Post the very best in obsolete and failed technology

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empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

orphean posted:

If you went to grade school in the 80s you were the supreme master king pimp if you were sporting one of these guys:

I still have my Zelda watch, but unfortunately I can't get it to work anymore. I'd still rock that watch like a boss, and have sometimes thought of wearing it anyway, but I know I would get asked about it everywhere and have to admit I was wearing a broken watch.

# ¿ Aug 15, 2013 03:37

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 17:33

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

orphean posted:

If it just the battery you can get that replaced cheap and easy. If it won't turn on because the existing battery popped leaking corrosive awesome-destroying acid over the insides then time to pour one out for lost glory.

It's not the battery. I tried that years ago. It just upped and died.

Edit: I took the battery out of it almost 20 years ago when it died, and every few years when I find it in whatever drawer I stashed it in, I go and get a battery thinking maybe I did something wrong the last time, but no...

empty baggie has a new favorite as of 03:58 on Aug 15, 2013

# ¿ Aug 15, 2013 03:56

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

One solution to the overly-bright LED problem: Light Dims LED light blockers. http://www.lightdims.com/store.htm

Edit: better link

empty baggie has a new favorite as of 22:54 on Jan 24, 2014

# ¿ Jan 24, 2014 22:52

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

I still have a SCSI ZIP drive. Double-obsolete.

# ¿ Mar 25, 2014 02:05

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

twistedmentat posted:

Yea, he probably spent like 2 grand at the time getting this system together, and there was always some problem with it. He loves Os2, and guess what, os2 warp had some huge problem with an all scsi computer. He eventually broke down and got a IDE windows machine that was significantly better in every way, and half the cost.

He's big into SSD now, but I have to admit, even though they are more expensive and smaller, seeing windows boot up in literally a second is amazing, and huge games that require lots of access time run super smooth on it because the SSD is so fast.

Yeah, because an SSD is worth the cost in most every day situations, where SCSI wasn't back then pretty much at all.

empty baggie has a new favorite as of 04:51 on Mar 25, 2014

# ¿ Mar 25, 2014 04:48

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

I've been through 8 car stereos in the past several years, from very basic up to $2000 double din touch screen navigation units with all the bells and whistles. About 6 months ago I found what I think is the best, non flashy, easy to control stereo with the essentials. The Blaupunkt Toronto 420BT. It has bluetooth built in, front and rear USB inputs, plenty of preamp outputs, two knobs, and lighting that isn't obnoxious and tacky.

(best pic I could find online)

I love it because it's basic, but it does everything I need it to and it does it all well, better than stereos I've had that were literally 10 times the price.

empty baggie has a new favorite as of 00:29 on Apr 9, 2014

# ¿ Apr 9, 2014 00:25

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

Captain Trips posted:

No, I mean, a rear USB is going to be inside the dash. How do you get to it, and why not just have two on the front?

I ran a 6 foot lighting cable from the rear of the deck to my center console. No wires sticking out of the front of the stereo, but I have the option in case I have another device I might want to use.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2014 00:45

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

DrBouvenstein posted:

You run a cable from the back to somewhere in the front.

It makes it look "cleaner" than having the cable go in the front, I guess.

Exactly. If you're going to be using the same device every day, it makes sense to have one "permanent" cable, while leaving the front USB open for random devices, and it makes the dash look less cluttered by not having wires sticking out of the front all the time.

quote:

I have one very similar. It's weird, because it doesn't have built-in Bluetooth, but it came with a Bluetooth dongle to plug in. It has front and rear USB ports, so naturally I plugged it into the rear one.

It's nice to simply connect my phone for music/podcasts and not have to dig out wires/have them get tangled in the gearshift and such, but it does have one weird problem:

It has no CD player, just the Bluetooth, USB, and Aux, so because of that, it's missing most simple controls. It has Next and Previous buttons, but no play/pause or stop. Kind of annoying because I have to fumble with my phone to pause or stop, which as I already mentioned, isn't a good thing to do while driving.

Mine does have play/pause, but honestly I tend to use the controls on my phone a lot of the time, but I have a decent mount so the phone stays in a good position to where it's not very distracting to hit play or pause. That is one downside to the unit in that it's difficult to navigate through a large music library from the deck itself, but then again I've had multiple touchscreen stereos that weren't any easier to navigate with, even the Pioneer App Radio, which was specifically designed to work properly with iPhones (There's a stereo for this thread. What a piece of poo poo that thing was).

# ¿ Apr 9, 2014 01:06

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

Code Jockey posted:

I loved my old Blaupunkt MP3000 deck. An early MP3 deck, it could load MP3s off of CD-Rs, had a separate subwoofer channel, and sounded AMAZING. Sadly, it died, and I replaced it with another Blaupunkt which was almost the same and also good, but didn't have the separate sub channel and just never sounded quite as nice. The display was nice though - blue background with a white dot matrix display. Displayed track/folder info nicely, got blurry as poo poo in cold weather, which I found funny. Not too bright, but bright enough that it gave my interior a cool blue glow.

Strange that it wouldn't have a sub out. The Toronto 420 has front, back, and sub out.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2014 01:08

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

You Are A Elf posted:

This is the stereo I currently have in my truck: The Clarion DUZ385SAT.

I've had it for a few years now and it is the best head unit i've ever owned. Not too flashy, very simple, works with everything I've thrown at it, and matches my truck's interior to look almost stock. I also have a permanent hidden iPhone cord hooked up the rear USB input that runs under my bench seat and is hidden in the middle of the seat because I'm loving classy like that.
.

I almost bought that deck (or at least a similar one) over the Toronto, but I had a touchscreen Clarion at one point that I didn't care for and wanted to try out Blaupunkt because I had always heard good things about the company. Good to know its a keeper in case I want to take advantage of my double din again. Well, and because I'm really drat fickle about my stereos and change them out constantly (I think I've kept the Blaupunkt around longer than any deck I've had in the past decade, and I've had it less than a year).

E: Oh, and props for the hidden iPhone cable. You know what's up.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2014 05:18

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

It used to be that Crutchfield would give you everything you needed to hook up a stereo for free. Wiring harnesses, dash kits, etc, which some of that stuff they still give out free, but I guess that idea of everything included is somewhat obsolete, though more just not practical anymore. At least they still offer a discount on all of these relatively new PAC interface kits, but it sucks that, even at a brick and mortar store, you can't just look at the price of a car stereo and know that price would be the total cost, installation included (or maybe like $20 extra) like you used to.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2014 07:04

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

I was in the last "typing" class my high school offered back in 95 or 96. Halfway through the semester the new "keyboarding" classroom/computer lab was finished and we moved from typewriters to computers.

# ¿ May 8, 2014 00:44

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

1500quidporsche posted:

My favorite obsolete automotive technology...

Bosch K-Jetronic Fuel Injection System AKA Continuous Injection System

Bosch had developed early fuel injection systems but they were mostly confined to luxury cars due to the costs of putting a computer in a car at the time, as a cheaper alternative they developed K-Jetronic to capitalize on stricter emission regulations in the 70s/80s. A plate attached to a lever was positioned in the path of the airflow to measure it, as the air passed through the plate would lift up the lever which would respond by letting more fuel through, the fuel was delivered continuously instead of being pulsed like other fuel injection systems eliminating the need for any computer.

In theory this was a genius system, the lever system made sure there was always a good air/fuel mixture without the need for expensive electronics. The reality was that it was at best marginally better than a carburetor. It was prone to vapor lock just like a carb. The continuous injection so close to the intake valves meant the fuel had a habit of turning back into liquid form when it was cold. The fuel system would gradually lose pressure from wear over the years and throw the air fuel mixture off. Without a computer to correct this your car would just slowly run worse and worse until you were prepared to tear the whole system apart and find the faulty components.

Bosch eventually relented adding an oxygen sensor and an analog computer to monitor combustion and adjust the fuel mixture. A further enhancement came in the form of a knock sensor, a digital computer, electronic ignition timing and a pressure actuator for the fuel distributor. By this time though the cost difference between K-Jetronic and pulsed injection systems were becoming minimal.

K-Jetronic eventually died off in the 90s with the carburetor as car manufacturers looked for the better power and fuel economy of pulsed injection. It was a unique cost effective solution for the time that got killed off by the falling costs of electronics like so many other things during that period. That's not to say it didn't make its mark in its time though. It was used by almost all the european manufactuers on some of their cars including the Porsche 911 and Ferrari Testarossa. and the Delorean, though that's not nearly as prestigious

The greatest car ever produced, the Volvo 240, used K-Jet.

# ¿ Nov 30, 2014 17:45

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

Mister Kingdom posted:

Oh, poo poo, I had one like that. You had to scan at the right speed or you'd freak out the computer and get a blue screen. That was $99 not well spent.

They got better with time as the technology improved. Of course, now you can take a pretty drat good scan with just a decent cell phone camera.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2014 05:09

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

Ron Burgundy posted:

As with many things, the Japanese took this way too far.

I wish this technology had been better. As a child of the 80's and 90's, I had stacks and stacks of cassettes and hauled around a box of them with me all the time. Having to just carry the little reels would have been much easier, plus they look so loving rad.

# ¿ Dec 14, 2014 01:48

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

Yeah, that's why I wish the technology had been better, because if the reels had actually been easy and reliable to use, it would have been great.

# ¿ Dec 16, 2014 20:50

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

DrBouvenstein posted:

True, but with something like a thumb drive, someone can just leave it lying around in front of Apple HQ in the hopes someone will see it and go,
"Ooh! Free thumb drive!"

Edit: Actually, Apple HQ might be the only place it makes sense to leave a malicious Firewire device, since who else is still using Firewire these days?

To be fair, Apple isn't really still using Firewire anymore either with the exception of one, maybe 2, machines.

# ¿ Jan 3, 2015 00:08

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

strangemusic posted:

I was just watching Punch-Drunk Love yesterday and the whole idea of the three-buck-a-minute sex line or whatever made me cringe.

These are still around, just not in 900 number form.

# ¿ Jan 3, 2015 21:59

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

well turn it UP MAAAAAAN

You remember the good old days? War, protests, going to jail?

# ¿ Feb 27, 2015 20:16

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

Occasionally you'll still see those razor blade slots in the bathrooms of older hotels.

I remember back in the day there were razor blade slots in airplane bathrooms.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2015 20:23

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

My mom's been using her Rainbow for like 30 years. It works great.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2015 22:04

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

What's funny about mom's Rainbow is that the carpet height switch on the rug brush is just a dummy switch and doesn't actually function. The switch is just a piece of plastic that isn't attached to anything.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2015 22:41

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

bunnielab posted:

The idea of emptying a bong full of my carpet filth sounds like the worst thing ever.

As was mentioned before, It's better to dump a can of dirty water out than to breathe in the dust from emptying a canister or even when changing a vacuum bag. Plus I can say for certain that a Rainbow vac smells much better when being used than a traditional vacuum. They can also be used as a wet vac in a pinch.

# ¿ Mar 15, 2015 05:41

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

peter gabriel posted:

I has a SCSI Zip Drive

I have one too, and a USB model. I also still have an Iomega Predator CD writer that took around 5 hours to make coasters (seriously, one out of 5 discs might successfully burn, maybe).

# ¿ May 13, 2015 22:16

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

I see far more $100 bills than $50 in the states. Actually, I think I see more $100's than $10's.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2015 01:27

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

My uncle tips with a few Sacajaweas at restaurants as a way for servers to remember him. He tends to get pretty good service around town because of it (he also puts a tip on his card, but always throws 4 or 5 Sacajawea coins down as well).

Personally, I don't like carrying around change. It's just more annoying poo poo jangling around in my pockets. My truck console, however, is loaded with change, and is used regularly at drive-thru's and car washes.

# ¿ Jul 15, 2015 00:22

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

I had a midi ringtone of slayers raining blood, and it was the best thing ever. The vibration motor even replicated the double bass drums. To this day I wish I still had that tone on my iPhone. Nothing will ever come close to being as awesome, especially when some redneck would recognize it while standing in line at the local head shop.

# ¿ Aug 1, 2015 07:26

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

Delivery McGee posted:

I can't find a clip, but I remember an episode of King of the Hill where they went to the Ren Faire and Dale was in a Starfleet uniform arguing with the person at the ticket booth -- "It says '10% discount with period costume.' The future is a period!"

They did something similar on Big Bang Theory too.

# ¿ Aug 27, 2015 01:27

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

Yeah, it's the first edition iMacs that are colorful and have the CRT built-in.

I didn't realize they commanded high prices. We have people drop them off at the shop all the time for recycling. I've made fishtanks out of 2 or 3 of them.

# ¿ Sep 4, 2015 00:28

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

Dick Trauma posted:

Don't forget this one:

Ugh. I set up an eMac computer lab for my colleges education department several years ago. After unboxing and setting up 35 of those bastards, my back hurt for a week straight.

# ¿ Sep 4, 2015 00:54

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

1500quidporsche posted:

Yeah I had no clue they were actually a big market force in the 60s and 70s until I got mine and looked up the brand.

They're kind of like Blaupunkt where if you told somebody that name now they'd have no clue what you're talking about, but they were practically an institution in car audio in the 80s. Crazy how fast you can fall.

My current stereo is a single-din Blaupunkt Toronto 420BT, and it beats out my previous 3 double-din in-dash navigation units in terms of sound quality, ease of use, and iPhone compatibility (that includes the first-gen Pioneer AppRadio).

# ¿ Oct 21, 2015 23:36

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

drgnwr1 posted:

Apparently Sony still was making these.

From my understanding, Betamax was still used at places like news stations for decades after VHS won the home video wars, and wasn't deemed obsolete until digital took over.

# ¿ Nov 11, 2015 00:34

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

I loved Service Merchandise. That store, Hill's, and a place called Brendle's (which was also a catalog showroom like Service Merchandise, and also featured a diamond in the logo) were my favorite stores to visit when I was a kid.

empty baggie has a new favorite as of 01:04 on Dec 5, 2015

# ¿ Dec 4, 2015 21:38

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

flosofl posted:

The Simpsons reference was from the Newton MessagePad's notoriously (and hilariously) terrible handwriting recognition. Palm's Graffiti input, by contrast, was fast and accurate. In fact when I first started using a stylus with the iPad, I had to unlearn all the Graffiti shorthand I had retained.

The first Newton's handwriting recognition was pretty bad but when Newton 2.0 was released, it was considered the best in the industry for 10 years.

I loved my Treo 650, and still use it from time to time for various reasons. The only reason I upgraded from it to the first iPhone was because T-Mobile hosed me over on my supposed unlimited data, so I jumped ship to AT&T.

empty baggie has a new favorite as of 23:48 on Dec 12, 2015

# ¿ Dec 12, 2015 23:46

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

Krispy Kareem posted:

When I first got my hands on an iPhone I didn't care about apps or data speeds. I wanted to try the onscreen keyboard and pinch to zoom.

I still have an iPhone 2g that AT&T sold to employees cheap after the 3G came out. I kind of want to make one of my kids use it as punishment. I think it could do iOS 4, which was kind of modern.

Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure the original iPhones will no longer activate, so they're useless as phones.

# ¿ Jan 24, 2016 20:57

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

You saw multiple angles pretty frequently in concert movies.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2016 00:36

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

Jasper Tin Neck posted:

I don't. The drat thing didn't have a GPS receiver, so I had to buy a separate Bluetooth brick to use a painfully slow navigation app.

The phone got stolen from me, but I still have the GPS brick in a drawer somewhere in this room.

I still have my GPS brick, too. I used it with my Treo 650 to run a Tom Tom app. Actually, I still have the Treo and all of my old programs and accessories, including an Altec Lansing speaker dock, remote control IR adapter, and a retail copy of Madden '05. I loved that loving Treo, unit my service provider (SunCom, which was bought out by T-Mobile a month later) jacked up my unlimited data plan and I jumped ship to ATT and the first iPhone.

# ¿ Feb 28, 2016 00:30

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

Humphreys posted:

I do remember spending too much money for this:

That keyboard looks absolutely painful to use.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2016 14:52

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

Grumbletron 4000 posted:

Does anyone know off hand if it's possible to make it functional again on a cheapo prepaid plan? It'd be fun to have it around again just to have another phone around. Mostly for nostalgia though.

I still use my GSM 650 as a backup phone. It uses a SIM card though, so it's easy to just swap SIMs, and I'm assuming the Sprint version does not have a SIM tray. Still, I don't see any reason why you couldn't get it hooked up somewhere.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2016 18:00

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# ¿ May 10, 2024 17:33

empty baggie: Oct 22, 2003

Nah. Gamestop has only owned them for around a year and a half. They started going to poo poo way before that.

# ¿ Nov 12, 2016 23:42

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