Thinking back to the olden days and remembering the excitement of being able
to buy (electrical) plugs in white. Then along came rubber plugs - amazing!

Then changing sockets to white flush ones.

Putting a plug on my mother's iron so she didn't have to plug it into the
light fitting.

Rocker switches - Wow - so modern.

A TV with a remote control (21 strand cable to it I believe).

My first house - I think I bought it because it had a Trimphone on a really
long wire so that you could carry it into the lounge - wow - all phones used
to be black and in a cold hallway.

I wonder how many jobs would have been saved if telephones had been freed
from the Post Office monopoly earlier. (whilst we had a manufacturing
capability)

Going to the Science Museum and seeing a door that opened as you walked up
to it - Heavens! things would never get this fantastic

In article ,
John wrote:
I wonder how many jobs would have been saved if telephones had been
freed from the Post Office monopoly earlier. (whilst we had a
manufacturing capability)

Probably none. At least GPO phones were UK made.

--
*Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

John wibbled:

Thinking back to the olden days and remembering the excitement of being
able to buy (electrical) plugs in white. Then along came rubber plugs -
amazing!


The real progress was tweaking Duraplugs so you don't curse when you realise
you forgot to thread the cable though the lid!

Then changing sockets to white flush ones.

Now heading back to wood. Wonder when retro brown bakelite will be
fashionable?

Putting a plug on my mother's iron so she didn't have to plug it into the
light fitting.

Rocker switches - Wow - so modern.

Toggles are back

A TV with a remote control (21 strand cable to it I believe).

I remmeber seeing those somehwere.

My first TV remote was a 4 foot stick and a push button telly

My uncle had an ultrasonic one which you could activate by a sharp clap.

My first house - I think I bought it because it had a Trimphone on a
really long wire so that you could carry it into the lounge - wow - all
phones used to be black and in a cold hallway.

Our 2nd BT phone was green and sat on a table in the hall - such luxury
compared to having to stand by the old grey one that was nailed to the wall
in an inconvenient place.

I wonder how many jobs would have been saved if telephones had been freed
from the Post Office monopoly earlier. (whilst we had a manufacturing
capability)

Going to the Science Museum and seeing a door that opened as you walked up
to it - Heavens! things would never get this fantastic

I remember when Tomorrow's World did a bit on computers that would interact
with you via the phone and the keypad. I thought that was so cool. 10+
years of voice menus and automated ******** when I call my credit card
company later and I want to stab the computer though the head with steel
knitting needles!

Tim

On Wed, 05 Aug 2009 19:13:39 +0100, Tim S wrote:
Then changing sockets to white flush ones.

Now heading back to wood. Wonder when retro brown bakelite will be
fashionable?

I'm slowly converting ours to black metal ones as I can't stand white
switches, power sockets etc.

Rocker switches - Wow - so modern.

Toggles are back

All toggles this side of the Atlantic I like the reassuring clunk noise
they make...

A TV with a remote control (21 strand cable to it I believe).

I remmeber seeing those somehwere.

I had one that was ultrasonic rather than wired or IR - could *just* hear
the tones it made then, but bet I couldn't now (if I still had it)

Our 2nd BT phone was green and sat on a table in the hall - such luxury
compared to having to stand by the old grey one that was nailed to the
wall in an inconvenient place.

I think the really old green ones (4xx series) before the 706 arrived are
supposed to be quite rare these days (I've got one in black but with a
green cord between phone and handset - sadly the green phone the cord
came from had been left in the sun and was a total loss)

Going to the Science Museum and seeing a door that opened as you walked
up to it - Heavens! things would never get this fantastic

I remember when Tomorrow's World did a bit on computers that would
interact with you via the phone and the keypad.

All that home-automation ******** never did catch on, did it? Although I
blieve you can phone your PVR these days with some setups and get it to
record things for you that you forgot about before you went out, which
does seem vaguely useful.

cheers

Jules

"John" wrote in message
...
Thinking back to the olden days and remembering the excitement of being
able to buy (electrical) plugs in white. Then along came rubber plugs -
amazing!

Then changing sockets to white flush ones.

Putting a plug on my mother's iron so she didn't have to plug it into the
light fitting.

A pub not far from me that I frequent on occasion has the bar billiards
light plugged in to a "Dubler" on the wall light fitting !.. Must be circa
1955 ish....... and so is the decor, landlord (Who I have known for 30
years) and the entire premises. It's fekin brilliant!


Rocker switches - Wow - so modern.

"One" has buzzing dimmers me-dear...so "Au Natural" to have that lovely
buzzing in the ears when it's really quiet ;-)



A TV with a remote control (21 strand cable to it I believe).

Me dad had one..................Twas called me mum !



My first house - I think I bought it because it had a Trimphone on a
really long wire so that you could carry it into the lounge - wow - all
phones used to be black and in a cold hallway.

They used to be luminous as well



I wonder how many jobs would have been saved if telephones had been freed
from the Post Office monopoly earlier. (whilst we had a manufacturing
capability)

Blame the Guvmint !



Going to the Science Museum and seeing a door that opened as you walked up
to it - Heavens! things would never get this fantastic

Pah! Swot flunkys are for innit?

John wrote:
Thinking back to the olden days and remembering the excitement of
being able to buy (electrical) plugs in white. Then along came rubber
plugs - amazing!

And I Remember...
I remember all my adolescent days,
And that's going back a few years now,
There was Quatermass and Journey into Space,
Their voices still ring loud and clear somehow,
The Eagle, Blackjacks, everlasting strips,
Things I read like Biggles,
And newspaper round my chips,
National Health Orange Juice,
Birthday ten-bob notes,
Idiot mittens with the strings around our throats.
I remember bags of coloured rubber bands,
Streets that never had no yellow lines,
There was Snake belts, mine was red and blue,
Shops with metal ovaltinie signs,
Fags around the bike-sheds, when my brother was a Ted,
Transistor radios we smuggled into bed,
Cold winter mornings, when the school milk froze,
Third pint bottles, yes I still remember those,
Saturday morning picture shows,
How we whistled when the film broke down,
Frozen jubblies, flying saucers, liquorice wood,
And lead soldiers in a box for half a crown,
Having friends to tea, but never in the week,
Trying to ask a girl out, but forgetting how to speak,
Roy of the Rovers, in his red and yellow shirt,
Building roads for dinky toys, in the garden dirt,

With credit to Richard Digance...


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

John wrote:
Thinking back to the olden days and remembering the excitement of being
able to buy (electrical) plugs in white. Then along came rubber plugs -
amazing!
Then changing sockets to white flush ones.

Putting a plug on my mother's iron so she didn't have to plug it into the
light fitting.

Rocker switches - Wow - so modern.

A TV with a remote control (21 strand cable to it I believe).

My first house - I think I bought it because it had a Trimphone on a
really long wire so that you could carry it into the lounge - wow - all
phones used to be black and in a cold hallway.

I wonder how many jobs would have been saved if telephones had been freed
from the Post Office monopoly earlier. (whilst we had a manufacturing
capability)

Going to the Science Museum and seeing a door that opened as you walked
up to it - Heavens! things would never get this fantastic

You're right - we've enjoyed incredible progress in the last few
generations.