Skip to content


Obsolete Skills

Ther’s been a meme running throujgh the blogosphere lately on things we learned in the past that are now best forgotten. Indeed, I think this is one of those times where I feel like a geezer – I’ve forgotten more than I know now. And, be warned, describing any of these obsolete skills around teens will result in eye-rolling.
Anyway, there is a long list here:
Obsolete Skills
Don’t just read the list. Some are quite under debate (e.g. Dewey Decimal System)
Yes I have dialed phones, adjusted rabbit ears, and used white-out.
As for libraries, there are a few that I knew and I depended on in my early career (cue the eye-rolling):
Using Gestetner copiers
Making ditto copies
Using Carbon paper
Filling out ILL forms by hand
Using a Selectric and using different type balls
Networking CD-Roms
Unjamming pin feed paper
Using old catalogue cards for note paper
Wiggling telephone handsets into rubber couplers
Lifitng the cover on the sound baffle over the printer
Ah, nostalgia.
Stephen

  • Pro plugin deactivated or invalid

Posted on: March 3, 2008, 12:13 pm Category: Uncategorized

One Response

Stay in touch with the conversation, subscribe to the RSS feed for comments on this post.

  1. Hi Stephen,
    How about “file above the rod?”
    Thread a 16mm film projector?
    Beat out a chalk board eraser?
    Walk up to the TV to change the channel?
    Formatting a floppy disk?
    Good list.
    Doug