I grew up in the seventies and eighties. Even then there had been a large cultural shift in technology. Since then there has been another shift.
By then everybody had a color television set. Some people still had a black and white TV as an extra TV but the main set was color. A lot of people had a second TV – some even had mini-portable TVs – with a tiny 1”-3” screen. A few people had old projection TVs - but they were bulky and not very good quality.
Now some people don't even have a TV - they have a media center monitor which doubles as their computer screen. They can also watch video on a portable device with a great picture. Large TVs now take up a lot less room and have a great picture.
When a TV program was on you either had to watch it then or wait for it to play again in reruns during the summer. Then VCRs came out and you were able to tape a program to watch again later. Originally the tapes were very expensive and you had to erase them to use again. Recorded programs (movies, etc) were crazy expensive - $100 a tape when they came out. These prices soon dropped to about $30 a tape.
Now you can download programs and watch what you want, when you want. PVRs allow you to record programs and watch and delete shows at your whim. DVDs are out for about $25 when they first come out - but quickly drop in price until they hit the $5 bins. Many TV series have been released on to DVD, and quickly too - so you can catch any shows that you missed.
Video cameras came out - huge at first (you had to carry the camera and a VCR) and then more portable. This allowed you to record other things and make your own movies. This was much more accessible than the old Super 8 film cameras that were out before – you could see things right away instead of having to send in the film to get processed.
Now most cameras and even cell phones will record video. Camcorders have come down in size and price. Instead of fussing with dubbing tapes, most are able to connect to a DVD recorder or computer and copy onto DVDs. Some cameras even record directly on to digital media – SD cards or mini-discs.
Showing posts with label cultural shift. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cultural shift. Show all posts
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Friday, February 26, 2010
Cultural Shirt - phone
I grew up in the seventies and eighties. Even then there had been a large cultural shift in technology. Since then there has been another shift.
Everybody had a phone – at home. There were payphones around that cost a quarter and you could use if you were out and about. If you were away from home people either got no answer when they called or a few people had an answering machine. If you were home and the phone rang, you couldn’t find out who was calling unless you actually answered the phone. A mobile phone meant that you had a phone in your car. Pagers allowed people to keep up on important messages – you would have to call in to find out what the message was though. Later models allowed a simple message to be displayed. People also were getting into cb radios that would allow you to talk to strangers while on the road.
Now most people have a cell phone and some don’t even have a regular phone. Most of the phones also take photos, send text messages and even allow access to the internet. Call display and voicemail are standard features on phones. If you are in a car accident, not only can you use your phone to call for a tow truck but you can also take pictures as well.
Everybody had a phone – at home. There were payphones around that cost a quarter and you could use if you were out and about. If you were away from home people either got no answer when they called or a few people had an answering machine. If you were home and the phone rang, you couldn’t find out who was calling unless you actually answered the phone. A mobile phone meant that you had a phone in your car. Pagers allowed people to keep up on important messages – you would have to call in to find out what the message was though. Later models allowed a simple message to be displayed. People also were getting into cb radios that would allow you to talk to strangers while on the road.
Now most people have a cell phone and some don’t even have a regular phone. Most of the phones also take photos, send text messages and even allow access to the internet. Call display and voicemail are standard features on phones. If you are in a car accident, not only can you use your phone to call for a tow truck but you can also take pictures as well.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Cultural Shift - music
I grew up in the seventies and eighties. Even then there had been a large cultural shift in technology. Since then there has been another shift.
Music had changed from radio and records to 8-tracks and cassettes. Now it has changed to cds and mp3s. Transistor radios allowed people to not have to sit by the old floor radios.
We had shifted to Walkmans and boom boxes which allowed us to take the music we wanted with us but there was always a limit of battery length and quality of sound – the walkmans and even later Discmans were bad for speed changes if jostled.
Now the shift is for ipods and mp3 players – which are tiny, have a great quality of sound, and can store days of music. Bill Cosby used to joke that, as kids, they always used to hum their own theme music – people today can actually score their life.
Music had changed from radio and records to 8-tracks and cassettes. Now it has changed to cds and mp3s. Transistor radios allowed people to not have to sit by the old floor radios.
We had shifted to Walkmans and boom boxes which allowed us to take the music we wanted with us but there was always a limit of battery length and quality of sound – the walkmans and even later Discmans were bad for speed changes if jostled.
Now the shift is for ipods and mp3 players – which are tiny, have a great quality of sound, and can store days of music. Bill Cosby used to joke that, as kids, they always used to hum their own theme music – people today can actually score their life.
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