Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I used to work for a company that specialized in content and applications for mobile phones and handheld devices. We were really riding on the cutting edge, and this was back in the internet boom when there WAS no budget. I had at least 20 to 25 different phones and PDAs and was constantly encouraged to seek out and buy more for testing purposes. Sometimes, I was instructed to buy FIVE of the latest PDA because the higher ups wanted to show off the new toys to clients. I kid you not; I had new technology bleeding out of my nostrils.
Then I became an AntiTech.
Well, being summarily laid off might do that to anyone. And it did take quite awhile before I got rid of my technology hangover. But it did go, and when it went, it went with a bang:
I no longer feel the desire to buy a new cell phone.
I sold all my PDAs.
I no longer want to try the latest Kindle device (anyone remember the RocketBook?).
I did buy an iPod, but will try not to buy another.
No flat screen TV. We have a standard CRT TV. It works.
I don’t have a Tivo. We have a VCR.
I pump water outside from the well.
OK, I made that last one up. But something did happen to me on the way to being kicked off the new technology gravy train. Oh, it was always lurking there in the background - I love to fix up old electronics, the older the better. I would often repair a TV so that I wouldn’t have to buy a new one. I’d take in homeless VCRs bound for the dump. I’d take hand-me-down amplifiers, CD players, radios or speakers that no one wanted. I’m currently listening to Itunes plugged through Grandma’s old pioneer receiver from the 60s. I would save switches and circuit boards off of stuff that couldn’t be fixed.
My closet looked like the Transformers’ cemetery.
Even when I was working, I always tried to fix stuff where possible. But, I think being in the thick of technology made me see another side to buying all these new devices.
There is a tremendous amount of waste.
And I think that’s one reason I’ve sort of settled into the steady-state life of the anti-tech. I like technology all right. Hooray Internets!!1! I just don’t feel the need to get the latest devices or upgrade my phone or television set every year. Product manufacturers hate people like me. For the Cheaplander part, it’s just not cost effective, but on the tree-hugger front I guess it does keep more of the crap out of the landfill. Ooh, how noble.
If I need to get electronics, whether the new or old variety, I’ll always try and find it at the thrift store first. One of my favorite things is to rescue are these analog rotary dial telephones.
What?
Yes. Anyone born after the 80s might be wondering how the hell the phone in the photo above works. That’s right young’uns, when people say “dialing” a number, it comes from the old rotary dial that you had to actually stick your finger in and rotate in order to call.
OK, I promised myself I wouldn’t say anything more to embarrass my old self, so I’ll stop. But seriously, I’ve heard a lot of stories of kids who have never used these old phones in their life.
You used to be able to buy these for two or three bucks at the thrift store, but they’re becoming harder to find at those prices. The last time I got one, it was $5 at a yard sale which is sort of pricey, except when you consider that people at the “antique swap meets” sell them for between $25 and $75!
This is a pretty standard one you’ll come across - a Western Electric Model 500. What I like about these is that they’re built like a tank, are easy to disassemble, are impossible to break, and you can make them ring. I won’t get into it here, but most of the time it’s a simple re-routing of one wire on the inside in order to get it to ring (if anyone is interested in getting their phone to ring, let me know). Incidentally, I really like to hear someone say they’re selling this type of phone for cheap because it’s “broken” and won’t ring. Uh, no, you have a better chance of breaking a brick.
Yep, this phone is spectacularly primitive but wonderful.
That said, you’ll run into some issues of course. The ringer is also spectacularly loud, even when set to low - but you can jam some tissue on the inside or move the ringer away from the bell to silence it. Some of the older models may not have a standard phone jack end for the cord. But that’s another easy fix to cut and splice it to an existing phone jack.
The biggest problem may be when you’re trying to access phone services that require a touch tone phone. Because of that, this could never be the main phone for most people. But hey, they have models just slightly newer that do have a touch tone pad.
And on the bright side, no wall socket is needed for this phone. Just the phone jack. My mom actually likes having one of these around just for emergencies when the main power goes out.
Me, I like having this heavy, obsolete, jangling red paperweight on my desk to remind me that sometimes it’s better to fix up something old than buy something new.
[Editor’s Note: If you’d like to reach me about this article, please dial 867-5309 on your phone right now.]
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June 15th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
In a power outage, one of these is pretty much necessary. Those cordless phones won’t work. (I have one of the very early push button phones, but basically it looks the same as this one in beige.)
June 15th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
@cybele - I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I also have the pushbutton one like yours, but in red. I also have a smaller 80s one in red, and we have 2 other rotary dial tone ones in yellow and black. I think we have a slight problem accumulating these things =)
June 15th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
The funny thing is that these “retro” phones are coming into vogue for interior decorating. That’s probably why the cost is going up.
I also still use a CRT television and never upgrade unless something breaks and can’t be fixed by my rudimentary skills. That being said, from an ecological viewpoint, there are energy consumption issues for some devices. If you use an old T.V. or refrigerator, they are likely sucking up more juice than a modern replacement. New electronics are constantly being refined to consume less power (not to save us money, but to save the planet). I’m not sure of what the balance is between landfill and carbon dioxide emissions though. However, I figure that I’ll just do what is the least wasteful and hope for the best.
June 15th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
@orchid Definitely true about power consumption - at some point, I wouldn’t try and fix things and just get something new that would be more energy efficient. I think a refrigerator is a good example of it, as are a lot of large appliances. However, stuff like cellphones I’ll go out of my way to avoid buying new ones - I don’t think they’re thinking about saving power when they refine them! The problem also is that new things tend to be made much more cheaply and break easily. So I feel like the amount of stuff we’re throwing away escalates once you start buying newer things. That said, I still do buy new things =)
Hey, you’re right about old stuff coming back into fashion. We do get a lot of stuff to decorate for the house at the thrift - it works out well. Like for furniture, it’s cheaper to get it at the thrift than buying new at the store, I feel like we save it from the landfill, and if it’s a charitable organization then I feel like we’re helping them out. Triple win!
June 16th, 2009 at 6:34 am
I have an ancient TV too! Purchased back in the olden days of 1996. It only has a coaxial connection, so it’s a pain to hook up to our PS2, but I refuse to buy a new one because it works perfectly well. I’m a bit dubious about the whole power usage thing. Electricity isn’t created on demand, power plants generate a set amount, and if I don’t use it, it just keeps going down the line until someone does, or it dissipates.
June 16th, 2009 at 7:17 am
Bryan I think we’ve talked about these phones before.
I love them! And very much need to see if I can score one and then you can tell me how to rewire it. I’ve had the rotary ones and the pushbutton ones. I loved those phones and it would take like a full minute or so just to dial the number especially if you had to call long distance!
June 16th, 2009 at 10:13 am
@holly - We finally had to recycle our old TV cause it stopped working. Before that I had fixed it twice (circuit board solder joint crack) and also re-wired the sound (it had no RCA sound output, only an internal speaker). BTW, anyone looking to fix their own TV be very careful - old TVs are one type of electronics where you gotta be careful what you touch, even with the power off. They have a high voltage section and usually large capacitors that can store dangerous charge even after it’s unplugged.
@andrea - Yeah, you should get one! The re-wiring is easy, and I found out how to do it online. Here is a site that shows how to do it, and has the history of the 500. Scroll to the bottom of the page, where it says “Do you have a 500 model that doesn’t ring?”. It is normally just 1 wire, since they were setup for party-line. A photo is here.
June 17th, 2009 at 9:38 am
I think you mean 867-5309. Don’t worry about it Jenny… err, Bryan.
June 17th, 2009 at 9:46 am
@ken - haha! Nice catch, you see the problem is I wasn’t singing the song in my head while typing it. =)
June 29th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
I’m a little late to this party, but want to contribute anyway. I’m right there with you on this post. I still have my ‘86 Fisher STEREO 19″ TV in a closet. It gets called into service when the bulb on the new Sony rear projection unit goes out and I have to order another one. I also keep an old push button phone (circa ’80’s) in my tool bag. It’s great for testing out fax lines and modem lines! After I got laid off from 15 years being a techie, I went through the “anti-tech” too. It’s kinda nice.. and quiet.
RossS
July 1st, 2009 at 10:59 am
@RossS - that’s awesome you still use your old TV! I agree about the whole burnout from being in the tech industry - I mean it’s cool to buy the iPhone the day it comes out and all, but I just couldn’t handle having to stay on top of it all. It felt more like a job to me - I know other people really enjoy buying the latest and greatest but that’s gotten old for me.
One of my favorites is my old Pioneer PD-M435 6CD changer. I had that thing since high school in the 80s, and for some reason (knock on wood) it has chosen not to break down. I thought it wouldn’t last, cause it’s plastic and sort of cheap looking. But I still use it today.