What "old school" things do you still do?

[steelyman]

I have written (paper) letters to the White House twice, once to President Clinton and once to President Obama. Both times to advise them about foreign policy steps they had taken that gave me some concerns. I received a form letter reply in both cases, which politely made it clear that no one had read or intended to read my letter and that it would make not one iota of difference in any event. I've also written letters to my congressional representatives, with similar results.

I’ve had the same experience, although with NC congresspersons. It wasn’t unexpected.

I’ll still exercise my right to vote. That’s what we have.

 

[HFWR]

Replies from my congress critters were AI before there was such a thing. Aka, boilerplate.

 

[2017ish]

You are living large.

I think DW takes care of that with our travel. Home time is to decompress and, hopefully, staunch the monetary bleeding!

 

[CO-guy]

Drive a five-speed manual as my main car. (When traveling internationally and doing a lot of self-driving, it is a good skill to keep fresh.)

Yup. Our vehicle is a manual. All but one of my vehicles has been a manual, and my better-half has never owned an automatic transmission.

 

[HFWR]

Yup. Our vehicle is a manual. All but one of my vehicles has been a manual, and my better-half has never owned an automatic transmission.

I started with a three-on-the-tree.

Too much trouble in stop-and-go traffic. Auto for me.

 

[2017ish]

I started with a three-on-the-tree.

Too much trouble in stop-and-go traffic. Auto for me.

Yeah, if I ever had to deal with heavy traffic on a consistent basis, I'd have been tempted to change. Fortunately, my commute was before traffic in the morning and after it at night--and now, I zealously avoid crowded roads.

 

[HFWR]

Yeah, if I ever had to deal with heavy traffic on a consistent basis, I'd have been tempted to change. Fortunately, my commute was before traffic in the morning and after it at night--and now, I zealously avoid crowded roads.

It's so congested here now that rush hour lasts from 6am-8pm.

 

[Koolau]

Me too.... Mine don't last 100 years since I buy new ones as soon as the erasers are worn out.

When I first started at Megacorp I had to use an electro-mechanical calculator. For a lark, I used to enjoy dividing a number like 100,000,000 by 0.0000000001 or some such. That calculator would grind for half an hour to get the result.

I guess I was easily amused back in the day.

 

[Koolau]

Know what I miss from the old days? When a group of friends with varied points of view could get together and have a conversation over dinner and drinks without the risk of alienation. We have several folks in our friend group that if I say the "wrong" thing in front of them, it ruins their night. There are others that it would end our friendship. I don't like that. How do I keep track of all that after a few bourbons? I would find new friends that only think like me, but how boring is that? I would not want to live in a world where everyone thought like me.

Sounds like some of my family. Too bad really, because I really love them, but they have zero tolerance for certain subjects. Their beliefs are more important to them than family so I walk on egg shells some times.

 

[Koolau]

No one hand writes personal letters any more. Well, almost no one. But I do, even though I have fewer and fewer opportunities to do so. These days getting a personal letter in the mail is almost like getting a telegram a generation or two ago. It's almost a memorable event.
I particularly enjoy typing out notes and letters on a manual typewriter, though modern life discourages me from ever doing so. I had it in mind once to start collecting old typewriters (rather than old cars!) and even collected several until I got a grip on myself. One thing I didn't need in my life was even more toys that I valued but no one else in my family did. Still, I'm happy with what I have, though I don't want any more.
It's only during the Christmas season I can give my collection a good workout.
On the left is my Olympia SM which Germany began to produce after WWII. Among collectors it is called the "Mercedes" of typewriters. Woody Allen bought one as a young man and has typed out the scripts for every one of his movies on that same machine.
In the middle is a 1940s Royal DeLuxe with pebbly finish and stainless trim. I could have bought it for its looks alone.
And to the right is Royal Quiet DL, often used by the US Army during and after WWII. Very rugged & reliable. It's the machine that Earnest Hemingway used to write almost all of his fiction.
Every once in a while I'll wander over to Ebay and get the acquisition itch again.View attachment 55176 Stop me, somebody.

Just mailed out 73 Easter cards today. All hand written.

 

[ArmchairMillionaire]

I started with a three-on-the-tree.

Too much trouble in stop-and-go traffic. Auto for me.

I learned on an old Datsun 5-speed and a 3-on-the-floor Chevelle, but the first manual I owned was a 3-on-the-tree. Wish I still had that truck today.

Yup. Our vehicle is a manual. All but one of my vehicles has been a manual, and my better-half has never owned an automatic transmission.

My DW owns a 4-speed MGB but she's never driven it. She has a chauffeur. (Me)

 

[Gumby]

We currently have three cars. A 2001 BMW Z3 roadster with a five speed manual transmission, a 2018 Subaru Forester with a six speed manual, and a 2019 Mini Cooper S, also with a six speed manual. It is unlikely that we will buy a new car anytime soon, but I would try to get another manual transmission if possible.

 

[corn18]

I learned on an old Datsun 5-speed and a 3-on-the-floor Chevelle, but the first manual I owned was a 3-on-the-tree. Wish I still had that truck today.

My DW owns a 4-speed MGB but she's never driven it. She has a chauffeur. (Me)

I had a 1973 MGB GT in British Racing Green as my car in high school. I got a 1980 MBG limited edition for college. Hard to believe you can have that much fun driving a car with 100hp on a good day.

 

[Car-Guy]

I learned on an old Datsun 5-speed and a 3-on-the-floor Chevelle, but the first manual I owned was a 3-on-the-tree. Wish I still had that truck today.

My DW owns a 4-speed MGB but she's never driven it. She has a chauffeur. (Me)

We currently have three cars. A 2001 BMW Z3 roadster with a five speed manual transmission, a 2018 Subaru Forester with a six speed manual, and a 2019 Mini Cooper S, also with a six speed manual. It is unlikely that we will buy a new car anytime soon, but I would try to get another manual transmission if possible.

I had a 1973 MGB GT in British Racing Green as my car in high school. I got a 1980 MBG limited edition for college. Hard to believe you can have that much fun driving a car with 100hp on a good day.

Back in the day, manual transmissions where the only way to go; more fun, better performance, less expensive, etc than the "automatics"/slush buckets of the time. Not so any more. Well, maybe they are still cheaper, maybe....

 

[Montecfo]

Back in the day, manual transmissions where the only way to go; more fun, better performance, less expensive, etc than the "automatics"/slush buckets of the time. Not so any more. Well, maybe they are still cheaper, maybe....

Well they should be cheaper to insure since thieves don't know how to drive a stick.

 

[HFWR]

Automatic transmissions have come a long way since the two-speed “Powerglide”.

 

[Car-Guy]

Automatic transmissions have come a long way since the two-speed “Powerglide”.

The only "power" a GM powerglide had was in their name. What a hunk of junk. The three speed turbo hydramatics were much better.

 

[Golden Mean]

The only "power" a GM powerglide had was in their name. What a hunk of junk. The three speed turbo hydramatics were much better.

AFAIK, the powerglide was the only game in town if you were making big power (750+ hp). Typically for drag racing.

 

[HFWR]

AFAIK, the powerglide was the only game in town if you were making big power (750+ hp). Typically for drag racing.

The only powerglide I remember would have still been slipping shifting between gears at the quarter mile mark.

 

[Koolau]

I still miss "rowing" a 5 speed, but it's just impractical here in the "big city." Too much traffic. Also, I no longer need the gears to drive in snow.

 

[CO-guy]

I started with a three-on-the-tree.

Too much trouble in stop-and-go traffic. Auto for me.

We live in the middle of nowhere with winding mountain roads, so I like the resistance. However, we both learned to drive on a manual and lived in a city before moving to the mountains, so we drove stick in gridlock traffic for years. Driving an automatic actually feels weird to me and I tend to use whatever 'shifter' option is available. Never driven something with a CVT.

 

[Car-Guy]

AFAIK, the powerglide was the only game in town if you were making big power (750+ hp). Typically for drag racing.

We had a new 66 Chevy Impala with a 283ci (~195hp) and a powerglide. Destroyed the transmission at least twice in less than 50k miles. Obviously we are talking about different power-glides.

 

[Markola]

I use my dial up modem to check my MySpace page.

 

[More Cowbell]

I composed my own thank you email today instead of getting AI assistance.

 

[Gumby]

I composed my own thank you email today instead of getting AI assistance.

Well done.