How has life changed?
By CraftyCorner
@CraftyCorner (5600)
United States
August 1, 2010 7:37am CST
How has life changed sense I was born in 1968? Let us take two appliances.
The television.
In 1968 you could get just a few channels on television if you were an average consumer, and likely you had a black and white TV. Your television was tucked in it's own cabinet made of wood, be it really nice walnut or particle board made to look like fine wood. Your programs came in from an antenna on the roof or 'rabbit ears' via UHF or VHF tuning. You had to splash out the very big bucks for a 20 inch color television, and the color was seriously dodgy. All these televisions had mono, or one speaker sound. Campers or people living in small flats watched little portable black and white televisions which were as small as five inches.
Today, the television often sits on the wall. It can be up to sixty inches wide. There are flat wide screen TV's, fat screen big TV's, and if you can find them, the fat 30 inch television. All these televisions have sound that is at least stereo, or dual speaker audio. Television's content has been overtaken by the digital monster. Cable is a bewildering miasma of choice at hundreds of channels to choose from. The miniature TV is hard to find. It's role has been usurped by the laptop computer (horning in on TV's domain), the iPod, cell phones, and various other gadgets. Black and white and or mono televisions are almost novelty items to be found in thrift stores.
The telephone
The telephone in 1968 was attached to a wall and only able to transmit voices across distance.
Today, land-line telephones are off the walls via their cordless counterparts, and their cellular counterparts ride around in purses, belts, pockets, and even wrapped around ears. Phones today transmit voices, text, photos, video, and some smart phones access the web.
2 people like this
5 responses
@eshaan (6188)
• India
9 Sep 10
yes friend...life has changed considerably in these past years...i came just one year later 1969 
than u....and i have seen all these phases...when television came...we used to collect at a single house in the neighborhood....who took pride in owning the first TV in the colony....then slowly the small black and white boxes increased in number...then the color attracted people and so on....now people want to most of their work by machines...and then spend their time for trying the sweat to come out .....
than u....and i have seen all these phases...when television came...we used to collect at a single house in the neighborhood....who took pride in owning the first TV in the colony....then slowly the small black and white boxes increased in number...then the color attracted people and so on....now people want to most of their work by machines...and then spend their time for trying the sweat to come out .....1 person likes this
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
10 Sep 10
We used to gather in 'real' colonies or gatherings of locals, now we gather in virtual gatherings of global members. The gatherings change little, the members' distance and ability to overcome that plus the limits to limitless numbers change much. The more things change, the more things can stay the same too... Family albums are being sent over the fiber optics...
@pirate451 (152)
• India
2 Aug 10
Life has change drastically different than before old people went on and on how much better life was 30 years ago by making extreme apples and oranges comparisons with half-truths in order to keep themselves from feeling old and irrelevant .It changes like sometime funny yet sad look at how our way of thinking has changed.Now our country has developed a lot because of old people and now its turn into modernized and we do what ever we like and want to do.Life is changing like a weather and climate that change monthly or day by day.
1 person likes this
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
2 Aug 10
There is one golden rule: Life cannot be static. Some things were better in yesteryear but other things, many things, are better today.
-
There are though still hobbyists that keep much of yesteryear alive. People weave in the manner of the middle ages, can food in the way of the 1930's, and maintain gardens dedicated to crops created in the past.
@jillhill (37353)
• United States
1 Aug 10
When I grew up on a farm many years ago we still used an outhouse....we had the party line on the phone.....we had a tv that took 10 minutes to warm up before you got one of three channels. Our radio was the biggest part of our connection with the outside world and I remember my mother listening to The Edge of Night on the radio before it came on tv.....I can't tell you how much progress has been made in my lifetime....microwaves..cell phones...sewing machines! It's absolutely amazing!
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
1 Aug 10
Don't remind me about outhouses! Having fallen on hard times I had to use them at a time a two not too long ago and they are absolutely no fun. Especially when they freeze in the winter... Water flush toilets are one of God's little blessings...
@tomitomi (5429)
• Singapore
1 Aug 10
Hi CraftyCorner!
I remember going to a neighbor's house just to watch tv because we didn't have any. So that meant I didn't have the luxury to choose what I wanted to see. But I had so much fun because lots of my friends would be around too.
Look around. There has been so much changes since. That's how we should progress. I think we should also progress 'internally' as much as the physical things around us, if not more.
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
2 Aug 10
There has been internal progression of the human condition in many ways that is even faster than the progression of the gadgets. One example is the unwed mother here in the United States. She isn't shamed. Single women can open a bank account with out a Husband's name. The homosexual can walk the street with out fear of arrest and even protest for the right to marry the one loved. Learning disabled children can be educated with out fear of shame, often in the public school system with resources geared toward his or her needs. Psychiatric treatment can be sought with out fear of repercussion for the most part from employers and family, although we've a ways to go in that area.
@ddaguno (3107)
• Philippines
1 Aug 10
Hi Crafty Corner,
Nice discussion for reminiscing. I remember my grandma's TV. We still have it displayed in the living room. It is black and white and is inside a closet.
The world has made a lot of progress with regards to technology, though I'm not really sure that we need all these gadgets... Well, as long as people are buying, Companies will produce and make money out of it.
1 person likes this
@CraftyCorner (5600)
• United States
1 Aug 10
Yea, I have four computers staring at me at the moment...
