Technology moves forward at seemingly lightning speed. What you buy today is often considered obsolete tomorrow, and this only further illustrates the pace of technological advancement in our current era.
But all of this technology has changed our lives in so many ways, no matter if it’s obsolete or simply not as popular today.
Most of our modern technology is based on tech breakthroughs that occurred during the late 1970s and into the fabled 1980s. It was during this time that most of our technology was introduced, and it has only advanced from there.
Today, we still use much of the technology that we once thought to be “cutting edge.” Here, we’ll explore a few of these technologies that have truly changed the way we humans live our lives today.
Usenet
We all know that the Internet changed the lives of humans across the entire planet. But, did you know that there were predecessors to the Internet as we know it today? And, did you further know that one of these predecessors is still in use?
Welcome to the world of newsgroups. Usenet was developed four years prior to the Internet’s official birthday. In 1979, two grad students at Duke University sent files to a colleague of theirs at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This is considered to be the moment when the modern use of Internet technology occurred.
Usenet became a method for academics and computer enthusiasts during the 1980s to send information and talk to one another over a computer, and thus it gave rise to the chat room. Though the chat room didn’t become as popular until the 1990s, this was the first step on the path to total connectivity, of which we’re all a part of today.
Usenet is still in use today, and you can access it via the Internet, however, it is recommended to access Usenet using a Usenet service provider.
The Phone Booth
Believe it or not, the phone booth changed the way humans communicated on a massive scale. Prior to the advances of cell phone technology, people had to make calls from home, or by using a community line.
In the days of community lines, you got to know your operator pretty well, and your operator knew everyone in town. In fact, most of the gossip in small towns was largely due to community lines that anyone could eavesdrop on at any given time.
The phone booth gave people a means to make calls privately, and on the go, for a few dimes at first.
Today, phone booths are becoming ghostly relics of the 20th century. Though you can still find these pay telephones outside of some gas stations and convenience stores across the country, they’re slowly disappearing. But, the impact they had on our lives is still evident today.
Typewriters
Typewriters are still in use today, though in a much more advanced format than what we first developed.
The typewriter made it possible for people to write in type, and this was a huge development in the fields of journalism and business. Where handwritten notes had to be transcribed (and in some cases translated), the typewriter made it possible to have a fully typed page that could be quickly transferred into mass print.
Typewriters were the forerunners to word processors, and these are devices that we all have access to today, right on a smartphone. Today, you no longer need to use a typewriter, though these devices are preferred by some writers with an overt sense of nostalgia.
Many devices that brought the earliest forms of convenience to our lives are still in existence today. And it’s amazing how these technologies have stood the test of time. From Usenet to typewriters, these technologies have changed our lives over time for the better and are still very relevant today.
