I have outlived the usefulness of a lot of technology. I know that even the most antiquated of devices are still maintained by small groups of enthusiasts, but I’m still going to call them outdated.
Music and Movies
I have a nostalgic fondness for a lot of this technology, and I think most of the devices that people remember are related to media playback. I loved 45 RPM singles and 33 RPM LPs; I can even appreciate the 8-track tape. More recent, but no less obsolete tech; like CDs and DVDs, feel to me as if their lifespan was too short. I think that’s just because, the older I get, the percentage of my life that has been occupied by these devices gets smaller .
VHS defined an era
My favorite outdated technology is probably the VHS cassette, more for the era it represents then the actual technology. I had no dog in the VHS vs Betamax fight. By the time we got our first VCR, Beta was all but dead.
What I miss, are all those Friday nights at the video rental place poring over bins full of obscure horror movies and the anticipation of delivery pizza arriving just in time to watch an outrageous bloodbath in low resolution.
Some of the strongest friendships of my life were forged over the original Star Wars trilogy on VHS. Some of the wildest parties of my youth included a different kind of movies on VHS. Some of by best friends’ and family members’ weddings were recorded on VHS-C.
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