What would they do without toilet paper? These young'uns...

[smokeythecat]

https://video.foxnews.com/v/5988072066001/?#sp=show-clips

Two Iowa teenagers challenged to use a rotary phone.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

what's a rotary phone ?

 

[smokeythecat]

Yup!

 

[old digger]

We still have one hooked up in the house. It sure comes in handy when the power goes out. The newer phones won't work when the power goes out, but the rotary phone works. Of course, everyone nowadays have their cell phones.

 

[smokeythecat]

I have a touch tone home phone still. It works when the power is out. However, since I'm hiding under the bed at that point, I don't call people.

 

[IMAUDIGGER]

what's a rotary phone ?

Tom’s phone number is two shorts and a long, in case anybody wants to get ahold of him.

 

[dirtlooter]

party line, get off the line Mildred so someone can call out or in!

 

[Red James Cash]

If you have a home phone and the power goes out enough juice comes through the phone line to Mickey mouse a low watt light bulb to it.

 

[SD51]

Interesting fact about rotary phones... since it was such a pain to dial a long distance number, which meant you had to enter the three digit area code first and then the other seven digits, the phone company decided that the large cities would have the lower numbered area codes. For example, Chicago is 312, Detroit is 313, LA is 213.

 

[smokeythecat]

And who is that doing the heavy breathing? I can hhheeeaaarrrr you!

 

[Limitool]

I'm 63 now... I remember being in my Grandma's home in a rural Missouri Co. near Brunswick. Her phone would ring.... BUT... you couldn't answer it unless it was the right ring sequence. As stated above... 3 shorts and a long or vs versa. And this system was still in use in the mid 60's. But then again... so was ass whupping's!!!!!

 

[Red James Cash]

But then again... so was ass whupping's!!!!!

That's the whole problem,it's not allowed anymore.

 

[fistfulladirt]

We still have one hooked up in the house. It sure comes in handy when the power goes out. The newer phones won't work when the power goes out, but the rotary phone works. Of course, everyone nowadays have their cell phones.

A brand new touch-tone phone will work when power is out. Unfortunately, a rotary phone will not work on a digital voice line. You can answer, but cannot dial out.

 

[SusanMN]

About once a year my phone line goes out and Century link won’t come out to fix it until you check the connection outside your home to make sure the problem is with the lines coming in vs inside your house. So you need an old fashioned analog phone to plug in outside and check. Good to have in a power outage as well.

 

[smokeythecat]

I hate power outages also. The ones mid winter stink the most.

 

[SusanMN]

I hate power outages also. The ones mid winter stink the most.

Fortunately I am in a small city that has its own power company so electric outages are usually not more than an hour or two. When it’s winter and temps are sub zero any outage is going to make it pretty chilly though.

 

[Nitric]

I must be getting "old". I remember rotary phones, Pay phones and dial up internet that made high pitched squeals, use a tape recorder to play the dial up tones.

My grandmother still has a rotary phone on a coffee table in her basement. I doubt it works but when I was there last I noticed the line was still plugged in. I remember sneaking down into her basement to call girls when I was in middle school. Still remember one of the numbers to this day!!

 

[Dave Rishar]

https://video.foxnews.com/v/5988072066001/?#sp=show-clips

Two Iowa teenagers challenged to use a rotary phone.

I didn't watch it, but I can imagine how it went.

To be fair, it would probably be equally funny to challenge an average adult in the seventies to construct a log cabin, or that same individual today (now an old timer) to reconfigure a cell phone. The human/technology mismatch is always fun, but it has always been there.

My coworkers marvel at my ability to open a can with an actual can opener - not a P-38, but something similar. It's not a skill that I learned as a child in the seventies though. I learned it last year, and only because I liked the idea of having a can opener on my keychain. While I remember how to use a rotary phone, I do not like the idea of having one today. Those things were ridiculous when they were invented and the years have not been kind to them.

 

[Nitric]

I didn't watch it, but I can imagine how it went.

To be fair, it would probably be equally funny to challenge an average adult in the seventies to construct a log cabin, or that same individual today (now an old timer) to reconfigure a cell phone. The human/technology mismatch is always fun, but it has always been there.

My coworkers marvel at my ability to open a can with an actual can opener - not a P-38, but something similar. It's not a skill that I learned as a child in the seventies though. I learned it last year, and only because I liked the idea of having a can opener on my keychain. While I remember how to use a rotary phone, I do not like the idea of having one today. Those things were ridiculous when they were invented and the years have not been kind to them.

And some of them had goo in them when they were taken apart!!! I took everything apart as a kid. I remember the gooo(or whatever it actually is.)

 

[trdking]

Push button Toilet Paper? maybe