I have a friend who still buys CDs regularly (hey, so do I, from time to time). Physical media is still highly prized, particularly among collectors. Anyway, this friend has an old Walkman. He uses it all the time. He says he prefers the more intimate feel of selecting a CD and playing it. He says it makes him feel more in tune (hehe) with the music. I get it and can absolutely appreciate it!
After Redditor t_ste5k asked the online community, "What outdated piece of technology do you actually prefer?" people took us on a stroll down memory lane. As the saying goes, If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
"Literally..."
Literally any household appliance. Those things are so durable and last a lot longer. Everything made these days is cheaply made so you have to keep buying them.
"I love drawing..."
Paper and pencils. I love drawing and I love writing, technology just doesn't compare imo, sometimes I still write letters to my friends because I think it's lovely to get something in the post that ain't bills etc.
"I don't really find most..."
Watches. If you could consider them outdated, a good watch is timeless really.
I don't really find most of the features on a smartwatch useful, the novelty has worn off. I just want to look at my wrist and know what time it is. Actually if you think about it my smart watch will be considered outdated in 2 years while any of my regular watches will be the same. Biggest draw back with the smart watch is you have to deal with charging it at least once a week. My watch with an automatic movement never needs to be charged, never needs a battery and will continue to work as long as I take care of it. Real watches are much more fashionable too, smart watches were fashionable for about 15 minutes.
"I don't even consider myself..."
Wired headphones. I've never heard a wireless pair of headphones sound good. Yes, I've used the Quiet Comfort 35 from Bose, it's bass boosted too much and lacks detail.
I don't consider myself a huge audiophile, but even just some HD600's or HD650's on a proper DAC amp (even schiit magni modi, but that's not what I use) sound miles better than the best wireless headphones I've ever heard.
Also, wired earbuds sound better if you spend your money wisely. A pair of Mee P2's for $100 sound better than the $250 apple airpod pros.
Wires can be annoying but they can carry more current to properly drive good drivers for better sound quality. Why would anyone spend lots of money to have crap audio quality?
"You can play them in your car..."
Music on CD.
CDs typically don't contain unskippable ads. They're easy to collect and store. They're less delicate than vinyl records. You can skip and repeat tracks. Some come with interesting artwork and lyrics booklets. You can play them in your car (most still have a CD player). You actually own the physical media. They're far less pretentious than vinyl and usually much cheaper. Musicians and labels still put out lots of music on CD, too. To me, CD's are at least a million times better than vinyl or streaming.
"Many of today's films..."
Practical effects from '80s, '90s, and early '00s films. Many of today's films rely so heavily on CGI that it just doesn't feel right or look as fun. I miss the organic feel that a lot of older films had to them.
"The quality..."
Physical copies of any form of media vs. streaming. The quality is way better, a higher share of the sale value goes to the artist, and I love owning a copy I can hold. I find it way more exciting to buy a record / DVD / book once a month or so and build a library of said media, than paying for access to a service every month and having to enjoy media on that service's terms.
"Don't have to deal with..."
As far as classroom technology goes, overhead projectors. It's a mirror and a lightbulb. Don't have to deal with weird software glitches or figuring out all the weird new digital projector technology. Plus you can write with a physical marker on a flat surface. Bring back overheads!!
"I will admit..."
Reading to gain knowledge and find answers as opposed to Googling everything. I will admit Google is amazing and I can find everything I need, however I find retention levels of these searches vs reading and manually researching are far lower for me.
"No idea why..."
Rotary telephone in the home.
No idea why, but it makes you sit and talk instead of doing 1000 other things at the same time.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
@jessicachastain/Instagram
