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What's a technology that was cooler in its older iterations? (pawb.social)

submitted 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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I don't mean BETTER. That's a different conversation. I mean cooler.

An old CRT display was literally a small scale particle accelerator, firing angry electron beams at light speed towards the viewers, bent by an electromagnet that alternates at an ultra high frequency, stopped by a rounded rectangle of glowing phosphors.

If a CRT goes bad it can actually make people sick.

That's just. Conceptually a lot COOLER than a modern LED panel, which really is just a bajillion very tiny lightbulbs.

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[–] [email protected] 43 points 4 weeks ago (3 children)

Toasters. Specifically the Sunbeam Radiant Control toaster, with the tag line "Automatic Beyond Belief!". There is a fan site (https://automaticbeyondbelief.org/, excellent url). Like, what other appliance line has a fan site? Surely no modern day toaster!

But of course I first heard about it from Technology Connections video.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 weeks ago

I think a lot of old school products worked better than modern equivalents. Take toasters - when I was a kid our toaster consistently made toast with the same degree of doneness. I've had modern ones that said "microprocessor controlled" on them that couldn't make consecutive pieces the same. Also flashlights. Simple metal flashlights just worked. My new sophisticated one cycles through multiple levels of brightness and then strobing (so I can what, have my own rave?) but sudden motions make it spontaneously turn off. I mean how hard is an ON/OFF switch?

And what's the deal with airline food? I'm thinkin' hey!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 weeks ago

My grandmother used to have one. I never realized how it worked before that video, but I was always fascinated by the fact that the bread would lower itself

[–] [email protected] 0 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I'd love a good toaster, do they stil exist or do you have to build your own?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 weeks ago

They aren't being made any longer but you can buy used ones. The channel in question (or his second channel maybe) goes over a process to make them a little safer for modern use (like using a polarized plug).