Some thoughts on how quickly times have changed!

[Kirsten]

I'm currently reading a book which I read for the first time in the early 90s, "Freeze Frame" by Marjorie Dorner. It's a novel telling the story of Beth, an American college professor who is on sabbatical in Cambrigde/England, and who is taking a photo of a duck family in the Botanic garden. In the background of the photo - a fact she's not aware of - a killer who is just approaching his next victim. When the killer realized the danger of being identified on that photo, Beth found herself being hunted by a dangerous lunatic.

Anyway, that's the story, playing in Great Britain of the late 80s, or early 90s, and even though I remember these days so well as if they were yesterday, I'm completely fascinated how much times have changed ever since I read that book for the first time - how our daily life has changed within less than two decades.

The entire story of this book wouldn't even work these days, I guess. The main part of the story is the killer hunting Beth for her camera and her films, fearing that she may bring her photos to a shop to have them developed. A normal thing back in the 80s or 90s, but these days with almost everyone using digital cams, things would be completely different. Geez, it takes Beth several weeks to take the 36 photos on that particular film, while I sometimes manage to take several hundreds a day with my digicam! LOL

Other things in the story seem peculiar as well, like the fact that the protagonist is getting her information (on England, or its gardens) from books, or libraries. I remember the times so well when we had to do that, but I haven't done that for years. These days, it takes you one mouse click, and you have googled everything you want to know.

It's sort of strange reading a novel that's taking place in a time you remember so well, and that still feels so familiar, but all the things of your daily routine, like computers, the internet, cell phones, digicams and so many other things are completely missing because they did not exist (or at least were not available for everyone) two decades ago. Either I'm getting old, or times have really changed rapidly within the last twenty years. And even though it seems to me like these old times are not so far away, I couldn't imagine a life without all these new technologies, as they came such a important part of my daily routine, something we already take for granted. It's strange when you start thinking about it, don't you think so?

Kirsten

[Medusa]

This goes along w/Reggie's thread regarding what we'd do w/out the internet. Some of my fondest memories are of going to the library w/my girlfriends and coming home excited and anxious to read the books that we borrowed. Now, as you said, the information that we need is just a click away. That's a good thing but it also is partially responsible for the separation of us all from each other. A "poke" on Facebook just doesn't do it for me. I'm all for progress and don't want to sound old-fashioned but w/each advance in technology I feel that we're taking a step farther away from each other and that is not a good thing.

[Kirsten]

This goes along w/Reggie's thread regarding what we'd do w/out the internet. Some of my fondest memories are of going to the library w/my girlfriends and coming home excited and anxious to read the books that we borrowed. Now, as you said, the information that we need is just a click away. That's a good thing but it also is partially responsible for the separation of us all from each other. A "poke" on Facebook just doesn't do it for me. I'm all for progress and don't want to sound old-fashioned but w/each advance in technology I feel that we're taking a step farther away from each other and that is not a good thing.

I agree with you (just replied to you in Reggie's post). Facebook can be fun, but it is shallow and does not replace a decent conversation (like the ones we have here on PT, or the ones you have with friends in real life).

As for information being just a click away: I love google and I'm googling for tons of things every day, but I remember the times when we bought magazines. In the 80s, I used to be a huge fan of Depeche Mode, and I used to have scrapbooks of the band. It was fun to buy the teen and pop magazines every Thursday, and when they had an article, or a poster of the band, it used to be so exciting and it made my day! These days, you'd be overwhelmed by all the information from the internet, but it's not so special anymore.

Kirsten

[Medusa]

it's not so special anymore.

This says it all for me.

[Kirsten]

Yes, I think it's the lack of these special moments that makes so many lives so empty these days...

Kirsten

[catnapper]

I recently read a book like that too. In my book, the heroine needed info and waited days for it to come via fax... on that curly paper! The info she needed could easily be gotten within 5 mintues today.

In one chapter, she was locked in an odd place; I kept thinking "where's your cell phone?!" but they weren't as common when the book was written.

[Laura's Babies]

Computers have greatly effected our lives since they have been out.. Geez, 20 years ago I was always busy doing something.. Now I sit here all day!

[Kirsten]

Geez, 20 years ago I was always busy doing something.. Now I sit here all day!

Hmm, that's true. At least I'm still reading a lot - paper books, not e-books, btw. But sometimes I wonder in which direction my creativity would have gone without computers...

In my book, the heroine needed info and waited days for it to come via fax... on that curly paper!

OMG, faxes... it doesn't seem too long ago that they were praised to make correspondence so much easier - and now they are completely old-fashioned.
Or think about vcr's. In the mid 80s, you were out of fashion when you did not have one, but recently I've been looked at as if I was a dinosaur when I mentioned I'm still using mine. I also have a dvd player, but occasionally, I would use my vcr for recording stuff from tv, or for watching my old tapes.

Kirsten

[Laura's Babies]

I still have a VCR in my room on the boat. Can't tell you when the last time was that I watched a video on it LOL! I have my laptop and watch DVD's on that...

[krazyaboutkatz]

Yes,times have really changed. If I'm watching an older movie on tv it seems so funny to me when the people have to use a pay phone instead of just using a cell phone. We still have a fax machine at work that we use all the time. I also still have a VCR because I have many movies for it and I sometimes still record tv shows from it. I do have a DVD player too. It's actually a VCR/DVD player all in one. I still don't have a cell phone or even an ipod yet. I don't see the need for them just yet.

[Alysser]

I'm a big fan of old (generally 60's-80's)Sci-Fi, like Star Trek: The Original Series, and all that old crap they used to play on TV. I love the characters, plot lines, and scripts for most of the episodes but HOLY CRAP some of the acting, effects, scenery is so corny for now-a-days. It's so funny to watch, yeah I know it's good for that time period but I laugh at most of it. I still love the plots and stuff, they're well-written and I enjoy the episodes but some of the stuff is so funny.

In one episode there's an alien called the Horta - OH come on it looks like a giant meatball monster.

[Medusa]

I'm a big fan of old (generally 60's-80's)Sci-Fi, like Star Trek: The Original Series, and all that old crap they used to play on TV. I love the characters, plot lines, and scripts for most of the episodes but HOLY CRAP some of the acting, effects, scenery is so corny for now-a-days. It's so funny to watch, yeah I know it's good for that time period but I laugh at most of it. I still love the plots and stuff, they're well-written and I enjoy the episodes but some of the stuff is so funny.

In one episode there's an alien called the Horta - OH come on it looks like a giant meatball monster.

That's funny! I felt the same way about my mother's generation and her movies. She told me that the old Dracula movies w/Bela Lugosi scared her to death. You've got to be kidding me! For its time, though, it was scary stuff. Like you, I like the old movies and TV shows, too, which is why I'm watching "Upstairs Downstairs", an old Masterpiece Theatre show from PBS which began in 1971 and ran for 6 years. It's about life in England at the turn of the 20th century through WW1 and beyond. It really gives us a good look into that time period regarding customs, politics, family life, etc. Someone your age would more than likely find it to be boring, especially w/the archaic language w/words such as "scoundrel" and "scalawag" and songs such as "A Bicycle Built For Two". It was a simpler time then, the pace was much slower and the people were so much more polite to each other. I've always felt drawn to that time period and often wish that I had lived then instead of now.

[Alysser]

That's funny! I felt the same way about my mother's generation and her movies. She told me that the old Dracula movies w/Bela Lugosi scared her to death. You've got to be kidding me! For its time, though, it was scary stuff. Like you, I like the old movies and TV shows, too, which is why I'm watching "Upstairs Downstairs", an old Masterpiece Theatre show from PBS which began in 1971 and ran for 6 years. It's about life in England at the turn of the 20th century through WW1 and beyond. It really gives us a good look into that time period regarding customs, politics, family life, etc. Someone your age would more than likely find it to be boring, especially w/the archaic language w/words such as "scoundrel" and "scalawag" and songs such as "A Bicycle Built For Two". It was a simpler time then, the pace was much slower and the people were so much more polite to each other. I've always felt drawn to that time period and often wish that I had lived then instead of now.

I agree with you, I so wish I could live through the 60's. LOL, I know what you mean about the old "horror" films. Like the old Dracula's, I actually watched one on the monster channel not too long ago. The film was so grainy and it was in black and white. It was really funny to watch, but I didn't watch all of it. The werewolf movies are pretty awesome though. I like seeing how they made the actor transform into the werewolf, it wasn't too bad actually. I'm not really interested in regular old series like "Upstairs Downstairs" but, who knows? I am sure it is good for some people who like those kind of shows, I am into Sci-Fi/Action type junk. Star Trek is actually not TOO bad compared to some of the Sci-Fi I've seen, some of them are so low budget, it makes it 10 times worse. I remember a period between episodes, it might have been the last (3rd) season where they needed to re-use minor actors and SCENERY xD It was so obvious. It was funny how Spock's dad also played the Klingon Ship Captain in another episode and it kinda threw me off.

It really does give you a good look at life back then, and it's fascinating to me. I enjoy learning about things like that. Especially graphics, music, and all that stuff. I enjoyed the new 2009 movie, but it just wasn't the same, I need the corniness of 60's Sci-Fi to enjoy it. If they hadn't used good actors (Nimoy specificially) Star Trek would have been off the air much sooner then it had.

Just for laughs, this is the Horta:

[Medusa]

I agree with you, I so wish I could live through the 60's.

I find it even funnier that you consider the 60's as a time period in which you would've liked to have lived because that's my generation. LOL

[smokey the elder]

I love movies with rotary phones! It really is amazing how communication has changed so dramatically over the last 20 years. Now everyone has a cell phone or PDA, it seems. New laws have even been written to remind people not to do stupid stuff like text while driving!