Digital Generation, Analog Retro Chic

securitas writes "The New York Times' Juliet Chung writes about the latest technology trend: the growing popularity of analog technology with a generation that has grown up digital. 'Yesterday's technology designs are becoming popular among those in their teens and 20's eager to usher back a time they experienced only barely, if at all.' An MIT graduate student interviewed for the article, Ali Rahimi, was tired of the 'impersonal, unthinking' nature of modern technology, so he hacked an old telephone handset together with his mobile phone with the rationale, 'The handset has been going through about a hundred years of evolution in design and ... have the perfect shape.' According to Brown University technology historian Steven Lubar, 'When the available technology converges at a certain performance threshold ... consumers begin to base their choices on nontechnical considerations'. Chung also includes a sidebar that lists some of the new retro analog devices and interpretations, ranging from radio PC case mods to ancient clunker cell phones. Any other cool or interesting retro analog devices or hacks out there?" I've personally enjoyed owning tube amps on and off - the sound warmth, whether it be psychological or real, is definitely different then solid state amps.

Comments

Anyone

[JaffaKREE]

Anyone else reminded of the Futurama episodes where Bender rebelled against technology ? And de-upgraded himself to wood ? I know you are. I really want one of those RX-1000 robot workers.

Re:Anyone

[Baron Eekman]

It reminds me of a joke in the Dutch comic series "Fokke & Sukke", which goes something like this:

Fokke & Sukke are amazed by today's technology

(picture of them listening to a radio)

"Incredible, you hear music instantly"
reply: "Without having to log on to the internet"

it's true

[Transient0]

everyone i klnow wears an anolg watch.

now if i only someone would release Doom 3 for my fluid-dynamics-based analog computer.

WALL STREET

[_PimpDaddy7_]

...ranging from radio PC case mods to ancient clunker cell phones.

YES! Now I can own that same model cell phone Gordon Gecko used on his beach front property in the movie Wall Street! I've been waiting to use a cell phone just like that!

Re:WALL STREET

[genka]

And I want my cell phone with built in film camera!

Re:WALL STREET

[DogDude]

Since I was a little kid, I've always aspired to be a high stress, coke-snorting, morally-bankrupt NYC corporate pirate screaming into a giant bag phone, on the verge on an anneurism and a heart attack. Ah the 80's.... Good times. Good times.

Re:WALL STREET

[WormholeFiend]

And I want my cell phone with built in film camera!

micro, 35mm, medium or large format?

analog is obsolete

[Anonymous Coward]

fact it, if you only know analog, your career as an EE is numbered. I fired my last analog EE last week - the guy was stark raving mad, mumbling about some type of sea-moss. Those analog only guys belong in an old folks home

And...

[josh3736]

I've personally enjoyed owning tube amps on and off - the sound warmth, whether it be psychological or real, is definitely different then solid state amps.

...let the flamewar.... COMMENCE!

Speaking of analog being better

[markov_chain]

Everyone knows that records sound better than CDs. Too bad they don't sell video content on records.

Re:Speaking of analog being better

[Anonymous Coward]

And thanks to the warping effect of diamond on vinyl, you'll never have to hear the exact same audio twice.

But if you prefer analog video, there's always Laserdisk.

Re:Speaking of analog being better

[prisonercx]

Reminds me of an old joke.

Audiophile (n): A person who listens to the equipment rather than the music.

Wow! A Genius!

[Anonymous Coward]

That would settle it once and for all! And you're the FIRST person to think of it!

Hurry, go apply for a patent!

Vacuum Tubes

[leperkuhn]

That's why I've resurrected my old ENIAC to play Doom 3.

Re:Nothing says retro like tube amps

[brxndxn]

So, by going from original analog to analog recording to digital CD to lossless mp3 to digital sound card that produces analog out to analog tube amp, the quality of sound increases? Hrm.. maybe I don't need to re-code all those 32kbps mp3s after all.

Well, sonny, back in my day...

[sizzzzlerz]

when we wanted to make a phone call while away from home, we had to find a phone booth on a busy street corner. A dime was then placed into a slot and then, get this, using a dial that had holes punched in it, we had to insert a finger into a hole representing one of the digits, turn the dial, and the release it. Once it returned to its original position, this was repeated until the phone number was entered. Retro? Bah! You young 'uns don't know how good you have it today.

I can't

[PinchDuck]

wait until 8-track mp3 players come into voouoouugggcliclclickclickclick

Anybody got a pencil? I've got to fish the tape out of the machine again.

Re:Nothing says retro like tube amps

[Ashyukun]

Really likely to fry one of my cats when they decide to lick one of the exposed tubes...

Re:Imagine that...

[FooAtWFU]

it's really hard to believe that old trends are coming back!

Old trends coming back? All right. Drop me a note when you see your girlfriend wearing one of these, kay?

Re:Analogue Always has a place for me...

[Baseclass]

Actually my toaster has a chip in it. It says 'micro chip controlled' right on the front
And let me tell you, you've never eaten toast until you've had toast from a digital toaster.

I'm sure it's a very basic heat sensor and more of a marketing ploy than anything.

Actually when I was a kid (in the 80's) we used one of those chromed out 50's toaster. Only ours wasn't silent. It went "click-click-click-click-click-click-..." for a couple of minutes the "Pop". mmmmToast.

Re:Bushism alert!! (was Re:Tubes are our friends)

[soulsteal]

I think the use of equivocate was perfectly cromulent.