A compilation of 20 activities that I’ve missed now they’re gone. Some are in danger of disappearing, while others have already vanished.

Progress is good—but occasionally it can forget our feelings and the world becomes just a little greyer.

With technology evolving at a rapid pace, we can say for sure, that at this very minute, something new has been launched just around the corner. Nevertheless, the circle of life remains constant: When a thing is born, something else may die as a result. Sometimes, the loss is a good thing, but at other times, the departure stirs bittersweet feelings. Below is a compilation of 20 activities that I’ve missed now they’re gone. Some are in danger of disappearing, while others have already vanished.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pelican/2147350197/

Dialing on a Rotary Phone

My daughter gifted her son a toy telephone. Guess what type is it? — a vintage red Bell rotary phone. With the influx of touchtone telephones where dialing and connecting is much easier and faster, the active use of rotary phones becomes a novelty and owning one is prized item for antique collectors.

Paying for Long Distance

Decades ago, people had to connect to System Operators just to have a long distance call connected. Add to this burden is for them to pay expensive per-minute fees. Then, cell phone came and changed everything. Add to this is the popular Yahoo! Chat.. Adios, sky-high long distance call rate.

Using a Public Phone Booth

Now that everyone and even a cat owns a cell phone, public phone booths are now just for those who forgot or lost their cell phones. Evidence that public phone booth is on the way out is that it is getting  tougher to track down one. 

Getting a Busy Signal

I cannot recall how many times I lost my head whenever I got a busy signal specially if the calls are made for my sweethearts. Those days are gone! –  with advances in voice-mail and call-waiting technology, I enjoy peace of mind not hearing that annoying broken tone any more.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevecadman/172600054/

LPs

With the arrival of the MP3 player, LPs and even CDs have been relegate to the past. Perhaps listening to your favorite songs now comes more handy, but I guess hearing the crackling sound of needle on vinyl, has gone forever.

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Comments (35)
  • duromus on Sep 22, 2009

    Agreed! Excellent list! Thou hast rekindled memories of a simpler life!

    Punctuation is certainly dead, thanks to text messaging: BFF, BTW, and TTYL.

    IAWTAKUTGW! = I Agree With Thine Assessment Keep Up The Good Work! (Text messaging may end up like this someday, Heaven forbid!)

    Sorry if I irritated thou with that last text message jargon! But I know what thou mean’st!

    Great job, Papaleng!

  • Papa Sparks on Sep 22, 2009

    Excellent article!

    Don’t get me started about LPs. I sure do miss the sound as well as the cool album art.

    And public phone booths! A few years ago, I was back home in the States visiting my mother and one day, I was shopping in a local mall. She was a huge fan of Joel Osteen and I happened to come across one of his books in a bookstore and decided to buy it for her. However, I wasn’t sure if she had it or not, so I went looking for a pay phone to call her. There were none in the mall! So, I drove back home–about two miles–found out that she indeed, did not have it, and drove back to the mall to get it for her.

    Aargh!

    As always, a great essay from you. Thanks for sharing.

  • PR Mace on Sep 22, 2009

    A really great list. I miss the old eight track tapes, I had one in my first car and I still have some LP’s. You know you are getting older when you look back at the good old days. I am right there with you looking back. I loved this post.

  • ceegirl on Sep 22, 2009

    a lot of stuff i miss too but there’s nothing we can do unless you save the old stuff

  • CHAN LEE PENG on Sep 22, 2009

    Lots of interesting stuff here. Well, now you just can recall their “existence”. Great piece and have my “liked it” too.

  • mystery61 on Sep 22, 2009

    Oh my, I agree with you! Great article!

  • Penggaroo on Sep 23, 2009

    I can’t connect with you papaleng! hehe,
    anyway, I have just one reaction to the text message thing (pls. don’t think that I will say this because i text in that manner too). Texting is a form of the distortion of spelling (for other cases, it is grammar), yes, but they (we?) do it because text messages have a limited no. of characters. We have to be economical, right?

  • maranatha on Sep 23, 2009

    Well done! I might add a couple of things…. Summer days with empty time to lay in the grass watching the clouds float by, the first snowfall when we filled up the home-made ice cream maker and everybody had to take turns on the crank, village church bells, walking to town a mile away without worrying about wierdos and predators, and old-time radio shows on Friday night.

  • Butterfly Musings on Sep 23, 2009

    an excellent read!! great job

  • Shamanz on Sep 23, 2009

    Fantastic!

  • Nicko on Sep 23, 2009

    Your article makes me trembling of amazed!

  • giftarist on Sep 23, 2009

    Fab write..great list!

  • Yovita Siswati on Sep 23, 2009

    Bring back some old time memory. I do miss having an easy-to-remember TV channel. :-)

  • Nikita K on Sep 23, 2009

    Hahaha, some excellent choices. Of course, I have NEVER done some of them like the typewriter because I haven’t lived ‘in those days’ but do agree about remembering TV channel numbers. Good article with a touch of humour.

  • Lady Sunshine on Sep 23, 2009

    I miss hand-written letters…and PRIVACY!!

  • Joe Dorish on Sep 23, 2009

    Great piece Papaleng! Too me right down memory lane especially the arcade!

  • Goodselfme on Sep 23, 2009

    Me too with a lump in my throat. Well captured things!

  • Anne Lyken Garner on Sep 24, 2009

    Funny article. One thing I don’t miss is paying for long distance calls. I think I miss getting paper letters, but that’s expected.

  • K Kristie on Sep 24, 2009

    Great list, papaleng. I still get to use the typewriter sometimes like when I fill out forms.

  • FB on Sep 25, 2009

    Though emails and SMS are very convenient ways to keep in touch, I still send Christmas and Easter cards to special people as I still would love to receive paper mails, specially birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas.

    Great compilation, dear friend.

  • xoxo on Sep 27, 2009

    Great list. Me? I missed playing video games at an Arcade. I was terrible at it :)

  • Debra. on Sep 27, 2009

    Great list, Papaleng! Although, I can’t say I actually miss any of these but it’s nice to reminisce!

  • Kairos on Sep 27, 2009

    yes papaleng. we miss the things we now called “primitive” and “history”

  • Juancav on Sep 28, 2009

    .Nice remember miss things through the time.

  • revivor on Sep 28, 2009

    sounds like England today!!

  • Glynis Smy on Sep 28, 2009

    Ah the memories, thanks Papaleng!

  • kate smedley on Sep 28, 2009

    Great list, some things I’d forgotten!! I miss being able to play my vinyl albums, so much more fun than CDs.

  • Ruby Hawk on Sep 28, 2009

    papaleng, I miss all these things too. And some I refuse to give up. I have a cell phone but I never turn it on unless I am going out. I never break off a conversation if someone else calls in the middle of it. I don’t miss the party line.

  • Christine Ramsay on Sep 29, 2009

    I still play LP records. They are back in over here in Britain and I have a VHS recorder which I still use all the time. Some interesting things in your list which I do miss. Good work.

    Christine

  • LoveDoctorLoveGoodBye on Sep 30, 2009

    Good article. I truly enjoy playing Pacman and have been playing since I was a kid. And the record player with the vinyl needle was cool. Too bad they’re no longer around.

  • fragile18 on Sep 30, 2009

    what is LPs? Sorry. We still got VHS tapes, (pink panther! lol) i have a copy of my most unforgettable grade school day, hindi ko na po mapanood kasi sira na ung player. howsad. xc

  • Aya Minamino on Sep 30, 2009

    I still play in the arcade! I like Indiana Jones!

  • Lee Ness on Sep 30, 2009

    Gosh the record player and busy signal on phone booth all good ones.
    Thanks for sharing
    http://trifter.com/europe/united-kingdom/a-very-cool-tourist-attraction-to-see-is-jane-austens-home-in-england/

  • Jane Jane on Oct 5, 2009

    a nice article. I too miss the letters and other things in here but most of them, I didn’t even get the chance to experience it.

  • CutestPrincess on Oct 13, 2009

    nice list.. i miss some of them especially letters delivered by Mr.Postman!…

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