Do You Remember Life Before Google?

[ronandannette]

Sitting in a hotel lobby with an epoisode of Friends playing on tv. Phoebe runs in and asks Monica for an atlas to research a country. Then a minute later Chandler arrives and asks if anybody has anything that needs copying because he's running to the xerox place (yes, he actually used the word xerox).

We got our first home pc, printer and internet connection 21 years ago, around the time our DS was born. I can remember what a life-changing experience it was to have all that information at my fingertips and I just realized he (DS) never knew life without it. But it also means he'll never know what it meant to own a set of encyclopedias or the "joy" of going to the library in search of some obscure fact.

And does anybody remember travel planning in the days of glossy colour brochures? You trusted a travel agent to book you into a destination they recommend and had no idea what you were really getting into. OTOH, there was a certain "largeness" to the world that just doesn't exist anymore.

 

[Meriweather]

Definitively....life without a computer at all and without cell phones

 

[Christine]

Oh yes, I remember. Back in 1995, I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Of course, we had computers at work but we were using them for excel and word processing. I remember having to go up to the library to research my condition. I couldn't connect with anyone and it was a very rare condition at that time (or it seemed to be). I sort of had to stumble through the whole diagnosis, treatment thing not knowing much and my doctors were having to place calls to Johns Hopkins and other areas to decide on the best treatment. About a year later, I was discussing it all with one of my managers and how frustrating it was trying to find information. She said to me: Let's use the company internet and use this search thing called Alta Vista to see what we can find.

It opened up a new world for me. At that point, I subscribed to AOL and found a support group. It was really amazing at the time.

 

[kimblebee]

lol younger generations have no idea how easy they have it. In another active thread (can’t remember which one) someone couldn’t imagine how we survived without GPS. If you can’t remember going somewhere new and having someone try to fold up a map after it was used, you’re too young LOL

 

[ronandannette]

lol younger generations have no idea how easy they have it. In another active thread (can’t remember which one) someone couldn’t imagine how we survived without GPS. If you can’t remember going somewhere new and having someone try to fold up a map after it was used, you’re too young LOL

We insisted our DS study a paper map of Calgary when he was learning to drive. It's a huge city area-wise and he really didn't have any idea where he was in relation to anywhere else just navigating by his 4x3 iPhone screen. We have newish paper maps of Alberta, BC and California too.

 

[Disneylover99]

Life before Google? Nope. Can't remember. I confess I had to google it.

 

[maxaroni]

Exactly. I remember sitting for hours with the encyclopedia and reading up on all sorts of things. My parents bought me World Book and each year they published a stand alone, single book, to sort of "update" things as things became outdated. The AAA Triptiks were always used for a road trip. Looking up in a dictionary was always the go to for spellings/definitions. Now, with the world at our fingertips, we can instantly be connected to so many things. Sometimes, it can be a disadvantage as we are too connected, all of the time and it can be all consuming. However, I do think that the pros are stronger than the cons. DS24 never had to be driven to the local library for research and such. A whole new world opening for adults back then but kids, young adults, don't know any different.

 

[katie01]

I know, it's so weird to think about, isn't it? I have so many memories of using our 1974 Encyclopedia's to do school reports I was born in 1974, but I guess encyclopedias weren't something we updated often

I was just saying to DH, "Isn't it weird to think we didn't even have email when we were dating?" So during our summers apart, we could talk on the phone of course, but we also sent actual snail mail lol.

I just got a flyer for an etiquette class, my 13 year old DD, who doesn't like participating in activities, is begging me to sign her up (so of course I will, I'm so excited that she's excited about something). She was reading over the flyer and said, "We learn TELEPHONE manners" And she looked absolutely baffled as she asked me what that involved, exactly. It's crazy that kids have technology that allows them to use their voice to communicate over wires (the telephone) but they choose a modern method (texting) that actually seems less advanced (telegrams, anyone?). We still have a landline, that sits mostly silent, other than telemarketers and my parents calling. I think of how many hours I spent hogging the home phone, and my own kids have probably only placed a handful of phone calls in their entire lives.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

It really wasn't that long ago.

 

[amberpi]

We first got the internet in 94-95 when I was 14-15. Prodigy and then AOL. So I certainly know life before google. I don't know professional life before google or college before the internet, but I mostly used Netscape then.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

I've noticed our DD doesn't really make plans with her group in advance, they all text and use their phones locator to determine where they all meet up. If they decide on a movie at the last minute, they google it. If they want to know the hours of a restaurant, they google it. Need to know the phone number for a place? Google it!

I explained that in high school, my friend Debbie would call the landline at my house. If I wasn't home, she'd leave a message with my mom. My mom would leave the message written on a piece of paper " Debbie wants to know if you can meet at the movies at 7:00?" Under a magnet on the front of the frig. I would have to call Debbie back on the landline at her house. First, I'd use our landline to call the theatre hotline number and listen to the movie names and times. I'd write them down so when I called Debbie, we could discuss. Then we'd call Amy and Susan's landlines to leave messages with their moms ( after looking up their number in the phone book) that we would be at the movies if they wanted to meet us. And we'd make sure to have coins with us so we could use the payphone to call for a ride when the movie was over.

 

[wenrob]

My DH bought a laptop for me around 2004ish. I remember saying it was ridiculous, I didn’t need my own computer.

It wasn’t until a few years later that I really understood the power of a google search. My kids had Leap Pads and there was something wrong with one of them. (can’t remember what now) I googled the specific issue and with some digging was able to find the fix. I was AMAZED that I could do that. Back then I was about the least techie person on the planet but I was able to fix this device all on my own. Opened up a whole new world to me. I kept saying to my DH, “Five years ago, I would have to spend hours on the phone or send it in!”

 

[chartle]

Life before Google, I used Lycos.

 

[chartle]

 

[Kaytie]

Life before Google, I used Lycos.

So you're under 27?

 

[wenrob]

I've noticed our DD doesn't really make plans with her group in advance, they all text and use their phones locator to determine where they all meet up. If they decide on a movie at the last minute, they google it. If they want to know the hours of a restaurant, they google it. Need to know the phone number for a place? Google it!

I explained that in high school, my friend Debbie would call the landline at my house. If I wasn't home, she'd leave a message with my mom. My mom would leave the message written on a piece of paper " Debbie wants to know if you can meet at the movies at 7:00?" Under a magnet on the front of the frig. I would have to call Debbie back on the landline at her house. First, I'd use our landline to call the theatre hotline number and listen to the movie names and times. I'd write them down so when I called Debbie, we could discuss. Then we'd call Amy and Susan's landlines to leave messages with their moms ( after looking up their number in the phone book) that we would be at the movies if they wanted to meet us. And we'd make sure to have coins with us so we could use the payphone to call for a ride when the movie was over.

Your parents took messages for you? Lucky! If we weren’t there to answer the phone we were SOL. I remember looking in the newspaper for movie times and having to look up the number for transit to get a bus schedule to get there. ALWAYS had change for a pay phone. My kids wouldn’t know a pay phone or a landline for that matter if it hit them in the face. I realized the other day I don’t even know their phone numbers, lol.

Anyone remember calling for the weather? Or dialing 555-**** for information?

 

[chartle]

My DH bought a laptop for me around 2004ish. I remember saying it was ridiculous, I didn’t need my own computer.

It wasn’t until a few years later that I really understood the power of a google search. My kids had Leap Pads and there was something wrong with one of them. (can’t remember what now) I googled the specific issue and with some digging was able to find the fix. I was AMAZED that I could do that. Back then I was about the least techie person on the planet but I was able to fix this device all on my own. Opened up a whole new world to me. I kept saying to my DH, “Five years ago, I would have to spend hours on the phone or send it in!”

I'm in tech support and I have no idea how I did my job back then. I remember having to download printer drivers from WordPerfect's BBS. If you called them on their toll free number you could be on hold for long time so they had a live DJ playing the hold music giving you updates on hold times for various queues like a traffic report.

 

[chartle]

So you're under 27?

[old man voice on]

My first computer was a VIC 20 I bought for $300 in 1982ish, 3.5K of memory and a 22 column by 40 row screen.

[old man voice off]

 

[chartle]

Your parents took messages for you? Lucky! If we weren’t there to answer the phone we were SOL. I remember looking in the newspaper for movie times and having to look up the number for transit to get a bus schedule to get there. ALWAYS had change for a pay phone. My kids wouldn’t know a pay phone or a landline for that matter if it hit them in the face. I realized the other day I don’t even know their phone numbers, lol.

Anyone remember calling for the weather? Or dialing 555-**** for information?

My son just flew through Chicago and he sent me a text saying only every 2 out of 3 pay phones were removed.

 

[Meriweather]

lol younger generations have no idea how easy they have it. In another active thread (can’t remember which one) someone couldn’t imagine how we survived without GPS. If you can’t remember going somewhere new and having someone try to fold up a map after it was used, you’re too young LOL

LOL....we just returned from Disneyland with DGD (4). She wanted to know what that big black thing on the nightstand was.....the one with the numbers and buttons. She has no idea!!