I remember watching CNN's bottom line go through endless NCAAB scores to get to the NHL scores, and it always going to commercial right before NHL, I'd have to wait 30 minutes to find out if the Hawks won.

 

There was no other option... that was like 1996!

 

What did you used to do before the Internet became widely available that has completely changed for you since then?

I was going to post the same thing you did, including when they would break for commercials and you would miss the score because the ticker wouldn't stop.

 

CLTV for me though.

 

 

-Having to buy video game strategy guides.

I had to talk with people in person. It was horrific.

Read the newspaper to find the current standings.

Watch ESPN's bottom line to see who won that day.

Actually having to go to the library to do any kind of research for school.

Lugging out a dictionary when I couldn't remember how to spell a word.

Checking the newspaper to see what movies where playing.

Subscribing to Nintendo Power to get the latest game tips.

Going outside and playing with my friends.

Talking to people on the phone when they couldn't come over.

Edited March 30, 201115 yr by Iwritecode

I was happy when we moved to California because there were no more "Late" scores in next day's paper.

 

 

watched most of my porn scrambled

Someone please remove the word "did" from my subtitle. I sound like an idiot.

Oh man, I can't even remember most of it. One of the biggest problems was finding the answer to anything that wasn't readily available in the home encyclopedia or from someone I know. I've had this conversation with many people, but exactly how incredible is it to have the answer to almost any question right there for you in a matter of seconds? It's a little less rewarding when you find the answer, but the ease and quickness is unbelievable.

 

watched most of my porn scrambled

 

This, though, is the biggest difference

 

We had a few cable boxes, and once in a while the porn channels would get great reception. I wouldn't be out too often during those times. Otherwise, it was up to me to get my hands on some dirty magazines or VHS tapes. My dad had a small collection of the latter and I'd get a crack at them only when absolutely nobody was going to be home for a few hours. It was also sort of weird knowing that I was rubbing one out to the same scenes that my dad was likely watching, but you work with what is available to you.

Edited March 30, 201115 yr by Milkman delivers

I had a friend record Sox games on VHS and send the to me in our company's overnight delivery.

 

I used a real modulator / demodulator to dial into The Well, Exec PC, and some others. That was before GEnie, Compuserve, AOL, Earthlink.

 

Wrote letters to friends

 

 

 

I went to Tex's cave and read the carvings in the wall.

Doing a job search by searching the classifieds. What the hell would you do if location wasn't important to you and you wanted to search nationally?

Selling your junk at a garage sale instead of ebay.

Go to a friend's house. We'd ride our bikes to Ben Franklin for penny candy and that gum that came in a paint can that turned your mouth colors. Maybe stop into Blockbuster.

 

Used to walk or ride bikes through the forest behind our house. I knew every pond back there. Lots of cool spots.

 

Played a ton of roller hockey.

 

 

I think I'm about as an old someone could be and still barely remember life before the internet.

 

But to answer your question Steve, I built s*** out of Legos and ate glue. The internet has been a slight improvement I'd say.

Go to a friend's house. We'd ride our bikes to Ben Franklin for penny candy and that gum that came in a paint can that turned your mouth colors. Maybe stop into Blockbuster.

 

Used to walk or ride bikes through the forest behind our house. I knew every pond back there. Lots of cool spots.

 

Played a ton of roller hockey.

Damn, you just described my life ages 9-13. I'd also pick up huge boxes of baseball and hockey cards at Ben Franklin, but the rest is spot on... you must have lived in Loves Park!

Added up fantasy football scores in the newspaper.

Recorded songs onto cassette from the radio

Bought cds

Called friends houses and had to ask if they were home

Had to wait until the score thing came at the bottom of the screen to find out other game scores

Damn, you just described my life ages 9-13. I'd also pick up huge boxes of baseball and hockey cards at Ben Franklin, but the rest is spot on... you must have lived in Loves Park!

 

Palos Park actually. My best friend was in Palos Heights.

We had a few cable boxes, and once in a while the porn channels would get great reception. I wouldn't be out too often during those times. Otherwise, it was up to me to get my hands on some dirty magazines or VHS tapes. My dad had a small collection of the latter and I'd get a crack at them only when absolutely nobody was going to be home for a few hours. It was also sort of weird knowing that I was rubbing one out to the same scenes that my dad was likely watching, but you work with what is available to you.

 

Can I nominate this for post of the year, especially that bolded part?

watched most of my porn scrambled

lol, I used to watch lots and lots of scrambled porn. I was a very desenitized 12 yearold.

 

Also, I'm starting to feel old, I'm 25 years old now and there were times when I mentioned how scrambled porn was around before digital cable, and younger people around the age of 21 doesn't even know what I'm talking about. They have no idea what scrambled porn is.

you must have lived in Loves Park!

 

I did. My parents still do.

Doing reports for school was ALOT more time consuming. You would have to research several outlets to get even a little bit of info:

 

Encyclopedia (at home)

Microfiche

News clippings from the NYT and Trib

Encyclopedias at the library

Book search at library (dewey decimal system)

I remember watching CNN's bottom line go through endless NCAAB scores to get to the NHL scores, and it always going to commercial right before NHL, I'd have to wait 30 minutes to find out if the Hawks won.

 

There was no other option... that was like 1996!

 

What did you used to do before the Internet became widely available that has completely changed for you since then?

For me it was headline news. They seemed to be the first to do that.

Can I nominate this for post of the year, especially that bolded part?

 

Yes, please.

Read the newspaper to find the current standings.

Watch ESPN's bottom line to see who won that day.

Actually having to go to the library to do any kind of research for school.

Lugging out a dictionary when I couldn't remember how to spell a word.

Checking the newspaper to see what movies where playing.

Subscribing to Nintendo Power to get the latest game tips.

Going outside and playing with my friends.

Talking to people on the phone when they couldn't come over.

 

This was the biggest one for me. Not just to get my PhD but also to get journal articles fro my own research. I spent countless nights and weekends in libraries finding archived articles for my research. Now you can search and save it yourself in a few hours.

 

Think of all the hours wasted with research when I could have been drinking and getting wasted.

I did. My parents still do.

Same here. Harlem High School represent.

I was on Bulletin Board Systems prior to the Internet, so I've been on some sort of "online" situation since at least 1992.

 

ESPN2 was huge with the scroll at the bottom of the page; but prior to that, I'd either watch the late SportsCenter or read the newspaper the next morning.

 

In fact, I used to play in a fantasy baseball league that did transactions by phone and weekly stats by mail.