Home › Customer Service › DO YOU REMEMBER?

DO YOU REMEMBER?

By on • ( 85 )

WHAT TECHNOLOGY DO I MISS? I DON’T MISS TECHNOLOGY. I MISS CIVILIZATION.

Telephones on which both you and the party to whom you were speaking could hear each other.

Sound tracks on movies where dialogue was louder than background music.

72-Mobile and Regular Phones_07

Silence when you were out and not near a phone. Being out of touch was wonderful — the whole point of vacation.

People walking on the street without things stuck in their ears, paying attention to where they were walking. Saying “hi” and smiling when they passed by.

Conversations which were not constantly interrupted by tweets, dings, beeps, and ringing.

Good manners. “Please” and “thank you” being part of normal human intercourse.

The customer always being right. I’d settle for the customer occasionally being treated with respect.

Complete sentences with words spelled correctly and including punctuation.

Full-service gas stations where they cleaned your windshield.

‹
›

Categories: Customer Service, Daily Prompt, Humor, Technology

Tags: , , , , ,

85 replies

  1. Raewyn's Photos
    07/03/2015 • 04:15

    We still have service station guys/gals who wash our windscreens. But I agree. There is nothing worse than having a conversation with a teenager when their attention is on their phone and not you. That is just bad manners.

    Like

  2. evilsquirrel13
    07/03/2015 • 03:50

    Well, at least nobody here is defending the current cell phone/Facetwit culture as natural, perfectly acceptable social evolution as I’ve seen done far too many times on technology sites trying to sell iCrap and virtual garbage. This is the new way we will interact with our fellow humans! Verbal communication is so 20th century. Who wants friends from their neighborhood or even their family when they can social medialize with someone from a country whose name they can’t even pronounce? Fun fact… the band Devo’s name is short for “Devolution”, the concept that we are evolving backwards rather than forwards. Those lads were ahead of their time…

    Like

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      07/03/2015 • 13:14

      I’m hoping it’s a stage. I’ve been watching my granddaughter for clues and she seems to be emerging from the Twilight Zone of nonstop cellular (I hesitate to call it communication). I’m counting on the enchantment lessening as people get bored with the toys. If they don’t get bored, well, maybe this is how the world ends. Not with a bang, but a Twitter.

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Judy @ NewEnglandGardenAndThread
    07/02/2015 • 18:36

    Heck, I’m so old I can remember my grandparents having a party line, using a dial phone with a number that started with Ashley, the excitement over purchasing a recorder, and the first bag phone we bought our daughter when she started driving alone. I think the younger crowd is much more interested in their on-line life with ‘friends’ they’ve never met than living their life with their family and friends that they do know. Sad state of affairs from my point of view but I’m a dinosaur enjoying my life in the moment. The subject of customer service or lack of it could be a whole other post. 🙂

    Like

  4. omniclassic
    07/02/2015 • 16:42

    You realize you’re dreaming.., right?

    Like

  5. bobmielke
    07/02/2015 • 16:00

    I don’t like the world we’re in and I want out. My dream just went poof and now I’m dealing with another whack job landlord insisting on keeping the central air set at 80 with no fan cycle. I wake up in a pool of sweat when I can even get to sleep at all. We’re headed for 100 again today. I have a headache from the heat.

    Now the new cause has arisen for polygamy. They figure if it’s ok to marry same sex partners why not have more than one. Left turn Clyde, let me off this Sodom & Gomorrah planet.

    Like

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      07/03/2015 • 12:51

      I’m sorry your yurt isn’t working out. I don’t know about where you live, but I know around here there is quite a bit of senior affordable housing that is very nice. Inexpensive (income-based) and located in really lovely areas, often along the river and on quiet streets in town. I know many people who live in these places and they like them very much. I wish we were eligible. Maybe you should check it out. Every community offers something and you are surely eligible for any of it. There’s usually a waiting list, but sometimes not very long. Worth a shot, anyway.

      Like

  6. OmniRunner
    07/02/2015 • 14:51

    As we all sit in the living room tweeting and snap chatting with our friends, we are all exiles on the divan. No communal, family activities as we are all too busy exchanging meaningless messages with others not in the room.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      07/02/2015 • 15:20

      It’s why we don’t spend a lot of time with “the kids” anymore. It’s no fun for us. And it isn’t personal. That’s how they behave when they are in groups of their own age. Each of them on their own device. Seems pretty lonely to me.

      Like

      • OmniRunner
        07/02/2015 • 20:37

        I came home one night and my daughter and her friends were watching a movie, and all of them were on their phones. I wouldn’t even call that socializing.
        Activity and being busy texting is their substitute for conversation and personal interaction.

        Like

        • judyt54
          07/02/2015 • 21:07

          You Tube doesnt help. I see people watching a concert, or an event, not up on the stage but through their phones…recording it for later use. 95% of the hands in the air have cellphones or whatever they use to record, so they can rush home and put it on YouTube…

          Like

          • OmniRunner
            07/02/2015 • 21:15

            It’s more important to say you were there, than to actually “be there.” I did a fair amount of that when the kids were rowing up w/ the camcorder.
            My daughter recently graduated from college and besides a few shots before the ceremony, I let the pros get her picture receiving her diploma. And I got to see it with my own eyes! So much more rewarding.

            Like

          • Marilyn Armstrong
            07/02/2015 • 21:30

            That’s one of my big no-nos. I simply won’t do it. Not only because it’s intrusive and obnoxious, but because the artists make much of their income selling concert CDs. And they are not the only ones. It’s just wrong. A couple of souvenir pictures, fine, but recording the concert? Not okay.

            Like

        • Marilyn Armstrong
          07/02/2015 • 21:31

          My granddaughter seems to be growing out of it as she is approaching college in the fall … and turning 19. Maybe it’s a stage. I hope so.

          Like

  7. jcalberta
    07/02/2015 • 14:05

    In the lunchroom … on the bus … every damn place – people have got one of those gadgets. I’m watching a hockey game and many ‘fans (?) in the stands are fiddling with some device instead of watching the game. Unbelievable. It’s an addiction. And I’d hate to have kids because I don’t know how i’d handle this. I know one thing – the family meal would be a ‘no gadget zone’.

    Liked by 1 person

  8. evelyneholingue
    07/02/2015 • 13:58

    Definitely missed the times where we had no cell phones. I like the safety of my iPhone when I’m away from home, driving alone, knowing I can get help if needed, while it was more challenging before. But I hate the fact that most people are on their phones 24/7. Sometimes in a restaurant or any public place I’m the only one who is not checking my phone. Maybe I should to catch up with the blogs I like! But on the other hand I like to be where I am at that moment and don’t want to be somewhere else with other people who are not with me. See what I mean?

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      07/02/2015 • 15:18

      I agree. If you are never “in the moment,” you aren’t living your life. Being with people who can’t seem to disconnect — ever — is like being the only human in a pack of zombies. No fun at all. I like the safety of having an emergency phone on the road too, but that’s what it is for. Emergencies.

      Like

  9. dcmontreal
    07/02/2015 • 12:05

    C’mon … that’s Utopian… That never existed … did it? Wait a minute ……

    Like

  10. angloswiss
    07/02/2015 • 12:03

    I don’t mind the new telephone attachments, but then I am 68 years old, going on 69 years and I like to be on the electronic wave length. I now even take my Kindle with me when going somewhere. On the other hand it nerves me in a public transport to be confronted with the younger generation talking to their friends on the phone, seeing them with facetime, it nerves me. and the rubbish they are talking… you cannot help listening. Another annoyance is not being able to talk to someone because they have a pod (or whatever) in their ear listening to some sort of music. I love music, but today I rarely listen probably because everone else is listening.

    Like

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      07/02/2015 • 12:42

      I think it would be healthy if people would occasionally DISCONNECT and be “in the moment.” Some of these folks are actually missing their lives. Completely missing them. They are too busy on the phone to notice the world. And yes, they do talk loudly and they should really shut up.

      Like

  11. judyt54
    07/02/2015 • 11:58

    There’s a line between comfort and appropriate, and not everyone understands that. The rules have disappeared.

    As to the slut look, I can only think of one time it would be appropriate, and thats on the street corner. I can’t imagine, frankly, parents allowing girls out of the house dressed like that…then again, if both parents have left for work, they may never see what the kid is wearing when she leaves the house…

    Like

  12. nonsmokingladybug
    07/02/2015 • 11:44

    I just finished my post and already feel like a dinosaur. Now I read yours and it’s not helping either. 🙂 Not being available at all times, I miss it too. Nothing was ever that important, people had to call later and try again when they couldn’t reach me. It wasn’t that dramatic.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. roweeee
    07/02/2015 • 10:54

    Loved this and would particularly like to return to the days where going away on holidays meant silence and no phones. That you could actually switch off. I walk my dogs along the beach and see so many people rush past in their own worlds with headphones on while there is a great community of dog walkers there who at least say hello. The loss of community is another modern thing for many but it’s something I actively seek and try to fertilize. xx Rowena

    Liked by 2 people

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      07/02/2015 • 10:57

      Community is what I most miss and what, I think, is going to prove the biggest loss long term. I think dogs are the last hope for civilization!

      Liked by 1 person

    • judyt54
      07/02/2015 • 12:01

      There was a fascinating ad last year, about family togetherness. It showed the entire family in the Family Room–Dad was watching TV, mother was on her cell phone, one of the kids was playing a game on his tablet, and the other one was huddled over a computer. Yep. Thats togetherness. What ever happened to SCRABBLE…

      Liked by 3 people

      • Marilyn Armstrong
        07/02/2015 • 12:44

        Hell, whatever happened to conversation? And how are these kids ever going to learn to work out problems? Negotiate for a raise — or interview for a job?

        Liked by 1 person

      • roweeee
        07/02/2015 • 21:17

        We do play a bit of Scrabble. Actually, I have logged onto my computer to look up the rules to play 500 with the kids. Card games have also gone by the by. We are currently watching Masterchef and The Voice with the kids. We pretty much have a family dinner at the table every night and we’re all involved in Church and Scouts, although I end up staying home a bit due to my health. That said, I spend a fair bit of time on the computer on my blog and the kids and my husband love their games. It’s challenging at the moment as we’re on school holidays and I have a nasty cold but am hoping the kids love 500 and then they can play it with their friends.

        Like

        • Marilyn Armstrong
          07/02/2015 • 21:26

          I’m the last one to knock computers, but especially kids also need to learn social skills. They can’t learn that on a computer. Balance. It sounds like you’ve got a reasonably good one. Keep up the good work.

          Liked by 1 person

          • roweeee
            07/02/2015 • 22:04

            Thanks for the encouragement. It is a hard slog. Those computer games are very addictive and bring me such peace but they need a balance and to become well-rounded people. xx Rowena

            Liked by 1 person

            • Marilyn Armstrong
              07/02/2015 • 22:07

              We are grown ups and are probably as well-rounded as we will ever be … but the youngsters need to learn to have conversations. It’s a skill that will serve them well in life, but it’s becoming something of a lost art.

              Liked by 1 person

              • roweeee
                07/04/2015 • 23:10

                You’re not wrong but I am working on it and actually finally making some progress! xx Rowena

                Like

                • Marilyn Armstrong
                  07/05/2015 • 00:46

                  I’m glad I’m not raising kids today. Or being a kid today. In some ways, it’s easier. The toys are better, for sure. But socially, it’s weird. A society in transition, everything changing. It is hard to keep your balance when the world is spinning so fast — and tilting!

                  Liked by 1 person

                • roweeee
                  07/05/2015 • 09:48

                  I think our planet is swishing backwards and forwards like windscreen wipers so it’s no wonder we’re dizzy!

                  Like

    • judyt54
      07/02/2015 • 14:35

      what amuses and appalls me at the same time is watching a bunch of kids, heads down, all texting as they walk. And then when two or three of them laugh at the same time I realize they’re texting each other. we’re not only forgetting how to verbally communicate, we are forgetting how to converse, as well. Or spell. Or form full sentences, one with all the words spelled out =).

      Liked by 1 person

      • Marilyn Armstrong
        07/02/2015 • 15:22

        They do the same thing when they are sitting next to each other on the sofa. They text. They don’t remember how to talk to each other. Interesting marriages they’ll have … and how are they going to raise babies? Will they have to come out of the womb knowing how to text so they can communicate with their parents? Born with little cell phones in their tiny fists?

        Like

      • roweeee
        07/02/2015 • 21:13

        So true. It’s no wonder teenagers are renowned or grunting, although that tends to be the boys and they’re probably more likely to be hooked to the games side of thing than texting although what would I know? I am really starting to feel like I’m well and truly from “the olden days”.

        Liked by 1 person

  14. judyt54
    07/02/2015 • 10:19

    It seems that no one has the slightest idea what they look like in public. I see overweight girls in sweat pants that show off way too much of way too much thong when they sit, I see kids in blouses cut down to there and up to here and then they come down HARD on those heels, bounce bounce bounce.. lol
    They dont know how to walk, how to stand, how to move. I watched an extremely well dressed woman of maybe thirty marching across the mall one day, expensive shoes, hair, suede pant suit–only the pants were too short, the shoes didnt look right, she had no idea how to navigate in them, and she walked like John Wayne on drugs.

    I admire the unselfconscious attitude, but still…

    I wonder how anyone of them will ever get a job with a tongue stud and nose ring and purple hair. WhatEVER…

    Liked by 2 people

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      07/02/2015 • 10:28

      How about television announcers who apparently don’t know how to get a suit that fits? I mean, really. Do they not own mirrors? Don’t they have friends to tell them they look like dorks?

      Liked by 2 people

      • roweeee
        07/02/2015 • 10:50

        Had to educate my son about what a boofhead is and that the mop on top of his head was starting to look like a boof. Educated him on the difference between being different and being odd and happened to mention Michael Jackson. Don’t know whether I made an impression but he was dressed much better this morning.

        Like

        • Marilyn Armstrong
          07/02/2015 • 11:08

          My husband took our grandson shopping a few times … and suddenly, he lost the droopy pants, discovered clothing that fit properly and colors that didn’t make your eyeballs hurt. It was a complete — and permanent — transformation. Sometimes, the magic works.

          Like

    • Garry Armstrong
      07/02/2015 • 11:28

      As a guy (admittedly a tad long in his teeth), I still don’t get the “slut” look. Doesn’t do anything for me.

      Like

  15. Swoosieque
    07/02/2015 • 10:10

    Excellent points!

    Like

  16. judyt54
    07/02/2015 • 09:56

    And when someone made a phone call they went in the other room to make it, and to talk. And they said, “excuse me”.
    Girls wore clothing that didnt make you a) fear for their sudden movements and/or b) made you want to throw a blanket over them

    Liked by 1 person

    • Marilyn Armstrong
      07/02/2015 • 10:12

      Oh, you mean “junior slutware”? I’ve been told it’s quite the fashion and I’m just not “with it.” ALL the girls wear it. And they wonder why they don’t get respected.

      Liked by 1 person

      • judyt54
        07/02/2015 • 11:00

        The world has passed us by. In a way, im not sorry. You and I both remember when one did not wear blue jeans at ALL, and then never downtown, always a dress or skirt on Sundays, no slacks in class (I got called on that one a few times), heels were mandatory for social functions. As was accessorizing.
        It was, to be fair, a tightly controlled and monitored life, clothes for this but not for that, the right hat, (and you wore a hat), gloves, purse, shoes…behavior, attitude. I dont miss it, I just wish it wasnt quite as dramatic a change as it is.
        Something tells me the pendulum has swung, and it will begin to swing back. That or fall off the clock.

        Like

        • Marilyn Armstrong
          07/02/2015 • 11:05

          I don’t mind losing the gloves and the hat — OR the heels. But I do mind the bad taste, the complete loss of judgement. I’ve seen kids — AND their parents — in church Easter Sunday in cutoffs and flip-flops. Weddings, too. I know the world has gotten more casual, but surely there are some occasions that call for nicer dress … and not dressing like a hooker. Or a drug dealer.

          Liked by 2 people