward to it, but the station computers must have crashed from the overload .. we couldn't interphase AND i forgot to factor in the daylight savings difference between our states and arrived late too!!! But thank you, I heard it by osmosis and it is still as good as ever, sorry though that I missed your dedication, perhaps another time?
I will try again when everyone isnt trying to get on to listen to you, perhaps later tonight...
L.
Comment by Morgan Bell
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im sure these things are still around in some form or another but they are no longer in my life
i miss posting letters actually, i used to have heaps of pen-friends when i was a little kid . . . now theyre all on Facebook
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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Did your brothers (and by stealth your good self) also collect 'Hot Wheels' cars . . . ?
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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. . . and I even managed to play Steve Miller's Joker . . . along with a big cheerio - do'h!
Send the station www.hawkradio.org.au a netnote on its guestbook provision anyway - and tell em how you almost loved the show . . .
Got a real surprise when Gene (Two Sports Guys) sent in a message saying he was listening from Tulsa . . . you can imagine the excitement in the voice of the station manager when he called to tell me around 8pm last night - particularly given it was around 2am in 'Gene' land.
Perhaps next time - thanks for thinking of me though.
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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How exciting was having a pen friend?
Very exotic if they were from some far off land too!
Great little list! Marbles were huge I remember and the girls always played elastics at school. Knuckles was a test of dexterity and cool all in one and kool mints . . . wow - can you still get those?
. . . and what about Big Charlie Bubblegum and Seven Seas Trading Stamp Collections you could order from the back of comic books?
Stop me . . .
Thanks heaps for sharing
Comment by Cheryl J
Rhythmatism
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Having two older brothers meant I got to play with a train set, the slot cars and even a slug gun (which I could shoot better than either of them) and while all of my friends were into Abba and the Bay City Rollers, I was being introduced to music by way of Led Zep and Deep Purple - which was a damn site better than my parents' penchant for country music
Ooooh and tether ball, I loved that!
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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Yep - that was great too - ever see kids collect cicada's anymore? Or anyone you know have sea-monkey's . . . or silk worms eating mulberry leaves?
Comment by Bryn
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Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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Sounds like your floorboards got a pretty good work-out!
Cheers champ
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Comment by Bryn
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Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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You are old . . .
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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I always wanted one of those 9ft Frankenstein suits and trick soap.
Must check out a few of the old comics I've got stored in a box in the garage - I'm sure there's still a few sets of the x-ray specs available from the distributor if I send in the form . . .
Comment by Janet Collins
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Comment by Janet Collins
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In fact, I heard they're making a bit of a comeback..for home phones anyway.
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
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Managed to source two old black bakelite phones a couple of years back.
One is a wall mount phone - which looks great - but is for display only - the other actually still works and is used ever so occassionally when guests are over.
When the phone rings - you should see their pupils dilate - uusally with the counterance - 'do you have an old phone . . .' followed quickly by 'can we take a look'.
Not many people tend to ask to take a look at a phone when they come around to your place these days I tend to think - so it's a little bit nice.
Always a pleasure
Comment by James Rickard
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