Anti nostalgia

Pross

Harry182 said:

Pross said:

Doing all my drawing work using Rotring pens, having to clean the nibs and make corrections by scratching off the ink with a razor blade.

elbowloh said:

Pross said:

Doing all my drawing work using Rotring pens, having to clean the nibs and make corrections by scratching off the ink with a razor blade.

I did work experience when I was 15 at WSP and had to do layout drawings with Rotring pens. I bumped into the supervising engineer about 10 years later and he told me they used those drawings for years (they were for Westminster Central Hall).

I kind of miss drawing with a Rotring (and even miss a 2H). Scratching and cleaning the nibs was right pain though.

The 0.5mm were OK but a 0.18 or 0.13 would bend the second you put pressure on the nib.

I did 6 months in a street lighting team where most of the drawings were schematics. Straight lines with various circles and loads and loads of text. Stencilling was my real nemesis as a trainee and I never had the skill for freehand.

briantrumpet

Stevo's car nostalgia reminded me of my cr@p first car, a Chrysler Sunbeam - what a pile of poo that was. Slightly improved when I replaced the 54bhp 1300 engine with a 1600 engine (I think I might have overlooked telling the insurers...), but still a (slightly faster) pile of poo.

Harry182

Pross said:

Harry182 said:

Pross said:

Doing all my drawing work using Rotring pens, having to clean the nibs and make corrections by scratching off the ink with a razor blade.

elbowloh said:

Pross said:

Doing all my drawing work using Rotring pens, having to clean the nibs and make corrections by scratching off the ink with a razor blade.

I did work experience when I was 15 at WSP and had to do layout drawings with Rotring pens. I bumped into the supervising engineer about 10 years later and he told me they used those drawings for years (they were for Westminster Central Hall).

I kind of miss drawing with a Rotring (and even miss a 2H). Scratching and cleaning the nibs was right pain though.

The 0.5mm were OK but a 0.18 or 0.13 would bend the second you put pressure on the nib.

I did 6 months in a street lighting team where most of the drawings were schematics. Straight lines with various circles and loads and loads of text. Stencilling was my real nemesis as a trainee and I never had the skill for freehand.

I had a 0.10 that I loved but would need cleaning pretty much every time used.
Totally agree about the stencilling. Once had to stencil a whole door schedule -- definitely one for the anti-nostalgia bin.

Pross

Yeah no-one seems to have a totally crap first car now. I had a 1.1L Escort E, it had yellow and red lights that came on if you had your foot down too hard and were using too much fuel (I doubt it got 30mpg on a good day despite the puny engine). I remember driving it two up to a race at Castle Combe with two bikes on the roof and even with my foot to the boards I couldn't hit 50mph on the climb up to junction 18 on the M4.

That was one of the rare occasions in the year I owned it that it didn't break down at least. Virtually every journey saw it cut out and need a squirt of WD40. For the second half of the time owned it the cable from the bonnet release catch had snapped so I would regularly find myself lying on a rain soaked road reaching up to the catch from underneath and hoping nothing drove into the back of me.

Cars don't seem to rust anymore either unless you actually damage the paint.

Pross

Running a game on my ZX81 that takes ages to load only for it to crash. I doubt I got proper shop bought games to load more than once in ten attempts.

Even worse, taking hours typing in code from a gaming magazine and running it full of expectation to be greeted by "syntax error line 10". I suspect the success rate there was about 2% and the reward was seeing a dot bouncing around a screen.

tetley10

I had a 1.3 polo that pulled to the left when you let go of the wheel. Birkenhead to Newport used to take a long time. Great cassette player in it though.

surrey_commuter

pblakeney said:

surrey_commuter said:

Ford cars taking ten mins to start on a cold damp morning, if nothing else batteries have got worse.

Going to the scrapyard to buy car parts, climbing over piled up cars with a spanner.

"Yeah, just the air filter box. Honest Guv." 😉

When faced with a snarling hound on a very long chain

Charlie_Croker

Etch a Sketch

briantrumpet

Other friends having Scalectrix, but not me

pblakeney

surrey_commuter said:

pblakeney said:

surrey_commuter said:

Ford cars taking ten mins to start on a cold damp morning, if nothing else batteries have got worse.

Going to the scrapyard to buy car parts, climbing over piled up cars with a spanner.

"Yeah, just the air filter box. Honest Guv." 😉

When faced with a snarling hound on a very long chain

Rumour has it that an engine management control module will fit very discreetly into the pocket of baggy jeans.
Wouldn't work now with order reception desks. Actually, this is the wrong thread...

elbowloh

Pross said:

Yeah no-one seems to have a totally censored first car now. I had a 1.1L Escort E, it had yellow and red lights that came on if you had your foot down too hard and were using too much fuel (I doubt it got 30mpg on a good day despite the puny engine). I remember driving it two up to a race at Castle Combe with two bikes on the roof and even with my foot to the boards I couldn't hit 50mph on the climb up to junction 18 on the M4.

That was one of the rare occasions in the year I owned it that it didn't break down at least. Virtually every journey saw it cut out and need a squirt of WD40. For the second half of the time owned it the cable from the bonnet release catch had snapped so I would regularly find myself lying on a rain soaked road reaching up to the catch from underneath and hoping nothing drove into the back of me.

Cars don't seem to rust anymore either unless you actually damage the paint.

I had this old Sierra that leaked oil onto the spark plugs. Every other week I had to take the plugs out for a clean.

capt_slog

Chokes on cars, and 'starting procedures'. One of mine had an automatic choke which never worked properly, eventually I bought a kit to convert it to manual choke and then you had to start it in a certain way. Something like...

Put foot halfway down on the throttle.
Pull out choke lever.
release foot.
push choke back in half way
Turn over the engine until it caught
push choke all the way in
turn over engine and this time it started
(if you were lucky AND remembered that you had to have been playing Kashmir on the stereo from step 3)

Often you had flooded the engine and had to turn it over for ages with no throttle to clear it. Ye gods, how i don't miss those days.

Pross

briantrumpet said:

Other friends having Scalectrix, but not me

I had one but didn't have the skid pan module so tried to make my own by rubbing some polish on a section of track. I didn't have a working version after that. They never worked properly so you didn't miss much.

briantrumpet

Pross said:

briantrumpet said:

Other friends having Scalectrix, but not me

I had one but didn't have the skid pan module so tried to make my own by rubbing some polish on a section of track. I didn't have a working version after that. They never worked properly so you didn't miss much.

Admittedly, more time did seems to be spent putting cars back on the track and fiddling with them trying to make them work, when I played at friends' houses. But, at the time, I was still a bit jealous.

morstar

briantrumpet said:

Pross said:

briantrumpet said:

Other friends having Scalectrix, but not me

I had one but didn't have the skid pan module so tried to make my own by rubbing some polish on a section of track. I didn't have a working version after that. They never worked properly so you didn't miss much.

Admittedly, more time did seems to be spent putting cars back on the track and fiddling with them trying to make them work, when I played at friends' houses. But, at the time, I was still a bit jealous.

We had one of the alternative version with smaller more magnetised cars. (Aurora I think).

Cars very rarely came off which meant the fun was all in building interesting track layouts. The race was only ever a full throttle affair and both me and my brother knew which car was slightly faster and therefore who would win. A bit like virtual bike riding taking right angle corners on descents at 50mph, skill had nothing to do with it.

Scalextic did seem to require a higher skill level.

focuszing723

libraries, out of date information and a limited source of references as apposed to the internet where everything is cutting edge and there are many sources to compare.

briantrumpet

focuszing723 said:

libraries, out of date information and a limited source of references as apposed to the internet where everything is cutting edge and there are many sources to compare.

Physical libraries have certainly lost a lot of their status, for the reasons you mention... whole text searching from academic journals not being the least of the reasons.

When I was an undergraduate, I was for ever waiting for interlibrary loans to arrive (once I'd found something - using basic catalogues/bibliographies - I thought might be helpful), and even had a microfilm of a manuscript posted from some library in Sweden. A lot of the stuff that was got for me is still in the library, untouched since I was there nearly 40 years ago.

focuszing723

briantrumpet said:

focuszing723 said:

libraries, out of date information and a limited source of references as apposed to the internet where everything is cutting edge and there are many sources to compare.

Physical libraries have certainly lost a lot of their status, for the reasons you mention... whole text searching from academic journals not being the least of the reasons.

When I was an undergraduate, I was for ever waiting for interlibrary loans to arrive (once I'd found something - using basic catalogues/bibliographies - I thought might be helpful), and even had a microfilm of a manuscript posted from some library in Sweden. A lot of the stuff that was got for me is still in the library, untouched since I was there nearly 40 years ago.

Yeah, that's one hell of difference compared to todays information streams.

Charlie_Croker

focuszing723 said:

libraries, out of date information and a limited source of references as apposed to the internet where everything is cutting edge and there are many sources to compare.

Unfortunately you do need to do this very often as so many plonksticks seem to want to write about things they have no effing idea about

briantrumpet

focuszing723 said:

briantrumpet said:

focuszing723 said:

libraries, out of date information and a limited source of references as apposed to the internet where everything is cutting edge and there are many sources to compare.

Physical libraries have certainly lost a lot of their status, for the reasons you mention... whole text searching from academic journals not being the least of the reasons.

When I was an undergraduate, I was for ever waiting for interlibrary loans to arrive (once I'd found something - using basic catalogues/bibliographies - I thought might be helpful), and even had a microfilm of a manuscript posted from some library in Sweden. A lot of the stuff that was got for me is still in the library, untouched since I was there nearly 40 years ago.

Yeah, that's one hell of difference compared to todays information streams.

It did mean you had to plan rather further ahead than you might do these days...

Oh, yes, and my dissertation was printed out using a whizz-bang BBC Micro, which you had to boot up using a floppy disc, and had a daisy wheel printer. Non of this fancy changing fonts lark, unless you got another daisy wheel. And allow a few hours for printing out...

focuszing723

briantrumpet said:

focuszing723 said:

briantrumpet said:

focuszing723 said:

libraries, out of date information and a limited source of references as apposed to the internet where everything is cutting edge and there are many sources to compare.

Physical libraries have certainly lost a lot of their status, for the reasons you mention... whole text searching from academic journals not being the least of the reasons.

When I was an undergraduate, I was for ever waiting for interlibrary loans to arrive (once I'd found something - using basic catalogues/bibliographies - I thought might be helpful), and even had a microfilm of a manuscript posted from some library in Sweden. A lot of the stuff that was got for me is still in the library, untouched since I was there nearly 40 years ago.

Yeah, that's one hell of difference compared to todays information streams.

It did mean you had to plan rather further ahead than you might do these days...

Oh, yes, and my dissertation was printed out using a whizz-bang BBC Micro, which you had to boot up using a floppy disc, and had a daisy wheel printer. Non of this fancy changing fonts lark, unless you got another daisy wheel. And allow a few hours for printing out...

Ha, yes, students have got it easier now in that regard.

elbowloh

focuszing723 said:

briantrumpet said:

focuszing723 said:

briantrumpet said:

focuszing723 said:

libraries, out of date information and a limited source of references as apposed to the internet where everything is cutting edge and there are many sources to compare.

Physical libraries have certainly lost a lot of their status, for the reasons you mention... whole text searching from academic journals not being the least of the reasons.

When I was an undergraduate, I was for ever waiting for interlibrary loans to arrive (once I'd found something - using basic catalogues/bibliographies - I thought might be helpful), and even had a microfilm of a manuscript posted from some library in Sweden. A lot of the stuff that was got for me is still in the library, untouched since I was there nearly 40 years ago.

Yeah, that's one hell of difference compared to todays information streams.

It did mean you had to plan rather further ahead than you might do these days...

Oh, yes, and my dissertation was printed out using a whizz-bang BBC Micro, which you had to boot up using a floppy disc, and had a daisy wheel printer. Non of this fancy changing fonts lark, unless you got another daisy wheel. And allow a few hours for printing out...

Ha, yes, students have got it easier now in that regard.

We had a computer lab for doing our 3D rendering/modelling (They were Sun Microsystem computers, not PCs or Macs). The colour printer was in a building 10 mins walk away. I remember having to send it to print, walk 10 mins to stand in a queue, pay (I think) 30p per colour page at the counter to pick up your print. Find the colour was wrong or half of the image is off the page. Walk 10 mins back to the computer lab, make a change, send to print and then back to the printer building ...rinse and repeat.

shirley_basso

Print preview?

focuszing723

elbowloh said:

focuszing723 said:

briantrumpet said:

focuszing723 said:

briantrumpet said:

focuszing723 said:

libraries, out of date information and a limited source of references as apposed to the internet where everything is cutting edge and there are many sources to compare.

Physical libraries have certainly lost a lot of their status, for the reasons you mention... whole text searching from academic journals not being the least of the reasons.

When I was an undergraduate, I was for ever waiting for interlibrary loans to arrive (once I'd found something - using basic catalogues/bibliographies - I thought might be helpful), and even had a microfilm of a manuscript posted from some library in Sweden. A lot of the stuff that was got for me is still in the library, untouched since I was there nearly 40 years ago.

Yeah, that's one hell of difference compared to todays information streams.

It did mean you had to plan rather further ahead than you might do these days...

Oh, yes, and my dissertation was printed out using a whizz-bang BBC Micro, which you had to boot up using a floppy disc, and had a daisy wheel printer. Non of this fancy changing fonts lark, unless you got another daisy wheel. And allow a few hours for printing out...

Ha, yes, students have got it easier now in that regard.

We had a computer lab for doing our 3D rendering/modelling (They were Sun Microsystem computers, not PCs or Macs). The colour printer was in a building 10 mins walk away. I remember having to send it to print, walk 10 mins to stand in a queue, pay (I think) 30p per colour page at the counter to pick up your print. Find the colour was wrong or half of the image is off the page. Walk 10 mins back to the computer lab, make a change, send to print and then back to the printer building ...rinse and repeat.

Now that is a good example of anti nostalgia.

elbowloh

shirley_basso said:

Print preview?

Nah, i don't think they had that option.

briantrumpet

...and the easiest way to put musical quotations in my dissertation was to literally cut & paste handwritten music into gaps I'd left in the text, then photocopy the page.

It's been one of the true joys of my lifetime how far technology has come on. From 1979...

https://youtu.be/vix6TMnj9vY?t=74

wavefront

elbowloh said:

We had a computer lab for doing our 3D rendering/modelling (They were Sun Microsystem computers, not PCs or Macs). The colour printer was in a building 10 mins walk away. I remember having to send it to print, walk 10 mins to stand in a queue, pay (I think) 30p per colour page at the counter to pick up your print. Find the colour was wrong or half of the image is off the page. Walk 10 mins back to the computer lab, make a change, send to print and then back to the printer building ...rinse and repeat.

In ‘94 our SGI was still standalone, and any presentation renders we wanted printed, we had to setup a camera on a tripod and screen off the room lights, photograph the render on screen, and take the film to be processed at the local town labs. After we’d chosen the best frame, we’d have it enlarged to A3. As someone said, some things have moved on for the better!

Pross

One thing I would say is I think you took more care to get things right first time if you knew it was going to be a hassle changing it. I certainly used to get a second opinion before finalising anything I wasn't completely sure about. I suspect people were less pedantic asking for changes too.

secretsam

Anyone said rim brakes yet?

On a serious note, I started cycling in the '80s, packed it in when I learned to drive (idiot that I am) and so barely cycled 1990-2005.

I came back to a whole new world, and the following awfulness had gone:

• Terrible lights using D cells or whatever, utterly useless; dynamos were better but used SOOOOO much effort
  
• Single pivot brakes - I had centre pulls, bought some cheap dual-pivots when I started up again, what an improvement
  
• Steel rims - just horrible
  
• Brifters - D/T shifters were an absolute menace, how DID they last so long?
  
• Quill stems - you had to strip your bars to change anything, plus they were about as stiff as a stick of celery
  
• toe clips - I had absolutely nailed my technique, but clipless was just better. Can't imagine what it was like using cleats with them.
  

dabber

A few days ago I watched and recorded the 1975 Christmas Eve Queen at Hammersmith Odeon which was the last show of their "A night at the opera" tour.
I wasn't at that performance but was at the same show at the Hammersmith Odeon a few weeks earlier in November. We loved the show and had a great time.....
however, watching the Christmas Eve show after all these years I was left rather unmoved, bored even.