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Life before cell phones

Bpracing1127

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Do you remember what life was like before cell phones. The modern cell phone has been out for 12-15 years. Do you remember what is was like before camera phones, internet at your fingertips, social media. Or even better the apps that we all use weather, maps, banking, news, music. Even though I am only 31 I wish sometimes cell phones didn't consume our lives.

(The irony is this was written using a iPhone 7)

How many of your remember in person banking. Pay phones. Actual film cameras, map quest? Or even better a Thomas guide ?
 

bruddah

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Yep... when the only boundaries were, "Be home before the street lights are on!" With cell phones came Helicopter moms
 

28Eliminator

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I remember all to well.. I appreciate the access to information and communication, on the other hand, I think social and communication skills have suffered with much of the younger generation. They have no need for the face to face communication skills that we grew up with. The next 30 years should be interesting..
 

ChevelleSB406

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I love the convenience and technology, but I do think that texting and smart phones has really inhibited communication between people. I am guilty of texting rather than talking, turning 37 next week, but when I see the younger generation out at bars, they really seem to have no clue how to have conversations or actually talk to people. However, shitting is a lot less boring these days, played snake on the nokia phones, and before that I guess read that damn shampoo bottle every time :D
 

BingerFang

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Do you remember what life was like before cell phones. The modern cell phone has been out for 12-15 years. Do you remember what is was like before camera phones, internet at your fingertips, social media. Or even better the apps that we all use weather, maps, banking, news, music. Even though I am only 31 I wish sometimes cell phones didn't consume our lives.

(The irony is this was written using a iPhone 7)

How many of your remember in person banking. Pay phones. Actual film cameras, map quest? Or even better a Thomas guide ?

They only consume your life if you let them, lol. I think what most people lack is self-control. If Instagram or pintrest had a time counter on it, 3/4 users would throw up.
 

was thatguy

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Oh I certainly remember!

The first cell phone I ever saw was the size of a brick. My buddy had it and I think it worked almost nowhere and cost thousands of dollars.

My problem isn't the cell phone, my problem is that my cell phone lets me go on RDP...:eek
 

77charger

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Have pretty much had mobile phones since about 90-91 and it was a motorola brick then got lucky and had an ultra classic aka half brick.The 550 was a nice finally small phone soon after.

Was still simple because not many had them and there were no apps or internet on them.It was talk and about it.Been lucky my work pays for mine or otherwise i probably wouldnt own one now.
 

Hypnautic

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It has created "new" rules for our kids that we did not have. Our kids are not allowed to look at their phone while walking. They must pull to the side first. Absolutely, not at the dinner table or restaurant. No excuse for not calling in a checking in.
 

Deja_Vu

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Traffic moved a lot faster without the cell phone drivers :grumble:

Now when a light turns green there is a 10 sec delay before the person in front notices :rolleyes
People are leaving 20 car lengths in front on the freeway so they can scroll FB. :skull

Put the phone down and drive... end rant lol
 

Wavemaker

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Do you remember what life was like before cell phones. The modern cell phone has been out for 12-15 years. Do you remember what is was like before camera phones, internet at your fingertips, social media. Or even better the apps that we all use weather, maps, banking, news, music. Even though I am only 31 I wish sometimes cell phones didn't consume our lives.

(The irony is this was written using a iPhone 7)

How many of your remember in person banking. Pay phones. Actual film cameras, map quest? Or even better a Thomas guide ?

Yep, I remember all of the "Old Stuff" mentioned above. I was in "outside sales" and depended upon telephone calling cards to call from pay phones, used Thomas Guides for my territory, used my Nikon film camera equipment. I recall memories of every major intersection throughout Orange County having large gasoline stations that had nearly 20 pay phone booths lined up for us field sales guys to make calling card calls from. When the first Motorola (a brick) cell phones came out I rushed out to buy one to help me be mote efficient with my time. Times have changed for the better since those days in the early 70's.
 

MCnParker

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I was just talking about this the other day with my wife...My 13 yr old son walked in on our conversation with his phone in hand. I started asking him how often he called his friends to see what they were doing? He laughed and said " Never", that is what texting is for. I then shared with him how my buddies and I had to communicate back in the dark ages. If you buddy was lucky enough to have cool parents that actually gave them the message you could call their house, or you had to get off your ass and ride your bike, skateboard, or whatever means of transportation you had, and go to your friends house. Hopefully they were home or is was onto the next until you found someone to hang out with. He again laughed and said "what if no one was home?" By now in the conversation i was getting a little short with him and and responded with something to the effect of " Why don't you leave your phone with me and give a try and find out?" His mother didn't find my comments amusing at all, but I thought it was funny as hell.

I think life was easier back than! Anyone else notice that kids back then were not nearly as fat or lazy, think this topic has anything to do with it? Just saying...
 

C-2

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I live in Riverside, but the office was in downtown Los Angeles. From there, I would drive to wherever I needed to be --from Ventura to San Diego. I would easily knock off 200-300 miles per day.

All done without a cell phone in a 1984 Mazda pickup truck :thumbsup

I don't think "water" had been invented yet, either :eek

Now, I can't make it around the block without my cell and a bottle of water --I freak out. What - if - something -happens?
 

jayboat

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I saw a thing couple weeks ago where some website had a little contest where you had to describe to someone who had been asleep for the last 20 years some technological advancement that they would be totally unaware of...

the winning entry went something like:

"In my pocket I have a device that can access all of the recorded knowledge of mankind and communicate instantly with people all over the world.
I use it for watching cat videos and arguing with strangers on the internet."

:rolleyes
 

ltbaney1

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I'm only 32 and can remember not having a cell phone. I'm not glued to it like some are. a lot of times after 6pm I turn it off. the problem is doing outside sales and tech support, I cant not have one. I do still buy a Thomas guide every year just in case, and do still use it, I have some friends who have no clue how to use it and think it takes some sort of black magic because it does not tell me turn by turn.
 

coolchange

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Back in the day you had to apprentice or take classes or figure out how to do something on your own. And you figured it out and probably came up with new ways to do things.
Today I think I want to build a reactor so when i go home I'll youtube it. Then amazon will bomb me for ads on fisionable materials and I can have at my door tomorrow. But by then I'll probably be on to the next great adventure and never get anything done.
 

Andy B.

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I use a POS non smart phone for this very reason. I eat a lot of shit for it too. ;)

The greater majority of the time it is left in the car when I get home. Peeps can reach me at home if they need too.

LMAO!! The only reason I got rid of my flip phone is because it broke, now I have an out dated windows phone it only cost me $59.00 and works for me.
 

Kailuaboy89

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Yeah Yeah I know I finally "fixed it for someone" and it was brian.....lol just kidding bud! I was having a Happy Gilmore moment....
that said, I remember the phone being attached to the wall, and yes even a rotary dial...and I had to ask permission to make a call, and had to state who I was calling and for what reason or face the working end of a wooden spoon, or rice paddle wielded by my angry 5'2" mother.....
I miss the days of meeting people for fun times, and riding my bike or skateboard to a friends house to hang out, and play board games or cards, and then hiking to the water falls in the rain Forrest in my valley, and we never worried about Facebook, pictures, instagram, selfies, snapchat, twitter, tweeting, gossiping, blogging, or any of that shit.....and we were in shape little tight whips with a six pack stomach, and we could run and ride for days...but now, these kids dont know what it is to get off their smart phones and get off their pudgy butts and get out and socialize and interact with other humans....
yes i miss those days, although now I am also guilty of being tied to a smart phone too. its the way technology is shaping our society...I wish for at least one 24 hour period Cel phone service/networks would go down...and open some eyes:thumbsup
 

milkmoney

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I hate them for what they have done to communication , I have broken everyone I have on purpose, last time was to prove to my wife that they are not required [emoji202]
 

pronstar

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It's possible to communicate with way more people using tech, than without it. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

One can certainly argue that quality has suffered at the expense of quantity.

Like anything else, there needs to be balance.
 

LargeOrangeFont

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I'm only 32 and can remember not having a cell phone. I'm not glued to it like some are. a lot of times after 6pm I turn it off. the problem is doing outside sales and tech support, I cant not have one. I do still buy a Thomas guide every year just in case, and do still use it, I have some friends who have no clue how to use it and think it takes some sort of black magic because it does not tell me turn by turn.

That is probably a good idea to pick up a new Thomas guide.
 

Member: 71

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I'll tell you one thing, I used to see a lot more titties and other stuff at the lake.
Camera phones and social media have definitely killed off the debauchery.
 

Kailuaboy89

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It's possible to communicate with way more people using tech, than without it. There just aren't enough hours in the day.

One can certainly argue that quality has suffered at the expense of quantity.

Like anything else, there needs to be balance.

541full-ace-ventura--when-nature-calls-screenshot.jpg

Balance.....:thumbsup
 

Jimmy

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all I know is, if there was a GOOGLE when I was in high school my life would have been so much easier...
Na it wasnt i got bounced flatout from my english teacher for copy and pasting off google.
I would have been 14 when colour screens come out, the worlds gotten systematically stupid.
 

Abc123

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That is probably a good idea to pick up a new Thomas guide.

I keep 2 in the trunk of my car. :thumbsup



I don't know about you guys, but I don't give a shit what other people do. I still pick up the phone to call my friends, clients, mom and for dates. Now if I just need to get a message or funny across, I text that shit.

Phones make life much easier. Period.

Lazy people with poor communication skills existed way before cell phones ever did.
 

pronstar

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I'll tell you one thing, I used to see a lot more titties and other stuff at the lake.
Camera phones and social media have definitely killed off the debauchery.

If you just want to look at bewbs, and you saw more on the lake than on the internet/phone, then yore doing it wrong [emoji12]
 

pwerwagn

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I talk to my dad every single evening on the phone still. I leave my phone in the car all day. But after work...I learn about how to build something I'll never build while I'm taking a shit, become an expert in something useless, learn what all of you did today ( none of you have I ever met in person however), become a hypochondriac because I read about someone on yahoo my age that got some rare disease, etc.

I was late to the cell phone game, I resisted having anything but a flip phone and zero text messaging till 08.

Since then I've wasted so many hours reading worthless shit.

At least I've avoided Facebook/insta/Pinterest etc. That really pisses me off when my wife wants to show me some picture of someone's kid that I knew 2 decades ago, some shit made from pallets on Pinterest, etc.

Turning my phone off now. :)
 

mash on it

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I'm only 32 and can remember not having a cell phone. I'm not glued to it like some are. a lot of times after 6pm I turn it off. the problem is doing outside sales and tech support, I cant not have one. I do still buy a Thomas guide every year just in case, and do still use it, I have some friends who have no clue how to use it and think it takes some sort of black magic because it does not tell me turn by turn.

I still have my pops' Thomas Guide for LA/OC, 1979 edition. Coffee stains and all. The streets that I needed to find were there nearly 40 years ago.

My first mobile phone was a radio phone, in the wrecker. When it rang the horn went off, and only had a short time to pick it up. Bag phones in 1995, flip phones in 2001-ish. I never got a smart phone, the wife has one.

Dan'l
 

milkmoney

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I would like to ad that I use to use and carry an atlas map with me for trips. [emoji106] [emoji202]
 

copterzach

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I would like to ad that I use to use and carry an atlas map with me for trips. [emoji106] [emoji202]

I have had the same cell phone number since 1993. I got a bag phone when I left for college.

I still carry an Atlas and maps in my truck. I have road maps of Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arizona and Arkansas.
 

was thatguy

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I honestly could not do my job without my smart phone.
Besides the endless files, contacts, maps to locations, e-mails, PDF's, reports, and scan ability I actually do need to text many people that are simply just too busy to talk.
 

TCHB

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1. I love having all the data of the world at my fingertips and the ability to communicate with people.


2. I would not want to be raising kids today with a smart phone in their hands. Scary!!

In 1986 I had a nice office with no computer, internet, or cell phone. I had normal plug in phone with no answer matching. My secretary would answer my phone when I was out and she would put a yellow stick on my desk with the details of who called. The world was slower!

When I left a couple years ago I had two monitors on my desk, a cell phone and would be at least 60 emails a day and phone calls all the time. It was tougher to make electricity in the modern world because of all the BS data that was requested on a constant basis.
 

DILLIGAF

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I know a thing or two about this topic since I have been in it pretty much all my adult life for many decades. Its a family thing that is now on our third generation going on four one day.

The genie was let out of the bag a long time ago. No putting it back now.

Like others I wish for the more simple times. Just means we are all getting old...lol
 

GRADS

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I remember in the mid eighties I had a phone (an actual landline phone) that I carried around with me in my car. The phone had two alligator clips on the end of it instead of a plug. If I really needed to call some I could pull over to a house unscrew the phone box cover on the side of a house and tap into it to make a call. It was kind of shady and a couple times I tapped in and someone was home talking on the phone but I say I had one of the first mobile phones. :rolleyes :p
 

DILLIGAF

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I remember in the mid eighties I had a phone (an actual landline phone) that I carried around with me in my car. The phone had two alligator clips on the end of it instead of a plug. If I really needed to call some I could pull over to a house unscrew the phone box cover on the side of a house and tap into it to make a call. It was kind of shady and a couple times I tapped in and someone was home talking on the phone but I say I had one of the first mobile phones. :rolleyes :p

No, it was stealing

In the early mid 80's I had an actual Motorla cell with a huge battery attached. If I remember it was .45 per minute to use. People used to look at me like I was super rich.....lol
 

mjc

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i got my first BRICK phone in the late 80's. I was an IBM field tech and had an area the covered east LA, compton and those places and got it after I got bothered too many times with people thinking I was selling or buying drugs. I used to charge the company an extra mile for every minute I talked, call were 10c an minute back then.
 

Raffit78

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Pretty soon, smart phones will no longer have keyboards.....

It will be all through the camera/ via video chat/audio chat....

I'd like to see a kid write an essay for school on paper in 10 years.
 
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