What "old school" things do you still do?

I come across situations where digital maps just don't have the level of info I need. So I make my own maps and then print copies for hikes, trips, etc. AllTrails and other digital sources don't have the level of detail that paper maps have. A couple of times, I was saved by paper maps when my phone battery died.
starved rock map copy.jpeg


mckinleywoods-2 copy.jpeg
 
I listen to the radio. I use paper checks when it saves me a fee (they are also handy for monitoring subscriptions). Speaking of which, I subscribe to a few paper magazines (more online). I have lots of paper maps that I probably need to cull. I wonder if I am a collector? It's an expensive hobby, so I'd never move beyond the freebies from natural areas.

And I use a bottle of nail polish when I want to polish my nails. Elaborate nails that cost a week's groceries are not worth it to me.
 
One thing I don't recall seeing listed....I always carry a handkerchief, which my kids like to rib me about.
Still listen to vinyl, cassettes, and CDs. (8 track player gave up the ghost).
Watch DVDs/Blu rays and occasionally VHS.
Only read books in paper form.
Grow most of my own veggies.
Pay with cash, credit card or check. Don't have any cash apps
Not on Facebook, tic-toc, X, Instagram or any other such social media.
 
I still build my own computers and also maintain my boomer parents' computers and my gen Z daughters'. My Gen X buddies and I always talk about how our generation seems to be the only generation that 'gets' how computers work. We were there in its infancy, when things were very manual and you had to have some idea of what was going on to get anything to work. Boomers were too old by the time the personal computer came out, and Gen Z and newer grew up with a supercomputer in their pocket so had no need to really understand how it all works.

But then AI happened and created an existential crisis for us computer hacks. Even for me, who's been in computer industry for 3 decades, I never thought computers would get to the level of ChatGPT, image generation, video generation. It's all so fantastical and goes against everything I know about computers - you program it, it does what you ask, if it breaks, you can debug and find out why. No more!

Perhaps we're seeing a shift in knowledge now. Gen X is stuck in their ways of how computers are supposed to work, and Generation Alpha and Beta will be the leaders of computers and AI.
 
I enjoy a cup of coffee brewed in a perculator on the stove, or camp stove on the tail gate of my truck.

I have an old pickup without turn signals. I drive it to town once in a while and use hand signals. I doubt anyone younger than me knows what I'm doing.

I grill with charcoal, not gas.

When I was first on the fire department our newest truck was a 1975 Ford F550. Of course it was a manual, so was the pump. Engage the clutch, set the emergency brake and put the transmission into PTO and let it out. We would gauge the vacuum by squeezing the inlet hose between our legs and guessing how much pressure you had. Gradually we replaced all the trucks with automatic transmissions and computerized pumping equipment, then they replaced us old firefighters with younger ones.

I can start most older John Deere tractors with a screw driver. Not recommended.

I still use my old typewriter sometimes and have carbon paper. Comes in handy when you run out of printer ink.

A lot of my skills aren't in demand anymore, but once in a while they come in handy.
 
surprising said:
I still build my own computers and also maintain my boomer parents' computers and my gen Z daughters'. My Gen X buddies and I always talk about how our generation seems to be the only generation that 'gets' how computers work. We were there in its infancy, when things were very manual and you had to have some idea of what was going on to get anything to work. Boomers were too old by the time the personal computer came out, and Gen Z and newer grew up with a supercomputer in their pocket so had no need to really understand how it all works...<snip>
Click to expand...

This is such a tiresome trope.
 
Calico said:
This is such a tiresome trope.
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Yes, I am 81 and built many computers over the years. As a matter of fact, I had a small business selling my built computers in the mid - 2000's. I also installed networks (hard cable and wireless) in new build apartment complexes where my DW worked as a District Manager.

And I am older than a "Boomer" (a Greatest Generation guy).
 
I use a paper wall calendar in my kitchen so I am more likely to see what appointments and activities are coming up; my electronic calendar is set to remind me 30 minutes before events, which is great for getting me out the door but only if I remembered to be ready.

I'm thinking about using a paper diary to track when I traveled places, I think it'd be nice to see a list of each year and city/country.
 
Ronstar said:
I come across situations where digital maps just don't have the level of info I need. So I make my own maps and then print copies for hikes, trips, etc. AllTrails and other digital sources don't have the level of detail that paper maps have. A couple of times, I was saved by paper maps when my phone battery died.
Click to expand...

Starved Rock is a great park.
 
I put doctor/dentist appointment cards on the refrigerator door where they can remind me of the appointments.
 
This is fun.....Good to know I am not alone....mostly repeats but will add a few....my Old School stuff:

  • Use library and prefer hardback book to read (but the library card is on my iPhone)
  • Listen to AM radio when traveling (at night to clear channel stations across the USA) Especially like to catch the "Grand Ole Opry" live from Nashville on Saturday night on AM 650 (100 anniversary this year)
  • Attend the traditional church service (no contemporary service, please)
  • Plant a summer vegetable garden and can/freeze
  • Get hair cut at barber shop (cash only, gather good local intel/gossip)
  • take care of lawn myself (I notice very few neighbors do that anymore)
  • Her Majesty mostly cooks from scratch and I make the biscuits from scratch
  • coffee is from a percolator
  • Our trash can is one of those "Oscar the grouch" aluminum cans....I asked the garbage man what he thought and he said "old school, I like it".
  • shirt is always tucked in and dress shirts are all buttoned down (preppy 1980's teen)
  • use a metal house key

But we've adjusted well....we do embrace new stuff:
  • no paper bills (hate the paper mail/junk....wish I could opt out of mail or just have them bundle and deliver once a week)
  • say no to paper receipts (unless big purchase for taxes and then goes in small file)
  • Turbotax to e-file
  • e-banking (cash only for the barber, deposit via mobile, pay bills, use plastic to pay etc)
  • no checks (looked and wrote two checks in 2024)
  • no watch or wallet
  • no newspapers or magazines
  • scripts delivered (come via UPS but that really is old school as the local pharmacist used to deliver way back when)
  • love our iPhones, iPads and MacBooks
  • love our smart TV with YouTubeTV (no cable)
  • all important documents are electronically stored

It's good we still have choices.....and this proves the only thing constant is change.....I'm sure there are more....
 
MC Rider said:
The Ducati I used to have, the battery was removed from below the bike. The jump start procedure was a bit more compel than the usual remove seat, see battery. Lucky I did not ever have to try and jump start it.
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This is why I will attach an SAE connection so it's easy to attach a trickle charger to the battery without removing the seat.

athena53 said:
I'm sure that's why they quoted $1,500-$1,800 last year. Lots of tearing out and replacing. Not sure if it's worth it- I bought the car new in July, 2020 and I like to keep cars till they're no longer reliable but that time seems to be getting shorter and shorter.
Click to expand...

I like to hold onto cars too but I think that it will change in the future because of tech updates. That's why I was so happy to change out the head unit in my 2007 CRV three years ago to get CarPlay. The car became more enjoyable to drive. Sadly I need to get rid of it this year due to underbody rust.

CincyDave said:
One thing I don't recall seeing listed....I always carry a handkerchief, which my kids like to rib me about.
Still listen to vinyl, cassettes, and CDs. (8 track player gave up the ghost).
Watch DVDs/Blu rays and occasionally VHS.
Only read books in paper form.
Grow most of my own veggies.
Pay with cash, credit card or check. Don't have any cash apps
Not on Facebook, tic-toc, X, Instagram or any other such social media.
Click to expand...

Apparently handkerchiefs are making a comeback because they're more environmentally friendly than paper.

I don't consider growing veggies/plants to be "old school". People have liked gardening for years and will continue to do so in the future. Maybe "old school" is someone who refuse to use hybrid seeds, row covers, raised beds, and other modern techniques.
 
Ronstar said:
I come across situations where digital maps just don't have the level of info I need. So I make my own maps and then print copies for hikes, trips, etc. AllTrails and other digital sources don't have the level of detail that paper maps have. A couple of times, I was saved by paper maps when my phone battery died.
Click to expand...
You reminded me of the time DW and a younger friend went hiking on a local but poorly marked trail. DW asked about a map, but friend said no worries, we can just use GPS. Well, they reached a place where there was no cell signal and either no GPS or DW's friend unable to figure out her GPS. They wandered lost for 15 minutes before getting a signal and back to a place they recognized enough to lead them back out.
 
surprising said:
Boomers were too old by the time the personal computer came out
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I would disagree with this statement. I am in the middle of the boomer range, and the personal computer came out during my early 20s. Since one got the best bang for one's buck by building one's own computer, I (and many of my friends) built our own computers starting in the early 90s. We had local and work based "computer clubs" that were full of boomers. In fact to this day all of the desktop/tower computers I have used over those 30+ years have been ones I built myself. I also built computers for my kids when they went to college starting in the early 2000s, and since I showed them how, they never had an issue that they could troubleshoot (and in most cases resolve) on their own.

I also did all our home networking, a lot of networking at work, and one of my big volunteer efforts in the 90s was (with a number of other boomers) wiring our local schools with Ethernet cables (and coding it in such a way that the wiring could easily be upgraded when new Ethernet specs came out).

So there are a lot fewer boomers who were "too old" than one might think :).
 
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bbqcoder said:
This is why I will attach an SAE connection so it's easy to attach a trickle charger to the battery without removing the seat.
Click to expand...

Good plan, I did that. Not sure if that would be good to jump start the bike, and never had to try and jump it.

Yes on handkerchiefs.
 
CincyDave said:
One thing I don't recall seeing listed....I always carry a handkerchief, which my kids like to rib me about.
Click to expand...
This is worst than old school for me - it is an obsession :). I "blame" my mom, who from as long as I can remember would not let me out of the house without asking (and something checking) if I had a clean handkerchief with me. To this day I have to have one in my pocket. I realized it was bad when I was once asked to get to a client ASAP, so I rushed home change, pack and race to the airport to catch the last flight out, on the phone most of the time (I was in the cab) getting information and updates about the client situation - and realized, once I got to the airport, that I had forgotten my handkerchief. That made the flight very uncomfortable for me. As soon as I landed and got my rental car I found the nearest Walmart to buy some before getting to the client location:) .
 
surprising said:
My Gen X buddies and I always talk about how our generation seems to be the only generation that 'gets' how computers work. We were there in its infancy, when things were very manual and you had to have some idea of what was going on to get anything to work. Boomers were too old by the time the personal computer came out, and Gen Z and newer grew up with a supercomputer in their pocket so had no need to really understand how it all works.
Click to expand...

Another Boomer here born in 53. When I got out of the Air Force in 81 after working on avionics computers for 9 years, my first job was as a computer Field Technician working on mid range computer system. After the IBM PC (Model 5150) came out in late 81 we had to pivot quickly to working on them as well. We worked down to the component level on multiple computer systems everyday solely onsite at customer locations. I could install Arcnet and Datashare networking systems in my sleep and sometimes I think I did. I rarely went on a computer service call without at least my oscilloscope for troubleshooting. So, yeah, Boomers know computers. We used to repair hard drive crashes by replacing disk platters and any damaged heads and then aligning them to read correctly. We did this back when drives used optics or pick and pawl systems to position heads on a disk and a disk had 20 heads.

Just for the record, there was a computer world long before IBM PCs and their clones. Some of them made by Wang, Tandem, Burroughs, Datapoint, Xerox, Honeywell, Singer, NCR, IBM, Memorex, Telex, Digital Equipment and a host of others.
 
bbqcoder said:
I don't consider growing veggies/plants to be "old school". People have liked gardening for years and will continue to do so in the future. Maybe "old school" is someone who refuse to use hybrid seeds, row covers, raised beds, and other modern techniques.
Click to expand...
I guess that I am old school since I save heirloom tomato (and some pepper) seeds. Let them get moldy , rinse and then dry for next year. It allows us to have some very interesting tomatoes every year that we can in mason jars - another old school technique. We can about 30 liters of tomatoes each year.
 
jcfradio said:
I guess that I am old school since I save heirloom tomato (and some pepper) seeds. Let them get moldy , rinse and then dry for next year. It allows us to have some very interesting tomatoes every year that we can in mason jars - another old school technique. We can about 30 liters of tomatoes each year.
Click to expand...
I have saved seeds of tomato plants (brandywine, Federle, and some others) but stopped doing this. As much as I enjoyed the taste of a brandywine tomato, it wasn’t worth just getting 1-2 tomatoes before the plant succumbed to wilt.

Today, I grow pony express, big beef, and sun gold. They all produce plentiful good tomatoes and will last all season.

Yes, I do can tomatoes. Tried freezing but found that I prefer canning because of the finite amount of freezer space available.

I do agree that less people do canning than they did in the early part of the 20th century.
 
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