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Things in living memory which seem very anachronistic now

Ediswan

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15 Nov 2012
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Stevenage
I‘ve never produced an entire article of clothing, but have used a sewing machine to do curtains a few times over the years, and am still doing running repairs to clothes, such as failed hems, havevreplaced a few zips and fixed loads of loose or missing buttons.
I do have a pair of walking socks I knitted as a teenager in the 1970s. Complicated pattern around the heels.
 
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PeterC

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29 Sep 2014
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I may be underestimating people's skills but it is a long time since I heard of anyone sewing articles of clothing from scratch or carrying out minor sewing repairs or even sewing on a button.
SWMBO only buys underwear, everything else for herself she makes. She seems to take it as an insult if I pick up a needle but I am perfectly capable of replacing a button or fixing a seam that had come unstiched.
 

styles

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7 Dec 2014
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Gwynedd
When seedless grapes were by no means the "default" option or often the only option for grapes in shops.
Was kayaking in the Adriatic 2 years ago, got ourselves over to one of the smaller Croatian islands. Fresh fruit and vegetable seller, would be rude not to. Bought some green grapes, no need for a bag thanks, I'll just eat them now! Sat down, bit into one, and was pleasantly surprised to find it was a grape with seeds in it. Then it dawned on me - when was the last time I actually found non-seedless grapes in the UK? I'm sure if I went to a Whole Foods in Kensington I'd find them; but I don't even think the main supermarkets sell them any more do they?

I feel like there's been a trend towards 'simpler' food. Smooth orange is the default now, to the point many places don't even have 'with bits' orange juice available, like pubs, fast food places, etc. Got family members who can't stand crunchy peanut butter but will eat smooth. Same family members won't eat jam with bits. Mass-produced pork pies increasingly coming without jelly. Branston even started making a smooth pickle a few years ago. Do people just not like texture any more? I feel a bit 'old man shouting at clouds' saying that.
 

PeterY

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2 Apr 2013
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1,363
SWMBO only buys underwear, everything else for herself she makes. She seems to take it as an insult if I pick up a needle but I am perfectly capable of replacing a button or fixing a seam that had come unstiched.
Although I have sown a button on something or stitched a hem in over 50 years, I could still do it, if need be. :D
 

GordonT

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26 May 2018
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1,717
Specific words which in quite recent memory were commonly used but are now seldom uttered.
"Funky" would be one example of many words in this category.
 

gg1

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2 Jun 2011
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2,499
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Birmingham
Specific words which in quite recent memory were commonly used but are now seldom uttered.
"Funky" would be one example of many words in this category.
Also 'wicked' to mean good. Very popular teen slang in the late 80s and 90s but it's been years since I last heard anyone use the word in that context.
 

GordonT

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26 May 2018
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When it would have been regarded as most improper for an alcoholic drink to be taken from a theatre bar into the theatre auditorium itself. Not only is this the norm at many theatres but some enable patrons to order a drink online for it to be delivered to their seat.
 

The exile

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31 Mar 2010
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Somerset
I feel like there's been a trend towards 'simpler' food. Smooth orange is the default now, to the point many places don't even have 'with bits' orange juice available, like pubs, fast food places, etc. Got family members who can't stand crunchy peanut butter but will eat smooth. Same family members won't eat jam with bits. Mass-produced pork pies increasingly coming without jelly. Branston even started making a smooth pickle a few years ago. Do people just not like texture any more? I feel a bit 'old man shouting at clouds' saying that.
Much prefer the “with bits” options - except for the grapes. I suspect British supermarkets have cornered the market as I’m not aware of seeing them anywhere else in Europe.
 

frankmoh

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7 May 2025
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London
Branston even started making a smooth pickle a few years ago. Do people just not like texture any more? I feel a bit 'old man shouting at clouds' saying that.
I feel the same way. Pickle is meant to add texture to a sandwich!
 

Mcr Warrior

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8 Jan 2009
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17,305
Specific words which in quite recent memory were commonly used but are now seldom uttered.
"Funky" would be one example of many words in this category.
Isn't that now used as a description for foodstuffs that are maybe past their best before date and have now started fermenting?
 

GordonT

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26 May 2018
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1,717
When all hotels had conventional room keys, often attached to extra-large fobs, before electronic key cards with their occasional idiosyncrasies became more usual. Also when it would have been almost unthinkable for hotel guests to have a facility to "check out" without any engagement whatsoever with reception staff.
 

dangie

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4 May 2011
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Rugeley Staffordshire
Black football boots.
Now almost every luminous colour on the visible spectrum.
Wouldn’t have been very luminous back in my playing days with 6” of winter mud.
 

frankmoh

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7 May 2025
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Black football boots.
Now almost every luminous colour on the visible spectrum.
Wouldn’t have been very luminous back in my playing days with 6” of winter mud.
Speaking of: football on real grass, snow and mud used to be more common. (maybe not in my lifetime though)
 

Killingworth

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30 May 2018
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Sheffield
Phoning the GP surgery and getting any appointment easily.
Phoning the GP and being told there are no appointments and they'll contact you in a week to make an appointment 2 weeks later - which leads to a hospital appointment 3 months later.
 

Monarch010

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Joined
28 Feb 2013
Messages
94
What was considered appropriate outer wear for both men and women.
My father died in 1987, but I never saw him go out without wearing a collar and tie and, unless very hot weather, his trilby hat.
My first job was at a stockbrokers in London in 1968. Collar, tie and a two piece suit were obligatory for the men and the women were definitely not allowed to wear trousers.
Most of the senior men wore bowler hats to work, and there was a rack in the gents toilet where they could be stored during the day.
As an aside, we were not allowed to use the telephone for personal calls. One of my older colleagues, if told in the morning that he was required to work overtime that evening, could write a postcard to his wife at home in Orpington to say he would be late, stamp it and put it in the post tray, and, if it was before 10am, his wife would receive it by the second post that afternoon.
 

dangie

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Rugeley Staffordshire
My father died in 1987, but I never saw him go out without wearing a collar and tie and, unless very hot weather, his trilby hat.
I’m now 74. I have pictures taken back in the 1950’s of summer holidays in Blackpool with me making sandcastles and my dad sleeping on a deckchair still with shirt & tie & jacket.
 

GusB

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9 Jul 2016
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Elginshire
What was considered appropriate outer wear for both men and women.
My father died in 1987, but I never saw him go out without wearing a collar and tie and, unless very hot weather, his trilby hat.
My first job was at a stockbrokers in London in 1968. Collar, tie and a two piece suit were obligatory for the men and the women were definitely not allowed to wear trousers.
In 1908, women would have been frowned upon for showing their ankles.

Most of the senior men wore bowler hats to work, and there was a rack in the gents toilet where they could be stored during the day.
As an aside, we were not allowed to use the telephone for personal calls. One of my older colleagues, if told in the morning that he was required to work overtime that evening, could write a postcard to his wife at home in Orpington to say he would be late, stamp it and put it in the post tray, and, if it was before 10am, his wife would receive it by the second post that afternoon.
Isn't it wonderful that we've moved on? :)
 

Statto

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8 Feb 2011
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At home or at the pub
Does anyone still buy & use MP3 players & CD players, i know they're still made & sold but most of us tend to use Mobile Phones or Tablets as MP3 players nowadays?
 

frankmoh

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London
Does anyone still buy & use MP3 players & CD players, i know they're still made & sold but most of us tend to use Mobile Phones or Tablets as MP3 players nowadays?
Most people I know use Spotify or Soundcloud. I still use MP3s (albeit on my phone) since I don't need the internet for it. Also no adverts.
 

Jamesrob637

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12 Aug 2016
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Does anyone still buy & use MP3 players & CD players, i know they're still made & sold but most of us tend to use Mobile Phones or Tablets as MP3 players nowadays?

I use the CD player in my 2012 Golf and will continue to do so as long as I own said vehicle :D
 

52290

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23 Oct 2015
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731
Does anyone still buy & use MP3 players & CD players, i know they're still made & sold but most of us tend to use Mobile Phones or Tablets as MP3 players nowadays?
I use my Marantz SACD player almost daily to listen to some of my 2000 or so CD's of classical music.
 

Harpo

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21 Aug 2024
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Newport
Does anyone still buy & use MP3 players & CD players
My circa 1000 CDs have been uploaded onto a Bluesound Vault which works like a network area server. I still buy CDs for lossless listening.

I’ve still got my IPod (i.e an MP3 player) for flights although I’m about a year behind on adding CDs to it.
 

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