What Does This Have To Do With The Show?

scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
Feb 13, 2009
29,461
23,833
168
Vacationland
This article deserves to have me rip it apart.

First of all, it lists 12 things; so right off the bat, the millennial who wrote this can't count. But that's to be expected.

As for the list:

Landline phones - No. We did have one while it offered a triple-play package discount, but then we got rid of it. But the idiot who wrote the article failed to note that during a power outage, a landline phone works, but with no cell service near my house, my cell doesn't. The answering machine goes along with the landline phone, so it shouldn't be a separate item.

Fax machines - No, and I didn't know anyone (outside of a home business) who had a stand-alone fax machine.

Vinyl records - This one's a joke. There are probably more millennials with vinyl than boomers. And I actually have a turntable, unlike those idiot poseurs.

VHS tapes - No player, most converted to DVD/digital. I do have the originals of the home movies as a backup.

Rolodexes - No.

Encyclopedias - While moving around, we got rid of them all.

Film Cameras - No working film cameras, and I don't think - other than stuff in an attic - that people still have and use film cameras. I don't know anyone who does. More millennial fantasies.

Wall Calendars - No.

Address books - We had one from some time back, and we keep it because some people (like my brother) don't have a listed address.

Carpet in Bedrooms - No. Not here, and removed in our last house.

Fake fruit - No.

Potpourri or seashells - No. We have real seashells from the beach around the house, not in glass bowls.

Pay paper bills with checks - No. Rarely get a paper bill. We occasionally use paper checks for contractors who like paper checks.

Cookbooks - Anyone who actually knows how to cook has cookbooks. I'm sure those foodie millennials have them too, although most of them can't cook.
 

Kryptonite

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2008
12,878
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I haven't seen a Rolodex since the mid-90s and I'm probably being generous.

The vinyl resurgence is absolutely real. Unfortunately, it seems a lot of it is Record Store Day profiteers and people who just want the artwork.

Landlines? The POTS (plain old telephone service...aka copper) would still work if the phone itself doesn't plug in, but the digital phone services wouldn't. At least a cell phone can be charged in a car or elsewhere. Plus...the phones double as TVs, radios, etc.

I did hear about a small resurgence of film cameras.




And yeah...checks are largely done. Most websites that don't accept credit cards online (vehicle registration, IRS, etc.) do accept direct bank transfers. Every other place, use a regular credit card or cash. I wonder if the cashier at a grocery store would know what to do with a check.
 

scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
Feb 13, 2009
29,461
23,833
168
Vacationland
And yeah...checks are largely done. Most websites that don't accept credit cards online (vehicle registration, IRS, etc.) do accept direct bank transfers. Every other place, use a regular credit card or cash. I wonder if the cashier at a grocery store would know what to do with a check.
We use Venmo for whoever takes it. Remember when you'd go to the "12 items or less" register at the supermarket, and the person in front of you (who has 20 items) is paying by check? And they need to verify her ID. And the check has to go through some sort of stamping machine.
 
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Kryptonite

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2008
12,878
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We use Venmo for whoever takes it. Remember when you'd go to the "12 items or less" register at the supermarket, and the person in front of you (who has 20 items) is paying by check? And they need to verify her ID. And the check has to go through some sort of stamping machine.

Do those lines even exist outside the self-service mac-hines anymore?

I also remember some stores having "12 item" limits and there'd be a "six max" right beside the 12.

This was eons ago, but I remember one having a guarantee that all lines (they only had 4-5) would be open between 4-7.
 

scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
Feb 13, 2009
29,461
23,833
168
Vacationland
Do those lines even exist outside the self-service mac-hines anymore?
Every supermarket I know of still has manned registers, and most have an "express" line at both the far-left and far-right ends. But they're not always open. The express line might be 10, 12, or 15 items or less. If they have enough self-serve registers, those are generally (but not always) quicker. One of the big local chains around here doesn't have any self-serve registers.
 

Kryptonite

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2008
12,878
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Every supermarket I know of still has manned registers, and most have an "express" line at both the far-left and far-right ends. But they're not always open. The express line might be 10, 12, or 15 items or less. If they have enough self-serve registers, those are generally (but not always) quicker. One of the big local chains around here doesn't have any self-serve registers.

My grocery store recently remodeled and put in a crap ton of self-service ones. They also re-configured some of the traditional lanes into ones that could be self-service or staffed. These lanes aren't always open.
 

HecticArt

Administrator
Oct 19, 2008
54,093
20,013
168
Toledo, Ohio
I still use paper checks for bills, but that’s about it. I keep thinking about switching over, then I hear about another massive data breach and put it off a little longer.

I have film cameras that still work, but I don’t use them anymore. I have several antique film cameras, but no clue if they work or not.

We keep our land line because……we’re old……I guess.
I don’t like giving out my cell to businesses or people I don’t want to bother me during he day. I also hate the lag time when you’re on a cell phone call with another cell phone.
 

scotchandcigar

All I wanted was some steak
Feb 13, 2009
29,461
23,833
168
Vacationland
When we first moved to Maine, we had a landline, but nobody had our number. But every so often, we'd get a robocall from the school district, saying our kid was absent that day. I always wanted to call the school, and ask them the name of our kid.
 
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Kryptonite

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2008
12,878
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I still use paper checks for bills, but that’s about it. I keep thinking about switching over, then I hear about another massive data breach and put it off a little longer.

I have film cameras that still work, but I don’t use them anymore. I have several antique film cameras, but no clue if they work or not.

We keep our land line because……we’re old……I guess.
I don’t like giving out my cell to businesses or people I don’t want to bother me during he day. I also hate the lag time when you’re on a cell phone call with another cell phone.

Checks: If you're using a check, you have a digital account with a bank, right? What's the difference between paying with a paper check (with account/routing numbers on it) and paying with a more-secure method?

Lag time on phones: I haven't noticed anything. What I've very sporadically noticed is that I'll head myself on a delay. I'll need to remove the phone from my ear when I'm talking.

Howard had a mention last week that his daughter will call him and be on the earpods. It'll sound like crap until the pods get removed.
 

HecticArt

Administrator
Oct 19, 2008
54,093
20,013
168
Toledo, Ohio
What's the difference between paying with a paper check (with account/routing numbers on it) and paying with a more-secure method?
It’s the never ending stream of data breaches that give the impression that on-line payments are less secure. I know I should do it, but I just keep pushing it off.

I also hate the idea of auto-pay. I want to make sure that I know the charges are all accurate, and the money goes out when I want it to go out. I expect that I’ll get lazy and skim the e-statement before I click send. (Scotch knows what I’m talking about.)

I hear the latency in cell phone to cell phone calls. Other people that I talk to hear it too. (It’s not just my phone.) There’s often just a little lag where people start to talk over each other when it sounds like a pause in the conversation.
 
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sadchild

Dude
Mar 28, 2016
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NH
www.asimplecomplex.com
I wonder if the cashier at a grocery store would know what to do with a check.
Someone had a check in front of me just last week. I still see it once in a blue moon.
Do those lines even exist outside the self-service mac-hines anymore?
Yes.
Every supermarket I know of still has manned registers, and most have an "express" line
Same.
I still use paper checks for bills, but that’s about it. I keep thinking about switching over, then I hear about another massive data breach and put it off a little longer.
Same.
I don’t like giving out my cell to businesses or people I don’t want to bother me during the day.
Same.
I also hate the idea of auto-pay. I want to make sure that I know the charges are all accurate
I use autopay on payments that don't fluctuate (car payment, mortgage). I use checks for the other stuff like credit card statements so I can review them first. After 20 years, I just moved my electric bill to autopay. I always liked to review it, but a few years ago they became the only bill that was due in the middle of the month, so moving it to autopay means I only have to sit down once a month and cut checks.