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Things in living memory which seem very anachronistic now
- Thread starter GordonT
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Libraries!
DelW
Established Member
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- 15 Jan 2015
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Still well used whenever I go into my local one (usually to borrow or return OS maps).
What have disappeared, though, are the trays of users' cardboard tickets, each with a slip tucked inside representing the book currently borrowed against it, and arranged by due return date.
chris53
Member
Our libraries here are very well used and provide an excellent service
D6130
Established Member
Here in West Yorkshire too....and in our village in Italy.
Sun Chariot
Established Member
Do mobile libraries still operate? In the late 1970s and early 1980s.I recall what (thinking back) was a Foden or ERF with long wheelbase "horse-box" style mobile library, visiting the borough's primary and secondary schools.
The one that used to call weekly near me hasn’t done so for years (I now realise!)
Fife libraries still have two mobile book vans which serve more rural communities. Orkney libraries have one mobile library vehicle (called Booky McBookface) whose duties include travelling by vehicular ferry from one island to another. I expect that a fair number of library authorities will still provide a mobile library service.
I know,someone who drives,one, so yes they do.
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
I think he means this type? They used to have a lot of these in the Twickenham area in the 1970s.
Screenshot below of the closest I can find to what I remember, although I don't recall the Twickenham ones having such a wide "hat" on top of them.
Howardh
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I'm having extensive work done to my bathroom and utility room; the house is on the verge of 100 years old, and much of the original power supply and wiring is still in use. Been told that "none of the plugs in the utility room were earthed" so presume earthing wasn't a thing between the wars? So an expensive add-on!
Note, the sockets had been changed in the 80's so those weren't original, but the wireing behind still hadn't been earthed. However my knowledge of electronics extends to I can wire a plug and that's it.
Note, the sockets had been changed in the 80's so those weren't original, but the wireing behind still hadn't been earthed. However my knowledge of electronics extends to I can wire a plug and that's it.
More a feature of side roads or things even more minor like foot paths. The version in the picture is what I remember but also recall there was a “hatless” version. At least we never got as primitive as the most basic of the three standard East German types (wooden pole with a light bulb sticking out the top under a “mushroom hat”).
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
Quite frankly, I'd arrange for the entire house to be rewired if it was me...
Certainly, I had to have mine rewired when I bought it ( in 1993 ) and the electrician doing it found the following, which therefore counts as "living memory" for this thread:
Gutta-percha wiring.
Which would have been the original wiring installed ( not when the house was built - it was gas lit when built in 1898 ) and which was in fact in a better condition than the 1960s black rubber wiring that was also present ( thus another "living memory" item ), much of which was perished. One length was so bad that I had the electrician cut a two foot long section of it which I gave to the local fire station for use in their safety lectures and demonstrations. That two foot section only had about 50% of the rubber remaining on what was otherwise a pair of bare wires. The look on the firefighter's face when I gave it to him was priceless, especially when I explained that the bloke who had the house before me - who had ironically been a retired electrician - had obviously been using it on a daily basis...!!
Statto
Established Member
Those are the ones i was on about.
Our local boiler fitter says he has lost count of the number of older houses he has found earth problems with. He rocks up with his test kit prior to fitting a new boiler and "voila", the property has lots of earth wiring but no earth connection.
Usually he finds the original install has been earthed to the mains water pipe or similar. Mains utilities are replaced by plastic pipework and earth no longer exists.
Howardh
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Yes, it needs it, however my current "project" is gonna cost nearly £15k when completed - so no funds after to rewire anything! Happily those areas rewired are the "wet" ones including bathroom lights/fans, utilities room with washer/drier etc so that was priority.
Killingworth
Established Member
Men tipping a hat to a lady, touching the forelock.
I stopped wearing a school cap about the time this practice was dying out. Never worn a hat since. My father always tipped his hat to a lady, and sometimes he and friends might mutually tip hats when meeting in the street.
I stopped wearing a school cap about the time this practice was dying out. Never worn a hat since. My father always tipped his hat to a lady, and sometimes he and friends might mutually tip hats when meeting in the street.
Can you imagine trying to walk through London doing this now? Your hand would never leave your hat!
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I have family who live in Fife. They even have a free library delivery service toi go with the van, so they'll deliver books, CDs, etc to your house (if you're unable to access libraries).
I think with the mobile libraries you can often make reservations or inter-library loans as well.
They're good services for places in which running a library would be prohibitively expensive. Though I do suspect the future of many libraries will be doubling up as council contact centres or places for council departments to base.
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Minnietheminx
Member
Already happening. Cumberland council is moving contact centres in places like Keswick to the local library. Barnsley council included a contact centre in Mapplewell library/village hall decades ago when the building was refurbished.
Another trend is for council run libraries, sport and leisure centres etc. to be hived off as separate trusts/charities which among other things enables access to alternative funding.
Brightonboy
Member
Although, in our area, the libraries previously outsourced to, iirc, a charitable trust, have just been brought back under direct council control (to some disappointment locally).
They feel more relaxing compared to modern led lights. I think whilst led lights are probably superior, there is usually some kind of coldness to them.
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Being able to customise the appearance of your YouTube channel, Yahoo Answers.
Not having photos of criminals when reported. I don’t remember old news from the 90’s but have seen unsolved murders from that time and lack of photos of both victim and suspect so imagine it was more of a norm then.
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National Dried Milk intended to ensure adequate milk for children within the context of post-war rationing. It lasted up until the 1970s by which time various brands of infant formula milk negated the requirement for National Dried Milk.
Fountain Pens:
I had to sign a death certificate a couple of years ago, this was the official copy they have to keep, so the signature had to be made by a fountain pen.
First attempt I scratched the paper so to speak, and then I said I'll try again.
I had to go back about 45 years in my head and try and remember how to write with a fountain pen, a few seconds later I remembered and signed my name.
I wonder how many people can write with a fountain pen today if they needed to?
I had to sign a death certificate a couple of years ago, this was the official copy they have to keep, so the signature had to be made by a fountain pen.
First attempt I scratched the paper so to speak, and then I said I'll try again.
I had to go back about 45 years in my head and try and remember how to write with a fountain pen, a few seconds later I remembered and signed my name.
I wonder how many people can write with a fountain pen today if they needed to?
I use fountain pen far more than any other type of pen.
I agree, and it's far worse for the 10% of people who are left-handed. Western civilisation's andwriting developed exclusively for right-handed creation, and ink pens greatly exacerbated the problem. For me it was even worse as the headmaster at my junior school insisted rhat italic style handwriting was mandatory.
Sun Chariot
Established Member
Cursive writing was mandatory at my junior school, in mid to latter 1970s. Out with the left-handed fountain pen's various grades of nib*...
* The long-gone "Anything Left Handed Ltd" shop in Beak Street, Soho, London, was my parents' usual source for my essentials, in my pre-University years. Wet-ink pens, ruler, protractor, set-square, various scissors & knives, vegetable peeler, mug (a printed picture on other side, so it faces me when I hold it with left hand), others I forget.
(Anyone not left-handed - yes, these things are different and, I guarantee, essential for happy leftie living!
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I'm fortunate that I only really need to use my left hand for writing and, strangely enough, a spoon.
The writing thing really impacted on my education years, it took most of my secondary school years to shake off the attempted italic style, and live with a hybrid scrawl between that and script.
Recently, after three decades of almost total dependance of keyboard generated text, I had to write a cheque. I only had six physical paper cheques and it took four attempts to write one acceptable cheque. I felt that I was getting near to signing things with a cross!
The writing thing really impacted on my education years, it took most of my secondary school years to shake off the attempted italic style, and live with a hybrid scrawl between that and script.
Recently, after three decades of almost total dependance of keyboard generated text, I had to write a cheque. I only had six physical paper cheques and it took four attempts to write one acceptable cheque. I felt that I was getting near to signing things with a cross!
When my father died a couple of years ago and I went to the registrar office to collect his death certificate, the registrar used a fountain pen to sign the certificate, then left the certificate to one side for a few minutes to let the ink dry. On his desk was a pen holder with four other fountain pens in it, as well as a healthy stockpile of replacement cartridges. So, yes, fountain pens are very much still in use amongst registrars.