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What's something modern you won't miss when it becomes obsolete?

rocketeer

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,605
Location
England
The MP3 player and its predecessors back to the Sony Walkman.
Since I saw my first 'personal stereo' I have never had a single days travel to work on the train in peace. Together with the mobile phone these must be the worst inventions ever for those that enjoy travelling on trains and look forward to some peace and quiet on the way home from a hard days work.
This has probably been mentioned previously but its bugging me today!:mad:
 

Shangas

I'll Lock Up
Messages
6,116
Location
Melbourne, Australia
The phrases tween and pre-tween

I have never heard of "pre-tween". It sounds like a misnomer.

"Tween" is someone who is beTWEEN a child and a teenager.

A stage in life which already does not exist.

Surely a "PRE-TWEEN", another stage in life which does not exist, is someone who is pre-tween, which means below being a child and not quite a teenager.

Surely that makes them a KID?

While we're on the subject, can we please stop with the term "senior citizen"?

Unless we're also going to refer to folks under fifty as "junior citizens", it seems ridiculous.
 

3fingers

One Too Many
Messages
1,797
Location
Illinois
I hate sticker families much more than I hate Peeing Calvin -- because the sort of people who put sticker families on their cars are exactly the kind of people who think they're "better" than the Peeing Calvin habitues.
I agree with your point on the sticker families. Many of the minivans I see with them on the rear window are piloted by people I wouldn't much care to have for next door neighbors. I think part of the reason that peeing Calvin irritates me is that I actually was a fan of the original strip. I've always thought that peeing Calvin cheapened the story of the bond between Calvin and Hobbes and their adventures to anything for a quick buck.

I know a girl who had her boyfriend's name in a Chevrolet logo tattooed on a sensitive part of her anatomy. When they broke up, she simply added a Peeing Calvin beside the original tattoo.
A perfect example of why tats like that are not wise, especially for the young.
That young lady will hopefully move on in her life and marry somebody else. I'm sure whoever that is will love seeing Calvin peeing on her exes' name for the next 40 years or so. I also have to wonder what these young girls are going to tell their grandchildren that blob of ink is when things aren't so perky and tight anymore. In a former life, I worked with many college students when tattoos first got popular. I tried to dissuade them, both male and female, from getting them, especially the very large visible ones that could not be concealed under a shirt or blouse. Only a few were swayed to wait. Quite a few regretted doing it very quickly. I'm sure these years later, there are even more regrets.
The simple fact is if you are in a professional situation and are looking for employment, visible tats are seen in a negative light by the majority of employers. The kids always hollered about that not being fair. Well Sparkplug and Snowflake, welcome to the world as it is.
 
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CharleneC

Familiar Face
Messages
89
Location
Here and There
I always give people with cargo shorts the once-over, and if I see anything that looks foody in their pockets I tell them we'll be glad to check their stuff for them at the concession stand. Bulging overcoats also get examined, unless there are obvious double chins to go with the bulge.

I've got zero tolerance for snack smugglers. "Sure, bring that stuff right in. Steal the food off my table while you're at it."

I recall when I was young that the local theatre owner would let people bring in snacks, including popcorn. It was a great kindness to the poorer families, and very community-minded. I'd like to see that aspect of the golden age return, but, alas...
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
33,715
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
I agree with your point on the sticker families. Many of the minivans I see with them on the rear window are piloted by people I wouldn't much care to have for next door neighbors. I think part of the reason that peeing Calvin irritates me is that I actually was a fan of the original strip. I've always thought that peeing Calvin cheapened the story of the bond between Calvin and Hobbes and their adventures to anything for a quick buck.

If it's any consolation, Bill Watterson -- one of the last cartoonists who could actually *draw* -- never authorized those stickers, and doesn't get a nickel from them. He's a strong opponent of character merchandising, and has been quoted as saying "I obviously underestimated the popular appeal of Calvin urinating on a Ford logo."
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
33,715
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
While we're on the subject, can we please stop with the term "senior citizen"?

Unless we're also going to refer to folks under fifty as "junior citizens", it seems ridiculous.

I like when people come to the ticket window and ask for "one senior and one regular person." I know advancing age can lead to constipation, but I didn't realize people were so open about it now.
 

Stanley Doble

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,808
Location
Cobourg
I don't mind senior, and will hold still for pensioner and old coot. But I draw the line at Boomer and Zoomer makes my guts curdle.

There is a radio station I like because it plays old music and comedy and drama programs from the 40s and 50s. I can't listen to it as much as I would like because they use the word Zoomer every 2 minutes.
 

Stanley Doble

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,808
Location
Cobourg
One reason I don't mind "senior" is because my hair turned gray in my late 20s and I have been getting senior discounts since I was in my late 40s.

It happened like this. I saw a poster for lessons in using the home computer and internet for "seniors over 45" and thought, hot damn they lowered the age limit for cheap stuff.

So I tried it on. I found I could usually get away with it too, if the clerk was young enough.

If they were over 30 I was in trouble. If they said "you don't look like a senior to me" I would say "I take vitamins". Usually they would laugh and give me the discount.
 

sheeplady

I'll Lock Up
Bartender
Messages
4,479
Location
Shenandoah Valley, Virginia, USA
Alright, hold on. First it was Lizzie with Katie Couric, and now Ms. Ray. They're both on my "other list". What have you got against perky?

What's an "other list?" Want to know what I'm dealing with here. ;)

Katie Couric I don't like because she seems fake. Rachel Ray I wouldn't mind having for a friend or neighbor, but it's more the establishment built around her that I don't like- the magazines and the cooking lines, etc. I don't think much of her content (on her show or in her magazine) is that useful or new, or packaged in a way that makes it more useful or interesting. I find her show boring and a bit disappointing (the blurbs always make it seem way more interesting than what it is), but I admit to hating most talk shows in general.

If Katie Couric was my neighbor I'd start making lawn "art" out of garbage near our shared property line.

I have never heard of "pre-tween". It sounds like a misnomer.

It is a horrid horrid word that I have seen several times. Mainly on events for kids. I don't even know what ages a tween is (10 to 12 maybe?) so damned if I can figure out what a pre-tween is (8 to 10?). Why can't people just use ages for things, like "this is appropriate for a 10 to 12 year old" or "this is appropriate for a child in late elementary school."
 

Stanley Doble

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,808
Location
Cobourg
Speaking of senior discounts I was in line at the supermarket behind a couple who looked to be in their 80s. The man was crabbing about the bananas his wife had in the cart. "Why are you buying those bananas, you know I can't eat green bananas, don't they have any ripe ones, can't you get some better bananas blah blah blah blah".

Finally I said "Be a sport and buy the green bananas. You'll probably live long enough to eat them".

He laughed.
 
A perfect example of why tats like that are not wise, especially for the young.
That young lady will hopefully move on in her life and marry somebody else. I'm sure whoever that is will love seeing Calvin peeing on her exes' name for the next 40 years or so. I also have to wonder what these young girls are going to tell their grandchildren that blob of ink is when things aren't so perky and tight anymore. In a former life, I worked with many college students when tattoos first got popular. I tried to dissuade them, both male and female, from getting them, especially the very large visible ones that could not be concealed under a shirt or blouse. Only a few were swayed to wait. Quite a few regretted doing it very quickly. I'm sure these years later, there are even more regrets.
The simple fact is if you are in a professional situation and are looking for employment, visible tats are seen in a negative light by the majority of employers. The kids always hollered about that not being fair. Well Sparkplug and Snowflake, welcome to the world as it is.

My father had one on each shoulder. After 40 years they were hideous and you couldn't tell what the heck they were originally. That easily was deterrent enough for me. Why the heck have something that is going to be a red/green/blue blob after a couple decades!? :rofl: Then going down the list we find that they are not cheap on top of it all? You can spend a couple hundred bucks on something that you are stuck with forever and certainly will look like crap in a few decades. Then if you want to remove it, it will cost you twice as much as you paid to have it done in the first place---may be more. Be certain it is going to hurt twice as much too. :eusa_doh:
In other words, buy a car or a major appliance if you have that much dough to blow. They'll last longer. :p
 

LizzieMaine

Bartender
Messages
33,715
Location
Where The Tourists Meet The Sea
What's an "other list?" Want to know what I'm dealing with here. ;)

Katie Couric I don't like because she seems fake. Rachel Ray I wouldn't mind having for a friend or neighbor, but it's more the establishment built around her that I don't like- the magazines and the cooking lines, etc. I don't think much of her content (on her show or in her magazine) is that useful or new, or packaged in a way that makes it more useful or interesting. I find her show boring and a bit disappointing (the blurbs always make it seem way more interesting than what it is), but I admit to hating most talk shows in general.

If Katie Couric was my neighbor I'd start making lawn "art" out of garbage near our shared property line.

Listening to Ms. Couric, to me, is like drinking an entire quart of Karo syrup. Rachael Ray is mildly more tolerable, simply because she doesn't pretend to be a "journalist." She's maybe like drinking an entire pint of Karo syrup.

Katie Couric would never be my neighbor. Because she'd be afraid of my other neighbors.
 

rocketeer

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,605
Location
England
A pensioner is misleading.

I'm a pensioner due to my disability. But I'm not 80.

I'm not even 30.

Whatever happened to "Elderly"?
Old people dont like to be told they are old. Anyway, how old is old?

I always give people with cargo shorts the once-over, and if I see anything that looks foody in their pockets I tell them we'll be glad to check their stuff for them at the concession stand. Bulging overcoats also get examined, unless there are obvious double chins to go with the bulge.

I've got zero tolerance for snack smugglers. "Sure, bring that stuff right in. Steal the food off my table while you're at it."
No problem with sneaking in the odd bottle of drink and chocolate raisins from a local shop, especially when you have to pay way over a fair price for the same item in those multiplex cinema's we all hate so much.

And how can you buy a drink in these places when the assistant asks "Will that be medium or large?" Anyone knows that you cannot have medium unless there is a small as well. Or I expect some get away with Regular.
 

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