What old tech do you still enjoy? - Old shit you still play around with

nigger of the north

kiwifarms.net
I know there are some 'olds' around this place who may have carried their tech into the next generation, but some of us just enjoy the old shit for... reasons. Let's see it. For me:

1) I'm a big classical fan, which got me into LPs years ago - stuff that had never been transferred onto CD or the internet. That led to discovering an even greater trove of recordings on 78rpm disc, so I bought myself a phonograph from the 1930s and never looked back. Since it's literally pretty much from the earliest tech surrounding audio recording, it feels like the musicians/singers are in the room with you. CDs and electronic playback sound like shit in comparison. And due to lack of demand, I can pick up a 78 for around £2 (three bucks or so.) Hipster interest may change this in the future, but I already have a decent collection on hand.

2) A bit off-kilter maybe, but I prefer writing things by hand over type any day of the week. I've kept a daily diary plus a dream diary for about a decade, originally as a supplement to my own writing, but at this stage it's become a hard habit. Nothing like ripping a few pages of cursive every evening to 'write off' the day. Type written stuff is reserved for work emails, final drafts, or day to day 'needs must' comms. I've tried typewriters in the past, but for me it's slower than handwriting. It's cool to fuck around on my Corona occasionally though.

3) I like to grind my own coffee beans using one of those old grinders. Nothing hipster about it, I find it produces a really coarse grind reminiscent of an outback fur trading outfit. It's also a good way to get your blood up in the morning. I do swap it out for some pre-blended cafetiere shit when I'm feeling lazy, but I do love the strong taste of a hand ground brew.

4) I enjoy being racist
 

Slappy McGherkin

Bartender? Make that a double.
True & Honest Fan
kiwifarms.net
Still have an original Atari. And the original Doom on diskettes. And original Nintendo and Sega Saturn.
Enjoy CDs, although I have a lot of vinyl. The vinyl is old and well-worn and the pops and hiss just can't compete with digital quality. But I've clung onto the vinyl anyway as well as some old 8 tracks and cassettes.
Occasionally digging out my old Minolta SRT 201 and throwing a roll of film in it. I have a nice Nikon D80 that I use for most photography, but there's just something about playing with exposure and shutter speed settings with film I still like.
Going on a road trip with no set destination and the GPS turned off.
 

nigger of the north

kiwifarms.net
Old fashioned double edged safety razors. I switched after using an electric my whole life and I've never looked back.

My man. Travelling through Holland about 8 years back, I picked up a gold-plated Gillette 'Coronet' with case and blade holder for 5 Euros. Still have it today, thing is built like a brick shithouse. I use disposables for my daily shaves, but still break out that bad boy occasionally. Still got a few pucks of Proraso soap somewhere...

Still have an original Atari. And the original Doom on diskettes. And original Nintendo and Sega Saturn.
Enjoy CDs, although I have a lot of vinyl. The vinyl is old and well-worn and the pops and hiss just can't compete with digital quality. But I've clung onto the vinyl anyway as well as some old 8 tracks and cassettes.
Occasionally digging out my old Minolta SRT 201 and throwing a roll of film in it. I have a nice Nikon D80 that I use for most photography, but there's just something about playing with exposure and shutter speed settings with film I still like.
Going on a road trip with no set destination and the GPS turned off.

Man, film cameras. Learned the trade in art school when I was younger, still have the itch every now and again. Haven't owned a film camera for like 10 years though. I did have a few Russian pieces back in the day, glass still in fine condition. Set up a shitty darkroom in my bathroom, worked a charm.

Old alarm clocks and can openers.

I feel you. Those bell alarm clocks go off like shotguns when they ring. You'd have to be in the grave to sleep through those. And even then...

I used to do shit like that all the time, goddamn do I miss it.
I flat out refuse to read E-books (With an exception for comics/manga). I like a good hardback that you can use as an emergency bludgeon.

Only time I used e-books was for academic reading during university. As my older posts will illustrate, I'm a die-hard bibliophile. Nothing beats holding a smelly, antiquarian text and making your own notes in the margin.
 

HymanHive

kiwifarms.net
I will never get a dishwasher. Never. There's also something deeply satisfying about handwashing all your shit and putting it away.
chores are soothing. Buddhism or whatever crazy zen shit those sandal wearing goldfish tenders are in to, is about manual cleaning, being tidy etc. and those fuckers live to 140.

They must be on to something
 

Slappy McGherkin

Bartender? Make that a double.
True & Honest Fan
kiwifarms.net
Old alarm clocks and can openers.

I feel you. Those bell alarm clocks go off like shotguns when they ring. You'd have to be in the grave to sleep through those. And even then...

This was my grandfather's - Westclox Big Ben. Still works kind of, but could use some repairs and new glass from a good watchmaker or clocksmith. Original patent date 1902, last patent date 1919, so it's well over 100 years old.

When this thing goes off, it can wake the dead! Kid you not, the back shell is nickel (or nickel coated brass, I believe) and the internal hammer beats against that. First time I set it and it went off, nearly pissed myself.

alarm1.jpg


alarm2.jpg
 

SSF2T Old User

Summer Time = Summer Babes
kiwifarms.net
Oldest tech-related thing I own is a 30" JVC BBE CRT TV that i got at a drift store
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I specifically use this for all my retro gaming needs (Sega Saturn, PS1/PS2, N64, GameCube) since HD/Plasma/4K TVs are fucking abysmal with lag regarding any analog input. It comes with both composite and component hook-ups. I even have a WiiU hooked up to this thing, but the WiiU is a but retarded as it doesn't do an EXACT 4:3 even though it gives you the choice to switch to it in the options menu... you still have those black bars on the top and bottom, making the picture look small with the sides cut off. However, switching to the Wii and the games on there display 4:3 perfectly fine.
 

nigger of the north

kiwifarms.net
This was my grandfather's - Westclox Big Ben. Still works kind of, but could use some repairs and new glass from a good watchmaker or clocksmith. Original patent date 1902, last patent date 1919, so it's well over 100 years old.

When this thing goes off, it can wake the dead! Kid you not, the back shell is nickel (or nickel coated brass, I believe) and the internal hammer beats against that. First time I set it and it went off, nearly pissed myself.

View attachment 2184968

View attachment 2184969
That's a mighty fine piece, gherkin. Would be well worth a visit to a good clocksmith. There are quite a few gifted amateurs around (usually clergy in my experience, weirdly enough - at least in Bongistan.) They'd be more than happy to have a tinker around just for the experience.

I do recall my great grandfather having a similar one, but smaller perhaps than yours. Wonder what ever happened to that...
 
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