Things that make you feel just a bit old.
By megamatt
@megamatt (14292)
United States
April 24, 2011 10:25am CST
Life is great, but there are a lot of things that just make me feel a little bit old. The fact is that I remember a time where everyone did not have a cell phone fused right into the side of the head. Also VCRs when they were around and cassette tapes as well. Technology does move rather fast and I can just imagine how people much older than me are feeling. If I feel a little bit out of touch, they can feel very out of touch. Just proves you should enjoy life why you can, as everything will pass you by rather quickly, before you have a chance to catch your breath.
2 people like this
14 responses
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
25 Apr 11
Indeed, that would really make people feel rather old. Not that long of a distance. Of course, one could argue that there are many younger people who really are not able to walk that distance. Everyone is parking themselves in front of the wheel of their car and driving everywhere. You would not believe the number of people who drive places that could be easily walked and really some have no excuse. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@ssebrinatw (175)
• United States
25 Apr 11
I agree with you. For the most part i'm doing okay keeping up with technology but I don't have a cell phone. I feel like i'm getting old because I refuse to own one. And listening to music that was cool for me and hearing my kids say that it's old, really makes me feel old. I try to live life to the fullest every chance I get. I refuse to say i'm old... yet.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
25 Apr 11
Some people are not old, they are just classic. At least that's what I heard. Of course, I do remember a time that eight five percent of the population did not have a cell phone hanging out of their ear. I think that it is really a sign of the times and perhaps in many ways, the world would be a lot better without cell phones, perhaps they are better, but it does not matter, as cell phones are long hear to say. I can count on one hand a number of times I ever touch a cell phone over a many month period and still have fingers left over.
Then again, time has really passed. There are just many things that have fallen out of style and many others that have really replaced it that are very different. Still in the end, one point is that you got to live life the best you can. Even during those times where everything does seem like it has passed you right by. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
24 Apr 11
hi megamatt I am still amazed that people think it strange that me a senior citizen can use a computer and have for years. I started late too
as I was in my mid fifties. I got a computer free and used it without th net saying oh I m too old for that but I got on the net and oh my I have not been off since.I love all that you can do on the net from getting information to finding information about my family tree .
and when I found mylot it helped me to enjoy my retirement time and I have been mylotting every since. I am seriously thinking of getting a cell phone but am wondering if I an afford the monthly
costs. You are right that life is moving fast with technology .
costs. You are right that life is moving fast with technology . @megamatt (14292)
• United States
25 Apr 11
Age should really be no barrier from learning technology, so I commend you on your initiative to learn something that is not commonly associated with an older age bracket. Not many people would be willing to try and get with what is common place. It is becoming very true that a computer and Internet access, is really something that is almost required in this day and age.
Life does move at an insane pace. People are seeing that the only limits right now are what they can think of. So as long as people are thinking, “hey what if...” and then some new idea springs to mind, then technology will continue to really grow. For better or for worse. Thanks for your response. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@stanley777 (9402)
• Philippines
25 Apr 11
Yes, time really goes fast if I may say just like technology outdoing the other and before you know it you will be left behind.So maybe we'll just go with the trend and enjoy its usefulness while we have the time.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
25 Apr 11
I think that many of us has come to the realization a long time that technology is too progression for its own good. Not that's a bad thing, but it does make things a little bit insane and if you don't hang on, you could get thrown off with the storm of insanity that the developing technology creates. The world continues to evolve and everything moves along with it.
So it is an insane ride to say the very least. The best thing would be to try and hang on, so not as to be thrown off by the utter insanity that the evolution of everything is. Still does make me feel a little bit out of date and behind the times, but that is just the nature of life. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@lam1995 (43)
• United States
25 Apr 11
I do definitely agree. Life was so great when everybody was younger, and things were a lot simpler. I definitely remember when VCRs were the main way we watched movies at home, and we listened to music on cassette tapes. I love DVDs and iTunes nowadays, but I feel the old way has a feel that can't be replaced. Having to rewind the VCRs was always very annoying to me, but I kind of miss it nowadays. Time does go flying after you reach a certain age. All we can do now is enjoy what is left of life.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
25 Apr 11
Time does tend to seem to go faster the more we age. It is really scary to think about the break neck pace of everything. And the fact that it is just going to seem to be more fast paced. While the improvements made on technology cannot be denied, I can't deny that there are many things about the old ways of doing things, that I do have a bit of a fondness about.
It was always annoying to rewind a VCR tape, I agree with that. Yet, it was a part of the generation which I grew up. The phrase, “be kind and rewind”, was something that was forever burned into my brain. Of course, I still have a VCR and VHS tapes, but I have not fired it up in years. Still I will never forget that joyous time. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@harck721 (372)
• Philippines
25 Apr 11
I know what you mean. I'm barely out of my teens and already I can tell kids ten years younger than me about the times that we did this and did that and they'd look at me with confused eyes that just scream 'Wow, you're old lady." I find it very funny.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
25 Apr 11
Yeah it really is amusing. I got cousins that are just about to enter their teenage years. Which is another thing that makes me old, because I remember when they were just born. Where does the time go anyway. Still it just feels like I had popped out of a different time, despite the fact that the time that I had lived not really being all that long ago.
Time does pass by all too fast. It just seems like yesterday I lived in a world of VCRs, Landlines, and slow Internet Connections. I remember these things, and it has been a plus, but it really does seem like a lot has changed, in not an amount of time. The perils of things going forward in many ways when you think about it. Oh well, just hang on, because its a great ride. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@LovingLife139 (1504)
• United States
24 Apr 11
Goodness, most things that make me feel old have to do with technology, too. I also remember the time before cell phones, and when everyone in middle school was talking about the "rich kid" because he was the only one who had one. I remember DOS computers (although I was four-ish at the time). I remember my cassette tapes, VHS tapes, and my hatred of "rewinding." Movies I loved when I was little now have special effects that aren't top notch any more. My husband and I watched Jurassic Park 3 yesterday, and it was crazy because they used older special effects at parts. Now it's noticeable, but back when it came out (late 90s, early 00s?) it was the top of the line.
The thing that makes me feel oldest is the video game genre. I remember Mario, Sonic, and when I couldn't believe my eyes at the Nintendo 64's 3D graphics. Now it looks blocky compared to what we have. I was a huge fan of Grand Theft Auto 3 back in middle school (yeah, I know...my mom was one of those "I'll buy anything for my kids" parents who then gets angry at the companies who make the product for making it. Go figure), and now when I see the graphics I can't remember them being that bad. Now, part of the rating of a game is for the graphics...growing up, we didn't care about the graphics. We loved immersive storylines and playability.
Yikes...all this in just twenty two years. That's the thing I hate about technology...you can't really enjoy it because it doesn't last. In a way, that's good. It means it encourages people to look elsewhere for joy and entertainment. Reading books won't go out of style. Creating art won't, either. Socializing with friends face-to-face has always called for a get together. I don't know about you, but none of those things make me feel old. 
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
24 Apr 11
Video games and how they have improved, yeah they are really old. I remember from when I was really young, that Nintendo and then later Super Nintendo was the cutting edge and if you had one, then you were the cool kid in school. These days, it looks positively primitive. It is astounding to see how more complex video games have gotten. Not that it makes them better in many cases, but the depths and the graphics are really second to none these days.
There are many things that will never go out of style, at least that completely. Although that is not to say that they are not what they used to be. Then again, I just imagine that the generations that have come before us would say the same thing and the children are today will be bemoaning this fact in about ten or fifteen years. The world does move fast, but there are some things that will always be the same. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
24 Apr 11
I habe to be feeling just a bit older than most when someone doesn;t know what an 8 track is. I see so many of these for sale at yard and garage sales. Something that is so s=rare and obsolete often gets pushed off to the side. one day someone may ask what a laptop is too i guess.@megamatt (14292)
• United States
25 Apr 11
I know what an eight track is but I've never really used one. So I guess I am at that wonderful edge of a generation gap. Old enough to really know some of these things, but young enough to not really have a lot of experience with them. It is an intriguing little thing about how soon things pass us by. I mean, it was not that long ago. Given how old the world is, it is really a fraction of time compared to everything.
As I said in an earlier post its getting to the time where five years might as well be fifty. There seem to be many divides within a generation, never mind from generation to generation. The world is growing and the technology increases, with other things being shove to the side. The good old days might not have been so good a lot of the time, but there are still some interesting aspects to history. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@starsailover (7829)
• Mexico
24 Apr 11
Hi megamatt: Definetly there are some things that make me feel older. I am 23 years old but I have to admit that I don't understand the meaning of some of the things that my sister who's 16 years old talk about and when I think about my school days I've remembered that this has happened almost 8 years ago. I also look more mature that I am really is and that's another point. I'm more seriopus than the average guy of my age.
ALVARO
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
25 Apr 11
Being more mature can in fact many ways widen an already tense age gap to say the very least. I would like to think that in High School I was a bit more mature than the average High School student. Given some of the people that I went to school with, that is really not saying a whole lot, but that is and perhaps may still be the case compared to a lot of people of a similar age.
What is with it these days, was nothing like what was with it, during those moments which I cared. I'll tell you that much. The world has really changed a lot and the gap is just getting wide. It does make us feel a bit old and out of touch, but there are many things that do this day. It does seem like we grow older sooner but live longer. That is really the quirk of life. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@topffer (42156)
• France
24 Apr 11
I am older than you megamatt, and I remember 8" floppies, then 5"1/4, then 3.5"... and today I spent 10 mn to find a micro-SD in my carpet : is this a progress 
?
I think that everybody adopts and enjoys new technologies. My first HDD was weighting 20 pounds for... 5Mb! And my first modem was a 14k : I don't know if you understand what it means : a superb download speed of 150ko... per minute
!
?
I think that everybody adopts and enjoys new technologies. My first HDD was weighting 20 pounds for... 5Mb! And my first modem was a 14k : I don't know if you understand what it means : a superb download speed of 150ko... per minute!@megamatt (14292)
• United States
24 Apr 11
The days when speed of machines were out run by a snail. Not to mention very small hard drives. These days, everything is much larger, at least storage wise. It is really astounding to compare computers now and ten years ago. Never mind fifteen years ago, twenty years ago, or whatever. Who knows what the future is going to be. In another five years, computers could be so fast that it is absolutely insane.
Storage has changed and I think that we are much easier for it. Portable drives holding a great deal of information, that can fit in the palm of your hand. That is a far cry from what things used to be a long time ago. I think society is demanding more and technology has increased at an astounding rate. Year by year, the gap between what it was and what it is does seem to be widening. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
25 Apr 11
A lot of the newer video game consoles, it does seem like a huge jump up to say the very least. I remember the glory days of Nintendo and Super Nintendo. And the very beginnings of Playstation as well. Didn't own them until a bit later in the game but I had friends in high place. Not to mention I'm sure those consoles were strange to those who had never encountered such a thing previously.
Games are far more complex. Perhaps not better, but they have more to work with. Yet I think the simplicity of a lot of those early games and game consoles were what made it work a lot of the time. Very much night and day. And also something that really does make me feel just a tiny bit out of touch with the youth of today. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@tiffnkeat (1673)
• Singapore
24 Apr 11
i am reminded each year when I blow out candles on my birthday cake that I am not just a bit old, but too old.
I hope they won't ask me to blow internet candles anytime soon.... LOL...
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
24 Apr 11
Every Birthday, it just seems that I slip just a little bit more past what is with it and what is behind the times as well. As for birthday candles over the Internet, I would not be surprised if something like that was around somewhere. It is one of those things that is really just makes almost too sense being out there. With the fact that there have been many things visualized, I would not be surprised.
Still we do get older and in the end, we just feel like the world is not that much the same. Sure there are some similarities, there are many other things that are very strange. It is really an insane, almost twisted world out there to say the very least. The world has changed and it is going to keep changing, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worst, and in ways where it makes many feel completely out of touch. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@chinchoy (191)
• Hong Kong
24 Apr 11
Met with a bunch of long time co-workers today and was chatting away on and on. We were talking about the good old days, the things we have accomplished together, and complaining about the younger generations in our company.
Yes, oldtimers we are, makes me feel so old, when I realize that I can't stop talking about the old days just like my father did in his latter years. Gee!
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
24 Apr 11
That is the way it does tend to go. It is amusing how the things that annoyed or at the very least amused us when we were younger, we tend to do them when we are older. We hear our parents or grandparents ramble on about how things used to be better in the good old days and how this new fangled technology is not the way thing should be. However, as more time goes on, we tend to slowly be the ones doing that.
The cycle of life is rather amazing. Everything does come full circle. Every generation swears that they will never become like this. Every generation really does in fact fail to a spectacular manner. That is really one of the more amazing things in life. Still time passes, just got to hang on and enjoy the ride. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
@madmarycash14 (57)
•
24 Apr 11
the internet makes me feel old. back then, we played on the streets when there was nothing to do. when we have homework, we relied on books. now, i don't think i can survive college without turning to the internet for sources such as when we did our thesis.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
24 Apr 11
I can really see why the Internet would make a lot of people feel old, when they remember the way things used to be. From what I've heard, a lot different to say the very least. I think that when I was about old enough to know better, the Internet was catching on and the ball was rolling, although it was a couple of years before I caught on. I never liked to used text resources because I just found it ponderous and time consuming.
When you look at the time before the Internet, it is an entirely different world. The Internet was even a different world five, six, years ago as well. So many changes. I shudder to imagine what the world will be five or ten years ago. That is really going to be interesting to say the very least. Thanks for responding. Its appreciated. Have a nice day.
