On 12.06.06, In Some sounds we are accustomed to hearing have fading into silence.
People of a certain age – and of course all of us are or will eventually be of THAT age – remember certain sounds and connect them with things we commonly do, or did. Now, gadgets that once had a familiar sound are being replaced with gadgets that either make no sound at all, or make a sound unlike anything the same purposed device did once before.
I’m talking about things like the clickety-clack of a typewriter keyboard. Does anyone even remember having seen, let alone used a typewriter?
According to someone who knows about this kind of stuff, a child born today has a greater chance of hearing a real cloned dinosaur roar than a traditional telephone busy signal. So here are 13 sounds that some of us will remember and associate with, although others of us will say ‘what was that?’ You can add your own familiar sounds no doubt.
The Mac OS “Uh-Oh” Sound
For those of us who are Mac (Apple) computer nerds, the earliest version of the computer that changed everything had funny way of telling you you’d done something wrong. It would make an “uh-oh” sound. Yes, it really did. You can even hear it by clicking Want to Hear It?
VHS Rewind
Long before CDs and DVDs and rentals of movies and television shows online or in kiosks at the supermarket there was the VHS player. With each cassette you could play, record, fast-forward and rewind actual video tape inside a plastic cassette the size of a hardcover book. And each time you sped through a tape there was the sound of the tape whirring it’s way forward or backward. It was soothing to know the thing was actually doing what you’d asked it to do – as long as the whirring wasn’t a broken tape messing up your machine. If you’re desperate to hear the sound one last time click here: Want to Hear It?
The Whir of a Floppy Disk Drive
Similar to the VHS tape whirring around a capstan, one of the first computer storage devices – the floppy disk – was an amazing product that let us read data, record data, etc. Of course any scratch or bend in the disk meant your data was toast, but it was fund and useful while it lasted. Want to hear what I’m talking about? Click here Want to Hear It?
Dial-up Modem
Some folks somewhere in the world are still using a dial-up modem to connect to the world. For them 4G and fiber optics are still an unknown. So, if you want to wax nostalgic and listen to the sound of a dial up, go here: Want to Hear It?
And another telephonic sound – the dial tone – is not the same thing it once was. Back in the old days of copper phone wire and real live phone operators, you’d hear a dial tone every time you picked up the phone, just to let you know that you had an active connection. If you didn’t act quickly the phone would start making louder beeps to get your attention. Today, you can get a dial tone, but it is all digitally simulated. Here it is: Want to Hear It?
Rotary Phone Winding
Many people today don’t even know let alone remember that phones once had a dial on their face, which you stuck a finger into in order to ‘dial’ a phone number. Again, it’s digital features that doomed the rotary dial, and here it is for you to listen to and smile: Want to Hear It?
“You’ve Got Mail!”
There’s a movie that recalls this piece of nostalgia, but AOL which made the phrase famous long ago dumped it. Without having to rent or buy the movie, here’s what that sounded like: Want to Hear It?
Dot Matrix Printout
The sounds printers make today are nothing like they once sounded. Back when the first printers were slow and bulky and you’d get old waiting for your pages to print out. Yet, even though today’s printers can spit out more paper, faster than ever before, didn’t you just love – come on, tell the truth, the lullaby sound that the dot matrix printer made as it slowly gave you your document? Here it is: Want to Hear It?
Clicky Keyboard
Finally, we return to the sounds of yesteryear when a typewriter made a sound that was both soothing and irritating – like when the keys all clacked together and got stuck. And while some keyboards today have a simulated keyboard clicking sound, it’s not quite the same. So one last time before you return to your Facebook or Twitter page, listen to this: Want to Hear It?
Ah-h-h, for the good old days … or not.
Click here for more articles by The Writin’ Cowboy.
Memories thanks for sharing (:
You just took it back with this one.
Some memories for most of us, to smile about. Thanks, for a very nice share, I enjoyed it.
Ah, the good old days. I actually learned to type on the old typewriters with keys they pop up. Now I’m trying to get the hang of Swyping. Things sure have changed…
As we progress…wonder what else will disappear?
Let’s not forget the sound of a turntable needle on a vinyl record! Although music purists say that records are still superior in sound quality to digital recordings, so perhaps that one will stick around.
I feel old.
Thank you for making all of us feel old. I remember taking typing in high school, with 30 typewriters all clickity clacking at the same time, that was deafening. Offices are much quieter than they used to be. As are college dorms – now kids can work on papers all night the night before they are due – way back when I was that age we couldn’t type after 11:00. I would go down to the furnace room in the basement, but an RA would always find me and tell me to quit typing. Ah, the good old days!
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/13-tech-sounds-just-don-t-hear-anymore-153236377.html
Also an interesting article….