• Hackworth@sh.itjust.works
    7·
    6 days ago

    The single CD amongst all that analog media seems so much like an anachronism that I had to look it up. The CD standard was published in 1980 and it was commercially available in the US in 1983 but it took until 1992 for CD sales to surpass cassette tape sales.

    • GamingChairModel@lemmy.world
      4·
      6 days ago

      The Walkman and other tape players were so much superior to CD players for portability and convenience. Batteries lasted a lot longer for portable tape players than for CD players. Tapes could be remixed easily so you could bring a specific playlist (or 2 or 3) with you. Tapes were much more resilient than CDs. The superior audio quality of CDs didn’t matter as much when you were using 1980’s era headphones. Or, even if you were using a boombox, the spinning of a disc was still susceptible to bumps or movement causing skips, and the higher speed motor and more complex audio processing drained batteries much faster. And back then, rechargeable batteries weren’t really a thing, so people were just burning through regular single use alkaline batteries.

      It wasn’t until the 90’s that decent skip protection, a few generations of miniaturization and improved battery life, and improved headphones made portable CDs competitive with portable tapes.

      At the same time, cars started to get CD players, but a typical person doesn’t buy a new car every year, so it took a few years for the overall number of cars to start having a decent number of CD players.

  • rizzothesmall@sh.itjust.works
    91·
    6 days ago

    Even ignoring the joke with the dude fitting into your pocket, I cannot fit full over-ear cans I to my pocket… This is just lies.

  • barneypiccolo@lemm.eeEnglish
    81·
    6 days ago

    When I was young, I had a bucket list of all the fun gadgets I wanted - a camera, a video camera, a nice stereo system, a portable stereo system, a car stereo, lots of records, a TV, a VCR, a computer, etc. Making a Christmas list was easy, even if I knew I would never get 99% of it.

    Now I get asked what I want for Christmas, and I have no idea what to say. My phone includes nearly everything I’ve ever wanted, including stuff I never thought of. Give me my phone, my guitar, a sandwich, and a bottle of water, and I’m pretty much set for life.

    • ouRKaoS@lemmy.today
      4·
      6 days ago

      Cool things to ask for for Christmas:

      • Socks: I wear tall boots & long pants for work, so no one knows about my Deadpool/Pokemon/flying taco socks, but it puts a smile on my face. My sister got me a pair of socks with a sad sock sitting on the stairs that say “worst gift ever.” I cried laughing.

      • Hobby accessories: You have your guitar, straps, strings, and picks are all perishable items that it’s good to have a backup for.

      • Shared experiences: ask for a group trip, a local excursion, or a board game to play together.

      • My favorite - the themed surprise: instead of asking for a specific thing ask for “Something to make me laugh” or “Something nostalgic” or “Something I’ll use daily” or “Your favorite recipe and the ingredients to make it”. This makes shopping for / creating the gift as much fun as receiving it, since everyone will interpret the instructions a little differently and the possibilities are endless. This one’s fun for a themed gift exchange for a secret Santa as well.

      • barneypiccolo@lemm.eeEnglish
        2·
        6 days ago

        Good suggestions. They actually like to get me little guitar stuff, or music books, I just have to steer it to them, so I put it all into an Amazon list. This year, I’m going to direct them to Stillwater, and give Amazon less business.

  • UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.worldEnglish
    10·
    7 days ago

    You cannot fit three sets of headphones in your pocket without them fucking up your phone or your wallet.

    You absolutely positively 100% cannot fit a VHS player inside your pocket.

    • piranhaconda@mander.xyz
      6·
      7 days ago

      And a boom box. Sure, phones can play music, but not at the same volume or quality as a dedicated stereo system (quality meaning the frequency response, phones just physically can’t get the low end without a separate speaker)

      • StarMerchant938@lemmy.world
        3·
        6 days ago

        You could probably find a pocket sized bluetooth speaker today that outperforms that particular boombox. I’ve got one about the size of a hardback novel that puts out more volume and bass than my car does.

          • StarMerchant938@lemmy.world
            2·
            6 days ago

            I’m not exactly sure since I got it for $5 at a thrift store. It says AOMAIS on the front and has a built in carry handle so that might help you track it down.

      • SreudianFlip@sh.itjust.works
        1·
        6 days ago

        I thought so too but remembered yesterday I was working at an office they were putting back together after remodeling, and noticed they were playing music off an iPhone and it was surprisingly loud.

      • barneypiccolo@lemm.eeEnglish
        21·
        6 days ago

        That’s a good thing. You don’t remember guys walking down the street, or getting on the subway, carrying a boom box on their shoulder, loudly blasting distorted music you don’t care to hear.

        Now they just pump it directly into their ears. Let them destroy their own hearing, not everyone else’s. They make Bluetooth speakers if you need to broadcast your music to a group.

        • piranhaconda@mander.xyz
          2·
          6 days ago

          Ha, no, now they just get in the subways with big Bluetooth speakers and annoy people with that. Boom boxes phasing out didn’t stop people from being obnoxious if they want to

  • foggianism@lemmy.world
    6·
    6 days ago

    Me, from the the future, explaining this meme to people in 1987: We developed new textiles that support giant pockets with incredible durability.

  • vane@lemmy.world
    4·
    6 days ago

    I prefer the things on the picture. Look how many cool gadgets you could have, now you’re just computer user.