
Mark Evanier did one of those You Might Be Old If memes. But I think yes-or-no answers are somewhat limiting, so I decided to expand on some of these.
Used a rotary phone. Well, yes. I am fascinated by the fact that there were films to show one how to use a rotary phone 80 or more years ago. Now, there are videos showing us that current students don’t know how to use them.
Used a floppy disc. Yes, 5 1/4 and 3 1/2 inch.
I used a typewriter. I was a terrible typist—still am. When I was in student government at New Paltz in the mid-1970s, we had an IBM Selectric. The great thing about it was that it had “an internal correction feature…, intended to eliminate the need for typists to use cover-up tape, ‘white-out’ correction fluid, or typewriter erasers.” In the late 1980s, I had a Sears typewriter with minimal memory, which I thought was the greatest thing ever.
Taken pics with a film camera. I have at least twenty photo albums worth of pictures taken with a camera, plus a boxful of loose photos.
Right now!
Listened to music on a CD. As I write this, I’m listening to Magic by Bruce Springsteen. If I’m home, I play six to eight CDs per day.
Watched a movie on VHS. Yes, several. The first VHS tapes I bought were Being There and Groundhog Day.
Rented a movie from Blockbuster. Probably, but I have no strong recollection.
Learned cursive. Yes. I always thought the G in cursive was kind of boxy and ugly. And I’ve written it a lot.
Played an Atari, possibly at someone else’s house. I never owned one.
Sent or received a fax. When I first started working at the New York Small Business Development Center, there weren’t enough phone lines. So I shared a phone with the fax machine. So when my phone rang, I never knew whether it was a call for me or lots of facsimile noise.
Had a MySpace account. Maybe. I’m not sure.
Ordered from Columbia House. No. But I was a member of the Capitol Record Club circa 1966-1968. That’s where I bought most of my Beatles albums, plus LPs by Billy Strange, the Lovin’ Spoonful, Roger Miller, Bobbie Gentry, and the Hollyridge Strings.
Had an AOL address. I still have an AOL address. It’s sometimes used for two-step authentication.
Access the Internet via dial-up. Oh, yeah.
Jiminy Cricket
Used an encyclopedia. My parents bought us, but probably more for me, a set of the Encyclopedia Americana, plus a half dozen annual updates.
Used a phone book. Not only did I use it, but I read it. I used to know all of the area codes in the US and Canada. But it was easier then. The first digit was between 2 and 9, the second 0 or 1, and the third between 1 and 9.
Send a postcard. Yes, and I used to know how much it cost to send one.
Used a paper map. Yes, and I still prefer a paper map for most purposes. I find that GPS can occasionally be unreliable. For example, my wife and I were traveling to Cohoes in Albany County, and the GPS repeatedly told us to take an exit long before we needed to.
Owned a dictionary. I still do, and it’s less than six feet from where I’m sitting.
Written a cheque. I did it all the time. Now, I write about five per year if I can find them.
Uncurled a telephone cord. All of the time!
The
The
LAYER 7: Now tell…
Have you evah? is a meme done by ADD. Here’s the Cole Porter song, performed by 
To a greater or lesser degree, LOTS of the songs I’ve linked to in the past several weeks remind me of myself. Certainly, the ones that made me happy or sad fall into that category.