Kickin’ It Old School

Kickin’ It Old School…

    When we think of technology of today, it’s easy to think of the newest gaming systems, social media platforms, or even the debate between iPhone or Android. Every once in a while, it’s fun to take a trip down memory lane. It’s time to kick it old school…
    To put things into perspective, I was born in 1990. The 90’s were known as a “decade of peace and prosperity.” Also known as “The Post-Cold War Decade,” this era brought about the rise of the internet and is remembered for its fashion, movies, and music. My mother dragged myself and my sister along to stand in line for new beanie baby releases, Spice World was all the rage, and you were either team N’SYNC or team Backstreet (I was, am, and always will be team BSB…). This trip down memory lane would be remiss if we didn’t mention talk about the tech.
    Contrary to what most of what are children believe about the 90’s, yes, we had color television. We didn’t have smart TV’s or streaming services. What we did have were movies on VHS and DVD. We had to learn to tell time in order to watch our favorite television shows. Especially the new episodes since they only aired once a week. If you missed it, you ran the risk of hearing your friends ruin it for you until you caught the re-run the following night.
    Who remembers Atari? This girl does! It was your own, at-home arcade. The joystick plugged right into your television set and you could indulge in as many levels of Pac-Man or Centipede as you desired without having to drop a single coin. Sadly, our system met is demise when my father’s Pac-Man was obliterated by one of either Inky, Blinky, Pinky or Clyde and he catapulted the joystick into the tv. RIP Atari.
    Cell phones weren’t exactly cellular, but they were as mobile as mobile could be back then. Think of an old school home phone, coiled chord and all, except in your car. Fun fact, both of my parents’ cell phone numbers have remained the same since those old car phones. 
    We can’t talk tech without talking computers. Our first family computer would now be considered an artifact. From the pixelation to the floppy disks, it was definitely the beginning of the evolution. I distinctly remembered the perforated ream or printer paper and the God-awful sound the printer itself made. It looked and sounded like a piece of heavy duty machinery. 
   These days, computers have gotten smaller. Cell phones don’t have buttons. Televisions are now flat and can hang on the wall. You can watch your favorite shows and movies from anywhere at anytime. Instead of Walkmans and portable CD players, music can be downloaded to your listening device with the simple push of a button. 
Being born in the 90’s gave me a unique opportunity to experience the evolution of technology.