Post the very best in obsolete and failed technology

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evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

I have several used iphone 4 and 4S'es coming through my office, and if I put in a sim card and let them lie around with 3G on, they will easily lasy 7-10 days fully charged and coming off a fresh wipe and restore.

# ¿ Dec 24, 2012 13:15

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# ¿ Apr 19, 2024 21:03

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Silmarildur posted:

Along similar lines, I've always wondered what exactly BMW was trying to convey with this goofy name:

Clearly Audi and Mercedes need to up their game if they want in on the business music market. In the theme of the thread I'd bring up trunk mounted 6 disc changers, quite common in 90s German cars. Granted you have 6 CDs to choose from, but with buffering being virtually non-existent they tended to skip like crazy and the concept of pulling over and opening the trunk to access new music is pretty hilarious.

Do you know what the alternative to the BMW Business stereo is? It's the BMW Professional stereo.

# ¿ Oct 9, 2013 17:09

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

I have a 7-digit number. Where can I sell it?

# ¿ Aug 25, 2015 17:22

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Something I picked up at a garage sale for $30:

I sold it on our local craigslist-equivalent for $250, I'm just not interested enough to get into film photography.

# ¿ Oct 19, 2015 18:55

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

I remember an anti-piracy campaign that had details on how to identify a pirate DVD:

-Lower price than retail
-Goes from theatre to DVD faster than normal movies.
-Lacks non-skippable ads and FBI warnings before the movie.

So basically, they advertised the advantages of piracy.

# ¿ Jan 28, 2016 16:43

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Humbug posted:

In light of the video cable discussion, has the Wii mini been mentioned here yet? A console released in 2013 with ONLY coax video out. No hdmi, no s-video and no component. It was aimed at kids, but still....

I just got a complete in box 1st-gen white Wii with the gamecube ports for $25 at the salvation army, modded it and resold it for $90. I can see the 1st-gens getting rarer and gaining value eventually because of the softmod abilities. The Wii mini has absolutely no redeeming features.

# ¿ Feb 17, 2016 12:18

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

AlphaKretin posted:

Man, you'd think Nintendo would learn after they tried the same poo poo with the GB Micro.

Except that the GB Micro is awesome.

# ¿ Feb 17, 2016 14:26

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

I bought this, which is obsolete in multiple ways:

-CD-player
-1x SCSI CD-ROM drive
-Kodak Photo CD player

# ¿ Apr 30, 2016 13:32

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Something I've wondered about are the Cray supercomputers of the 70s and 80s. How do they compare to todays computers? A typical PC today has 4 cores, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Do concepts such as RAM and CPU power even relate to a Cray?

# ¿ May 2, 2016 21:46

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

JazzmasterCurious posted:

Remember the time when ATi had rock solid drivers and nVidia were the buggy ones?

Nvidia caused 30% of all the crashes in Windows Vista. If that hadn't happened and OEMs hadn't demanded that Vista be certified for their Celeron laptops with 512MB RAM, Vista would have been received a lot better than what actually happened. If you install it and update it on a decent computer today, it's a perfectly acceptable but somewhat unremarkable and dated OS. Windows 7, 8 and 10 all run on technologies first introduced in Vista, the biggest changes have been in the user interface.

# ¿ Jun 11, 2016 21:07

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Samizdata posted:

Mkay, what were the other 70% then? Yeah, I am saying citation needed here.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2016 14:26

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Is Direct Connect and eMule/eDonkey still a thing? I downloaded insane amounts of stuff on those services from 2002-2007, but then torrents started taking over. It was all about finding the best and biggest hubs and servers to connect to to share with other users.

# ¿ Jul 1, 2016 07:23

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

cheerfullydrab posted:

This thread and other parts of the internet convinced me that Windows 10 is best avoided. My ancient laptop kicked the bucket a few months ago, and I've just been using phone and tablet since.

Yesterday, I ordered this bargain basement laptop. No Windows 10! There are few choices out there to avoid the thing.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Refurbish...sional/47085644

The same computer cost $1200 five years ago.

That's my computer at work. Slap an SSD in it, and it runs really well. Windows 10 also runs well on it.

# ¿ Jul 2, 2016 18:23

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

KozmoNaut posted:

Obsolete tech: My Thinkpad T42 that I bought for $2200(!) 12 years ago. It served me well for many years, going through school and countless train rides across the country. I recently dug it out again and tried to install the most minimal Linux distro I could find, but it's just so goddamn slow running any kind of GUI, never mind trying to run Firefox or Chrome or any other piece of modern software really, even with the 1.5GB RAM upgrade I installed when I got it. And forget about playing anything kind of video encoded with h264 or similar modern codecs. It'll just about play back straight DVD rips, but that's about it.

It's such a shame, because the hardware itself is still pristine, the keyboard is as good as ever and the hinges are still nice and tight. Such a great piece of engineering, left behind by the steady march of technology.

Try this on it: http://www.neverware.com/installation

# ¿ Jul 6, 2016 12:29

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Bruce Lee was asked to slow down his moves because the camera couldn't capture them.

# ¿ Aug 21, 2016 11:42

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

KozmoNaut posted:

Personally, I'll be perfectly happy with a 28" B&O. Back in the day, that was big enough to impress most people 38kg of pure quality.

You know I can't resist posting my retro setup

About $10,000 of 1992s finest electronics! Beosystem 7000, Beosystem 2500, MX7000, Redline 60.2, all in white. The TV and stereo are datalinked, so you can get the sound from the TV on the stereo - or you can play the sound from the stereo on the active speakers on the TV!

I use a softmodded Wii hooked up via RGB Scart for retro games, it does 240p very well.

I can also PM you some Facebook groups for Denmark/Euro-based B&O sites if you're not already on them.

# ¿ Sep 29, 2016 19:14

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Only one of the two scarts on the MX7000 is RGB-capable as far as I've figured out, but I have a very very early model. Later models might be more capable.

I did try that scanline thing with a 480i signal from the Wii, but it didn't make much difference to me. 240P from NES, SNES and Mega Drive emulators is GORGEOUS though! If you're a scanline fetishist it doesn't get much better than that! Remember to invest in proper Scart cables for your PS2 and Gamecube. I hooked up my PS3 via Scart in 576i for shits and giggles, and it does look pretty good!

The speakers are a completely different experience from LCD TV speakers, I've read that they are up to par with the Beolab 2500s, but I haven't pushed them enough to confirm it.

# ¿ Sep 29, 2016 20:16

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

mobby_6kl posted:

I know this thread loves the occasional MP3 player derail, so here's an article about getting a Rio PMP300 to work: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/10/diamond-rio-pmp300-mp3-player-today/

Sadly, the author gave up way too easily

His failure had everything to do with not getting an LPT1: port set up, and nothing to do with the MP3 player at all. Parallel ports are old when it comes to consumer stuff, but you can buy a brand new ThinkPad or Latitude computer and get them by using a legacy port expander, or a million other solutions!

# ¿ Oct 5, 2016 13:55

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

KozmoNaut posted:

It's a widescreen, I assume?

A 32" 4:3 would be amazing and gigantic.

I've seen a couple of Sony Trinitrons like that when I've been in the US and checking out retro gaming stores. They are AMAZING, and probably about 300 lbs.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2016 17:03

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Trebek posted:

I feel like the newspaper is more obsolete than any of the technology in that picture.

Airplanes are the only place I read newspapers, and that's because they are free on the way into the plane. I'll do anything to divert my attention from the cramped lovely position I'm stuck in for a few minutes at a time.

# ¿ Mar 1, 2017 20:59

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

My Zune HD has radio.

How is that for obsolete technology.

It is an amazing piece of design and technology, with absolutely zero market.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2017 18:52

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

It's MiniDisc time!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kU3BceoMuaA

# ¿ Mar 18, 2017 14:11

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

I picked this lot up just a few minutes ago today:

Got it for free on our local Craigslist equivalent. That's a pretty decent score.

# ¿ Mar 19, 2017 16:22

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Wilford Cutlery posted:

My favorite DRM flop was when Sony introduced "copy-proof" CDs with a ring on the bottom. You could copy them after drawing over the ring with a Sharpie.

There was also the one that auto-ran some DRM and playback software when you inserted it into your computer. If you held down the shift key while inserting it, which disables autorun, you were technically circumventing copy protection which could be considered illegal depending on your countrys laws.

# ¿ Mar 21, 2017 19:03

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

KozmoNaut posted:

Unless you're hooked on absolute thinness and other gimmicks, Thinkpads really are the best laptops out there. HP EliteBooks and Dell Inspirons are decent runners up, though.

Dell Latitude and Precision are the models you want. Inspiron is the plastic consumer line.

I wouldn't piss on an HP EliteBook with a stolen dick. I have one for work, and when I ran the driver update software, it gave me ads for McAfee antivirus. The Dell Command Suite of tools on the other hand is really good, and Lenovos utilities are decent too, although they have like 3-4 apps with overlapping update and diagnosis functionality.

# ¿ Mar 30, 2017 16:04

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

I used to love putting nice new 1-din units in my own and my friends cars. It was so easy to do with the right tools and adapters to fit them to the cars harness, and the improvement over whatever 80s tapedeck was there was immediate, with a shiny new CD player in place. I kept one of my really good Pioneer head units through several cars. It was a simpler time.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2017 19:38

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

empty baggie posted:

That top one can be swapped out. The S40 I had was more similar to the bottom one, where the AC and other system controls were integrated into the stereo. Anyway, there are still ways to add aux ports and subwoofers and such to those stereos without changing out the factory stereo. They just take some research and some aftermarket parts that are hidden, like DAC units that can be hidden under the seat or in the trunk.

I had a 2004 Saab 9-3 where swapping the stereo would have been a bitch. I never bothered. It was all integraded with the cars displays, its connections were fiber optic, and the best thing the aftermarket came up with was to tap into some lines to run RCA cables to an active subwoofer.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2017 14:49

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Here's something obsolete I picked up just yesterday, and I'm betting that quite a few readers of this thread didn't even know it existed: A quadraphonic receiver!

You could get four-channel tapes and even vinyl records. It also comes complete with connections for a decoder for not yet existing four channel FM broadcasts!

It's a Pioneer QX 949, and cost me $20.

# ¿ May 26, 2017 21:48

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

No, it's set up in 2-channel mode right now, which gives it 2*60W instead of 4*40W. It has developed quite a few issues after 20 years of storage and me using it for just a couple of days, so unless it can be fixed with deoxit, it's gotta move on.

# ¿ May 27, 2017 20:54

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

I took this picture at the Salvation Army today, and present it without further comment:

# ¿ Jul 11, 2017 20:03

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Der Kyhe posted:

Its probably because it is old as balls system, with connections to who knows where, storing *something* no-one is fully certain of exactly what, and an integral component to anyone's guess of other systems, built entirely on programming language for which no longer exists any sane developers, running on a custom OS which has not been supported in the last two decades.

So basically, everyone prays for God, Buddha, Satan or whoever that the system lasts for another 10 years, to the next complete (already overdue) overhaul of the entire IT infra, buyout, merger or bankruptcy.

Its also not about the costs per se, but the fact that once put offline, there is a non-zero possibility that it no longer goes back online. And then the bank loses some data and some functionality, but nobody is certain what that actually is.

Do you want 40k? Because this is how you get 40k!

# ¿ Aug 12, 2017 21:20

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

HTC Desire Z, from the days when HTC was the hottest company in the world when it came to smartphones. The build quality on this thing, especially the hinge mechanism, was incredible.

# ¿ Sep 17, 2017 11:09

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

ishikabibble posted:

I used that thing solid from the end of 2010 right up until about last year maybe, when T-Mobile literally discontinued 4G in favor of 4G-LTE and the phone became a brick.

That phone was so good and my clumsy rear end dropped it on concrete at least a few times and it never looked worse for wear. It was even the perfect size too. Miss that keyboard and no-look typing.

The one I had I got from work. A guy had left it out on the balcony while vacationing in Spain, so it was pretty much just a solid lump of rust. I took it apart and cleaned it up, and used it on and off for a couple of years.

I used to be into modding phones and installing new roms, but this model was more complicated than others to do it on. I could never figure it out, otherwise it would probably have been with me for a very long time. I had an extremely moddable HTC HD2 for years, which ended up with Windows Phone 7.8 before people started swapping in used iPhones at work, and I grabbed one of those.

# ¿ Sep 18, 2017 08:43

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Funzo posted:

I recovered a Technics SL-D3 turntable from my in-laws house when we helped clean it out. It's pretty grimy, but it spins under it's own power, so it should be usable. I'm planning on replacing the cartridge since it's old, and the needle looks bent up. In researching what I need, I found out there's all kinds of tools and devices for calibration and alignment, I'm a sucker for specialized tools. This is the gateway to $1000 power knobs and gold plated isolation pyramids isn't it?

Come join us: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3021252

# ¿ Sep 26, 2017 09:26

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Firewire gives better sound than USB.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2017 21:25

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Nice to know those tortillas are certified laser safe.

# ¿ Nov 14, 2017 21:51

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

37, can't hear poo poo over 12000hz.

# ¿ Dec 6, 2017 21:01

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

ladron posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RmuY-ufyhM

I kept waiting for it to start ㅠㅠ

Nope, nothing at all

# ¿ Dec 7, 2017 09:32

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Obsolete tech? I wonder how many of todays AutoDesk jockeys would be able to make something with this kit. It's an O.E. Richter & Co drafting tool kit I picked up this weekend. The biggest kits I've seen on eBay go for a pretty penny, and this one is even bigger.

Not sure about the age, but sometime between 1920-1940.

# ¿ Jan 7, 2018 20:19

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# ¿ Apr 19, 2024 21:03

evobatman: Jul 30, 2006; it means nothing, but says everything!; Pillbug

Light Gun Man posted:

In my American public middle school early 90s computers class we were very clearly told by the teacher that 3.5 floppies were called "hard disks", because they have this hard plastic shell, you see.

Ridiculous.

The hard disk is the big beige box with whirring noises, blinking lights and cables going in and out of it.

When the top of the screen gets hot, it means you have computed too hard, and have to turn off the computer to let it cool down.

# ¿ Jan 14, 2018 19:30

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