Times are a changin'

[banned username 2]

Our remote control was me. Dad would say "get up and change the channel". That was on a TV that took 10 minutes to warm up.

Anyone remember the Oddesey (not oddesey II) video game system. It was higher tech than a regular pong game. There was a slider that gave you a choice of 8 different kinds of pong games (oddesey II had cartridges).

Then we had ON TV, remember that pre-cursor to HBO.

I remember Oddysey... and ON Tv... We didn't have either!

 

[bobbysamd]

Changing Times

I remember watching Sky King and Steve Canyon on B & W TV during the '50s. I don't think that color TV was on the market yet; if so, it was a novelty, if you had a television at all. I watched American Bandstand and Mickey Mouse on B&W TV. Don't laugh about Mickey; his show featured a short series about two youngsters involved in airline flying on Connies. Connies were to the '50s what glass is today.

I remember Viet Nam. I was on radio during Watergate. Watergate was the prime topic on our talk station. I remember Nixon resigning and President Ford pardoning Nixon shortly thereafter.

I remember pinball machines - and not the kind with digital readouts. No video games in those days.

I, too, typed papers on a (electric) typewriter in college. I used an adding machine for my college accounting problems, and that was high-tech.

Funny thing, though. I took my first two light airplane flights in 1971 in a 150 and a Cherokee 140. Maybe things haven't changed so much after all.

 

[furloboy]

Color TV!?! My God it was heaven to bundle up on a cold night and go to Aunt Sylvie's and Uncle Buzz's to watch the Ice Capades on their color television set during 1964. If we were really good we could have a glass of coca-cola in a Welch's jelly glass with a picture of a Flintstones character embossed on the bottom ("That Barney Rubble--what an actor!"). ANNNNDDDD, if we were really, really good, we could have miracle whip to dip our potato chips in.

I remember telling Aunt Sylvie that I was going to fly airplane's when I grew up.

 

[banned username 2]

ANNNNDDDD, if we were really, really good, we could have miracle whip to dip our potato chips in.

You had me up until this point....

Thats disgusting!

 

[Typhoon1244]

I remember when it was okay for Granny to hit Sylvester the Cat on the head with her umbrella. (The "big 3" networks censor that now.)

I remember when people tuned in and sat breathlessly in front of their T.V.'s when the Enterprise was undergoing glide-testing at Edwards A.F.B. (I wish people still got excited about such things...)

I remember when there weren't any female flight attendants over twenty-six. (They were all pretty, too...there're some pretty ones over twenty-six now, but they're rare!)

Good lord, I even remember doing Picture Pages wiht Bill Cosby!

 

[ozpilot]

A couple of years ago I was dancing with a young lady to a solo song by Paul McCartney and she remarked how much she liked his music.

I agreed but added "I really like his former band". She responded with "Yea, I really like Wings!".

Oh well - Times are a changin'.

 

[flywithastick]

Typhoon - all the 707's are in Africa. There's plenty of them still hauling fish and cows over there.

NASA still has a few in Houston.



Remember when as a 7 or 8 yr old kid, you could...

walk or ride your bike to school

leave the house at 5pm Friday, go to your buddies house for the night, roam the woods or neighborhood all day Saturday and head back home that night when your mom yelled your name or dad whistled from the front porch

build tree houses (platforms) 20 feet in the air in an old tree with wood scraps

you and your buddies come tearing into the house planning to camp at the treehouse out in the woods, grabing a sleeping bag, blankets, tent, flashlights, etc. Tell your folks where your going and they wouldn't even look up from the TV or newspaper and say "OK - be careful"

go swimming or fishing in a creek or lake a couple of miles away from home, getting there by bike or walking

carry a pellet gun around with you everywhere you went

Putting playing cards on your bike forks with a cloths pin. Two and you were really cutting loose!

Coonskin caps were cool

baseball was the sport and all guys played

get in trouble and your mom might spank you, but if things were really serious... "well, just wait until your dad gets home"!

if we got out of line on a trip in the car, my dad's arm came winding back over the seat looking to smack someone. and we deserved it

with the family all in the car, dad always drove - no exceptions

first time I wore a seatbelt I was probably 12 or 14. kids could ride anywhere in the car or stationwagen they could climb or crawl

we'd really cut loose and make goofy faces at the other drivers on the road

when waiting for or driving past a train, we'd have to wave at the guy in the caboose

People had accidents, and it wasn't the fault of a some corporation - things just happened

Ding Dongs were desert, not deadly junk food

Steak and potatoes was a first-class, healthy meal

teachers were respected (and women) and principals were Gods (and men)

Kids had fights in school and they fought with fists

Every kid had a metal lunchbox, a book satchel (sp?), big fat pencils, Big Chief pad and kept all their school things in a cigar box!

Nice thread!

 

[TXCAP4228]

My family had an Oddesy 2 (with cartridges). It looked cooler than the Atari because it had a sort of a keyboard. Later we had a Commodore 64 - with (get this) 64 WHOLE K OF RAM!!! WAHOO!! I had never heard of a "hard drive".

Somebody mentioned lunchboxes. When I was in 2nd grade or so, I got a Superman lunchbox with a thermos inside it. The thermos has a little spout that folded up and down. The outside of that lunchbox had Superman cartoons on it and the faces and figures were sort of raised up. I was COOL.

We had a color TV in the living room, but we also had a black and white tv. Neither of them had a remote.

 

[fredflyer]

Speaking of lunchboxes, my mom bought me a Bee-Gees one. Man I got my a$$ kicked alot for carrying that stupid thing

 

[HAZ-MAT]

I had the Transformers lunchbox, my brother had He-Man...
had the first hand held game... space invaders...
We had to wait for them to install cable in our town before we could have it hooked up. ('85)
Now i see 3d trasformers on tv, and He-Man the new generation... with digital cable being pretty much standard everywhere

 

[TXCAP4228]

Oh man!! Transformers!

"Transformers, more than meets the eye....!"

 

[Timebuilder]

"Transformers.......robots in disguise!!!"

 

[flywithastick]

"Transformers.......robots in disguise!!!"

GI JOE! With Kung Fu grip!!
...ever blow off his fingers with firecrackers?! "Joe - throw the grenade quick - powww!!" Didn't seem to hurt him too much.

 

[TXCAP4228]

"Transformers.......robots in disguise!!!"

Alright, Timebuilder, if you know the words then you are NOT as old as you have suggested you are! Busted!

 

[Timebuilder]

Actually, I have two nieces and a nephew, and in the 80's I shared a house with a couple who had an eight year old. Ever try to get a kid to change a channel????

It was a catchy ad, and the tune stuck in my head. As I watched the kids in the commercial manipulate the transformers, I was struck by the sheer ingenuity of the design. Pretty creative!

Confession: I'm still a kid at heart!