Tag Archives: retro

Sounds of obsolete technology

Posted on April 27, 2010 by James

Modern technology is so quiet and efficient, so here are some reminders of how noisy computing used to be:

Number 1: The dot-matrix printer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Muajxx8vUV4

Number 2: Rotary dial phones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hUAQtqlhT4

Number 3: Tape-loading games

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJykX4s9MtQ

Number 4: Modems

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsNaR6FRuO0

Number 5: Floppy drives

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qz9a8kYYkA… Continue reading

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How and why it works – a TV from the 1940s

Posted on April 5, 2010 by James

A television receiver from the 1940s

Here is another book I found in a local car boot sale. Coming from a time when education and intelligence was assumed and the dumbing down disease hadn’t yet taken hold How and why it works is a book that does exactly what it says on the cover. It tells… Continue reading | 2 Comments

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GPO 746 Rotary Dial Phone – Remember these?

Posted on March 10, 2010 by James

UK GPO 746 Rotary Dial Telephone

When I was small I have memories of my grandma and my parents owning one of these phones, not that they had much choice of course since it wasn’t until the early 80s that other companies were allowed to make phones in the UK; before that it was the good old GPO’s job to rent one out to you. I took mine to bits to fix the dial, it kept sticking, and while taking it apart I took some photos which are attached to links throughout this post. Read on, this is more than a bunch of photos…… Continue reading

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Welcome to the World Of Science!

Posted on March 7, 2010 by James

… as it was 20 years ago.

The World of Science

The World of Science ISBN 0723543208

While wandering around a local car boot sale this book caught my eye. I quite like the old science and computing books from the 80s and 90s. There’s a certain style to them that doesn’t… Continue reading | 1 Comment

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How good is your memory?

Posted on January 30, 2010 by James

Or, how observant were you and how absorbant was your mind?

Think hard, what’s the furthest back you can remember?

I can remember being at nursery watching TV. Only because the ‘Thames TV‘ logo had a distinctive sound. I can also remember having to go to bed during the middle of the day at nursery, which I used to think was a really stupid idea. We… Continue reading | 1 Comment

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