You know you're old when...

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by MassWholeBimmer

...when using a magnifying glass and a head lamp and you still can't thread the needle. (Just happened... needed to sew on a missing button).

First position your phone in a steady hands-free position and subsequently use the zoom function or even 'magnifier'. Maybe that helps.

For some quick basic magnifying stuff: apart from the regular zoom function, most mobile phones feature a pre-installed app called "Magnifier". Strong zoom in + features a torch/flashlight and the possibility to photograph.

Plenty of magnifier apps for all phones exist.

Helps to show a closer look, also if eyesight ain't good. But, true, still requires a bit of a steady hand and patience to thread the needle.

Trivia. A friend of mine was on holiday in Brazil. On a Sunday late afternoon he had his return flight to Europe. So he went for a final morning swim in the ocean ...but lost his glasses in the sea. Search to no avail. Given his very bad eyesight that was kind of a problem as he had not brought spare glasses and doesn't wear lenses. And optician shops were apparently closed that Sunday. So he used the camera of his mobile phone as a substitute for his lost glasses for the journey back to Europe and bought a power bank at the airport to ensure not running out of phone battery. All went fine.

[Boomer 2019]

Phones with lights, zoom, and magnifiers? What are these things of which you speak? Mine makes and receives phone calls and texts. Then I fold it up and put it in my pocket. Have I been missing something?

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by Boomer 2019

Phones with lights, zoom, and magnifiers? What are these things of which you speak? Mine makes and receives phone calls and texts. Then I fold it up and put it in my pocket. Have I been missing something?

[Boomer 2019]

I also have a connected and functioning rotary phone in my guest bedroom. Everyone who stays the night here is old enough to have used one themselves way back when, so instruction is not needed.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Boomer 2019

Phones with lights, zoom, and magnifiers? What are these things of which you speak? Mine makes and receives phone calls and texts. Then I fold it up and put it in my pocket. Have I been missing something?

My flip phone won't do anything fancy either. Still, it does do what I need when I pull it out of the drawer for a road trip or a day-long backroads fun run.

[vreihen16]

.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by boomer 2019

i also have a connected and functioning rotary phone in my guest bedroom. Everyone who stays the night here is old enough to have used one themselves way back when, so instruction is not needed.

lol

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by Artemis

lol

Attachment 3275174

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lv8iTPe4VuA

What joy!

[Car-Addicted]

Originally Posted by Boomer 2019

I also have a connected and functioning rotary phone in my guest bedroom.

I'll see your rotary phone and raise you a party line.

[3.0L]

My brother had one of these set up between his bedroom and his best friend's bedroom across the back fence.
They were about 10 years old and set it up themselves.

[vreihen16]

^^^^^ "No warm up!" ^^^^^

You might be old if you ever carried a box of vacuum tubes into your local drug store (or electronics repair shop) to use their free tube-tester to troubleshoot your radio/TV problem.....

[zgood4u]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

^^^^^ "No warm up!" ^^^^^

You might be old if you ever carried a box of vacuum tubes into your local drug store (or electronics repair shop) to use their free tube-tester to troubleshoot your radio/TV problem.....

oh yeah, late 60's early 70's worked at an electronics supply store and we had the tester and every imaginable tube in our stock. audio, video, and for ham operators, CB radios. we had a great time back then.

[Car-Addicted]

Originally Posted by MassWholeBimmer

...when using a magnifying glass and a head lamp and you still can't thread the needle. (Just happened... needed to sew on a missing button).

You are old if you know what this is and older if you own one.

[Car-Addicted]

Originally Posted by 3.0L

My brother had one of these set up between his bedroom and his best friend's bedroom across the back fence.
They were about 10 years old and set it up themselves.

Remember when this was a cool toy?

[Boomer 2019]

It's a needle threader for the drunk, feeble, and blind (oops... visually challenged). My mom always had several in her sewing kit though she was none of the above.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

^^^^^ "No warm up!" ^^^^^

You might be old if you ever carried a box of vacuum tubes into your local drug store (or electronics repair shop) to use their free tube-tester to troubleshoot your radio/TV problem.....

We had endless customers walk into dad's TV store with a lunch sack full of vacuum tubes, usually carefully labeled with masking tape (if they were smart).

One day a fellow set a bag of vacuum tubes on the counter and proceeded to unload the bag in front of my dad. When he pulled out an aluminum "tube" he mentioned that one was difficult to remove (it had plyer marks on it). It was an electrolytic capacitor. Dad had to give the guy some bad news.

[Artemis]

Originally Posted by Esteban

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/lv8iTPe4VuA

What joy!

And when the TV got affected by static: "No! Go slam it!".

[Boomer 2019]

Originally Posted by Car-Addicted

I'll see your rotary phone and raise you a party line.

I grew up in the age of the party line. We didn't get a dedicated telephone line until sometime in the late 50's. They were a pain in the ass. Whenever the phone rang you had to pick up in case it was for you, which given the number of houses sharing the line was usually not the case. Then if it was not for you and no one else had picked up yet, to be a good neighbor you did not hang up but waited for someone else to pick up because if you did, the person being called would not receive the call. Once someone else picked up you could hang up and let them deal with it. Then there were the inevitable group discussions that occurred when several people picked up and everyone hashed out just who the call was intended for. Also, when you wanted to place a call there was frequently a conversation already going on by another party line member. This could be awkward, especially if the conversation was long winded, and you picked up several times while waiting. You had to wait your turn for an open line.

I can't imagine people today having to deal with these limitations. I think everyone would literally lose their minds.

[3.0L]

Originally Posted by Artemis

And when the TV got affected by static: "No! Go slam it!".

And dirty tuners. I disassembled and cleaned the contacts on hundreds of those mechanical tuners.

[Car-Addicted]

Originally Posted by Boomer 2019

I grew up in the age of the party line. We didn't get a dedicated telephone line until sometime in the late 50's.

My grandparents farm had a party line in the 50's and 60's. Party lines worked well until there were too many teenagers on the line.

[garyfried]

When you mention spring chicken to someone and you get a blank stare.

[garyfried]

When you go to a strip bar and the tvs are more interesting that whats on the pole.