I was wondering... does anyone in pdxradio land still use dial-up? How about dial phones? Polaroids? Cameras with film? Black and White TV? How about 8mm cameras, projectors, and those home movie screens? Those big fat PC monitors? Reel to reel tape recorders? Pagers? Checkbooks? Columnular note pads instead of Excel? Word Perfect? Board games?

Pfft. I'm going to bed.

Chris Taylor might.

I still use many of these "technologies" when appropriate. My garage phone and bedside phones are rotary dial because I mainly use them to answer, not call out, and they are retro cool so why not?

Those big fat PC monitors are freely given to me, and often have excellent resolution.

I still keep a paper checkbook, because I think that mental engagement with and management of spending is the best way to keep it in check (no pun intended).

And I still drive a 40 year old car.

I'm really not a "technology for technology's sake" kind of guy.

I've a older 60's style DTMF upgraded phone. I use it because it sounds great!

No PDA. Paper and mnemonics get me through having to remember stuff.

I do dial up on occasion. There still isn't wireless everywhere I stay. The Internet at 2.5 - 5Kb / sec is a sobering experience! PDXRadio rocks at that rate however.

My Polaroid camera sits in the case, ready for that quick shot. Not sure if I can get film after this batch is gone. Everybody loves that thing!

The Sanyo AM / FM / SW boom box with piezo tweeters, FM stereo expand and cassette still sees frequent use in the office. Bought it new.

Nothing beats a big, sharp CRT for watching movies and such. I've a few of those, including PC monitor. Like 'em.

The kids like the CRAIG portable cassette recorder. It's MONO, one of flat kind with the kerchunk buttons.

My Hi-fi VCR is an excellent way to grab big chunks of audio.

And the Atari 400 computer still sees the occasional gaming session, and if I want to just write a bit of code to solve a problem, it's quick! Just turn it on, write it, read the answer and move on.

A pilot precision pen and graph paper pad sits at the ready at home and work. That's still the place where I go to explore new ideas often.

Up until this recent move, I had a black and white TV too. Never did mind watching TV that way. (BTW, somebody mentioned Perry Mason on HD. Those programs were recorded in really great resolution! Why not? I would entertain that.)

I use cash for nearly everything. It's just easier and a known absolutely gonna happen purchase. Nobody wants to have a load of groceries, only to find out the bank computer is down for some service...

And if things get bad, those with the plastic are not getting anything.

That's really bad, like infrastructure gone, kind of bad.

There is the Kerosene heater too. Love that thing, and it's inexpensive still, lots of heat, nice to sit around.

Cameras with film? I love my Olympus Pen 35mm camera. I enjoy shooting Super-8 movies too. The film and processing is still available.

Reel to reel tape recorders? I own a Scully 280B, an Ampex 440 and a Uher 4000. New blank media from Europe is of a higher quality now than ever before.

Those big fat PC monitors? The flat screens in my life have lasted 2 years and 8 months respectively, but the big chunky beast I have reverted back to using is going on almost a decade.

I am a throwback because any technological limitations are balanced by the much higher build quality of the past. My bicycle is 42 years old, my guitars were made in '64, '65 & '68, and I live in a house built before the First World War. I prefer functional classics over the flashy and flimsy any day.

Yeah, the build quality issue is a big one for me too.

After thinking about it, older stuff had mass. That's the ticket right there. Having enough material present to endure time matters.

Speaking of newer tech. Flat screens die when their limited life bulbs die. These can be replaced, but be prepared for an interesting and tedious session doing it.

CRT's last literally forever, if even marginally treated with respect.

My brother in law is facing a $400 bulb for his projection TV. Ouch!! Actually it's gonna be twice that because the lesson learned is to have one in stock!

The WEGA I bought has a heavy (really freaking heavy CRT), will last long enough I won't care about it.

"I live in a house built before the First World War"

My wife and I first lived in a house in Kenton, circa 1947. If I could have brought that house with me to Sandy I would have. Stout construction, efficient design, clean styling. 1400 square feet felt like 50% more than that due to the layout. Plus a full basement and an actual stand-up attic! If the basement and attic had been upgraded to living space, I could have taken that house to over 3000 square feet without changing the footprint or substantially altering the appearance.

I don't even want to talk about the 1971 tri-level I'm in now (though it's still stouter than today's houses).

Dial-up: I haven't used dial-up for the internet for years. I have to VPN into our work network and a dial-up connection times out before it has time to negotiate the connection. I do use a modem to call into our transmitters and check the alarm status however.

How about dial phones? Nope!

Polaroids? I think I still have mine from the late 60's around somewhere but haven't used it in over 35 years!

Cameras with film? Sometimes. I have my Canon A1 that i use every once in a while.

Black and White TV? Had one until about 4 years ago. It was my parents first TV. It was a 21" Zenith. The date stamped on the chasis was December 7, 1955.

How about 8mm cameras, projectors, and those home movie screens? Again, I think I still have my 8mm camera, but haven't used it in 35+ years. I still have a projector and the movies from when I was growing up that I hope to put on DVD some day.

Those big fat PC monitors? I still use a 19" CRT monitor for the computer I'm using right now. My work PC and the wife and kid's PC's all have flat screens.

Reel to reel tape recorders? I still have my Sony TC-252D but haven't used it in 20+ years.

Pagers? Yep. And that's how I make my living by the way, so please, everybody run out right now and get a SkyTel pager!!!

Checkbooks? Yep.

Columnular note pads instead of Excel? Nope.

Word Perfect? Nope.

Board games? Scrabble. Sometimes Monopoly and while not a board game Miles Borne.

Those big fat PC monitors?

Thats me too.

Yesterday afternoon my 12 year old son and a friend of his played Twister on our trampoline in the backyard.

Twister? When is the X-Box version coming out?

An old version of Word Perfect? Absolutely, once you learn how to edit the text formatting code. When you become proficient in one word processor it's a drag to switch to another.

Film cameras are still the way to go if you're shooting in black & white. I have just started in the world of digital photography, but I have been told that you can't get as much depth of field with digital cameras.

VHS Hi-Fi is still the way I do most audio recording. My 2001 vintage PC occasionally crashes after 20 to 60 minutes of recording and has never been as reliable as tape.

I still like the analog sound of my 8-Track i-Pod too.