You are too old if you remember.......

[roadman65]

This was back in the days when you never heard of road rage and no one did stupid stuff on the roads like they do now.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_Mania#Historical_significance

This cartoon reveals that road rage is not a recent phenomenon, but an issue recurring with each generation of drivers.

Road rage was always around, but it was not as popular as it is now.  Plus, back in the 80's I remember when you rarely saw a person make a right turn from the left lane or  even stop to  wait for the next lane to clear so you could make the turn you are about to miss while pissing off anyone behind you.  Plus speeding tickets were a common thing that cops issued back then as well.

True a lot of things existed always, but humility prevailed back then.

[agentsteel53]

^^ And Ohio was just O, ignoring that Oklahoma and Oregon start with the same letter.

does O. date back to when the other two were not states?

[roadman65]

^^ And Ohio was just O, ignoring that Oklahoma and Oregon start with the same letter.

does O. date back to when the other two were not states?

Speaking of O for Ohio, I do remember a sign on US 52 in Huntington, WV that had the cross the river town of Chesapeake written out as "Chesapeake, O" back in 1989.  If its still there today, then you do not have to be old to remember that, but if it is gone and updated then you are.

[kkt]

MA was Mass.
MI was Mich.
FL was FLA or even Fla
SD was S Dak
ND was N Dak
MN was Minn
MS was Miss
AL was Ala
CT was Conn
WA was Wash ( I think)
CA was Calif.
TN was Tenn
AR was Ark
NE was Neb
IL was Ill.
IN was Ind
DE was Del

There's a good table in Wikipedia under "List of U.S. state abbreviations".  The GPO abbreviations and the AP Stylebook abbreviations were the same in most cases, but not all.

This was back in the days when you never heard of road rage and no one did stupid stuff on the roads like they do now.

[kkt]

^^ And Ohio was just O, ignoring that Oklahoma and Oregon start with the same letter.

I don't think O. was ever an official abbreviation for any state.  Certainly AP Stylebook, GPO, and library catalogers didn't use it.

[vtk]

^^ And Ohio was just O, ignoring that Oklahoma and Oregon start with the same letter.

does O. date back to when the other two were not states?

Probably. Ohio is considerably older than the others, and I'm pretty sure it was commonly abbreviated O. by the mid 19th century.

InDOT has traditionally favored "Columbus O." on signs for eastbound I-70.

[Scott5114]

^^ And Ohio was just O, ignoring that Oklahoma and Oregon start with the same letter.

There was a restaurant near me that typoed their address on the receipts, showing it as "Norman, O. 73071". They fixed it eventually, but I always wondered if anyone working there realized that they were actually giving an address in a nonexistent Ohio town.

[Roadsguy]

I'm hoping this eventually qualifies:

[PHLBOS]

To the visual of a peacock spreading its plumage, Mel Brandt's voice:  "The following program is brought to you in Living Color, on NBC."

http://www.kingoftheroad.net/colorTV/peacock2.html

See Page 17 of this thread for posted YouTube video of such (scroll to the bottom of the page):

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=10167.400

Here's another gem to add:

[vtk]

I'm hoping this eventually qualifies:

I was just messing with several of those over the weekend.

[kkt]

I'm hoping this eventually qualifies:

I kinda liked the D series plugs, compared to USB.  If you're reaching around behind a computer case to plug a D15 in, you can tell by feel which way is up and it goes in easily.  USB you can't tell by feel and even right-side-up it must line up perfectly, so if it doesn't go in easily you can't tell if it's because it's upside down or just being annoying.  And the D plugs have screws, so it'll never fall out by accident if they're tripped over or tugged while attaching something else.

[formulanone]

USB connectors have three sides: the way that doesn't seem to fit, the way that really doesn't fit, and reversing it back to the first side which just needed more force.

[agentsteel53]

indeed, I can't believe they came up with that design for USB.  easier to manufacture, I guess.

[roadman]

To the visual of a peacock spreading its plumage, Mel Brandt's voice:  "The following program is brought to you in Living Color, on NBC."

http://www.kingoftheroad.net/colorTV/peacock2.html

See Page 17 of this thread for posted YouTube video of such (scroll to the bottom of the page):

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=10167.400

Here's another gem to add:

I remember S&H very well.  Among other reasons, my parents obtained the canisters of the cheap-o knockoff of American Plastic Bricks I played with from S&H (a book and a half for each canister IIRC).

[Stephane Dumas]

Three words:

THIS IS CBS.

Or its Great White North Counterpart "This is CBC".

Or "This is the CTV television network"

[Scott5114]

On computer plugs: I remember my first computer having whatever the plug was before the purple PS/2 keyboard plug. (Which had to be a very old standard, since every IBM Model M keyboard I've had has a PS/2 plug.) I remember buying a PS/2 keyboard and needing an adapter for it. Now, PS/2 is almost a relic; a lot of keyboards and mice just use USB now.

[J N Winkler]

On computer plugs: I remember my first computer having whatever the plug was before the purple PS/2 keyboard plug. (Which had to be a very old standard, since every IBM Model M keyboard I've had has a PS/2 plug.) I remember buying a PS/2 keyboard and needing an adapter for it. Now, PS/2 is almost a relic; a lot of keyboards and mice just use USB now.

The forerunner of PS/2 was (surprise! surprise!) PS/1.  I can remember buying an adapter too, but for the opposite use case--PS/1 keyboard for PS/2 slot.  I also remember buying a separate PS/2-to-USB adapter for a different computer that had USB slots only.  I am not sure I even have these keyboards and adapters anymore, since the computers I used them with are now long gone.

The most recent computer I have owned that might have had PS/2 slots for the keyboard and mouse was a HP Pavilion desktop computer I bought in 2000.  I got rid of it in 2009, so I couldn't swear it didn't have USB slots for those instead.  Failing that, there was an orphaned Twinhead laptop probably made in 1998 (left on our doorstep, probably so the original owner could claim for a replacement on insurance).  I do know two other laptops I have owned (IBM PS/Note and ThinkPad, both produced in 1993) did have PS/2 slots.

Personally, I think Bluetooth mice and keyboards would have squeezed out the USB equivalents long ago but for the stubbornly persistent price differential.  There is more of an imperative to cut the cord with mice and keyboards than there is with virtually every other kind of USB peripheral, because cord length limits freedom of movement with a keyboard, and cord weight affects mouse tracking.  And although it is now possible to buy wireless USB keyboards and mice where the receiving unit is designed to pack neatly into the peripheral (Logitech Anywhere MX mouse being a case in point), that still leaves a second gubbin to keep track of, which is not a problem with Bluetooth peripherals.  As it is, I have been wireless since 2006, but have not been able to move from USB to Bluetooth (which I have had since 2011) since I haven't been able to find Bluetooth peripherals with the features I want (long battery life, smooth optical tracking on difficult surfaces, coil-sprung keys) without paying a $30-$40 premium, which I feel is excessive.

[kkt]

Before the AT keyboard port, there were keyboards that plugged in using a plain serial port, usually a DB25 connector.

[mgk920]

Thinking that 100 Mb 'Zip' disks were the ultimate in portable storage.



And they were still about $10 each when they went obsolete, too.

Mike

[elsmere241]

When floppies were just that - and they got much wider than 5 1/4".

[Scott5114]

Personally, I think Bluetooth mice and keyboards would have squeezed out the USB equivalents long ago but for the stubbornly persistent price differential.  There is more of an imperative to cut the cord with mice and keyboards than there is with virtually every other kind of USB peripheral, because cord length limits freedom of movement with a keyboard, and cord weight affects mouse tracking.  And although it is now possible to buy wireless USB keyboards and mice where the receiving unit is designed to pack neatly into the peripheral (Logitech Anywhere MX mouse being a case in point), that still leaves a second gubbin to keep track of, which is not a problem with Bluetooth peripherals.  As it is, I have been wireless since 2006, but have not been able to move from USB to Bluetooth (which I have had since 2011) since I haven't been able to find Bluetooth peripherals with the features I want (long battery life, smooth optical tracking on difficult surfaces, coil-sprung keys) without paying a $30-$40 premium, which I feel is excessive.

I don't think so. I think there will be a market for corded peripherals indefinitely, irrespective of the lack of any price difference. Gamers will always want a corded device when possible to avoid the latency issues that come with wireless.

I bought a wireless mouse for my dorm room computer at the beginning of the 2007 fall semester. It had been destroyed out of frustration before the end of the 2008 spring semester. It was an incredibly frustrating piece of hardware because it had the tendency to "go to sleep" to save battery power while I was using it but not actively moving it around or clicking (as one might do when they are reading a long web page or typing for an extended period of time, only using the mouse intermittently). To turn it back on I had to make an extraneous click before doing whatever it was I really wanted it to do. The interval before going to sleep did not appear to be configurable, and if it was, it would have had to have been done through the Windows device driver, which I was not using. Since then I have sworn off wireless input devices.

[roadman]

I tried a wireless mouse for my laptop for awhile.  Apart from ocassional issues with losing the signal, the principal reason I stopped using it and went back to a corded mouse is that I had to keep removing the receiver from the USB port (side mounted) when I put the laptop back in its briefcase.  As a result, the receiver would end up in the bottom of the bag and I'd take forever fishing it out.  Far too much of a hassle.

[DaBigE]

It was a sad day for me when Logitech stopped making the corded version of their trackball mouse. Their new wireless version just isn't as good. You'd think you would hear more of an outcry from the environmentalists with all the batteries these wireless gizmos consume. Sure, you can use rechargeable batteries in some, but those have a finite life as well.

[J N Winkler]

I don't think so. I think there will be a market for corded peripherals indefinitely, irrespective of the lack of any price difference. Gamers will always want a corded device when possible to avoid the latency issues that come with wireless.

This is true, but gaming is a niche segment of the market and (corded) gaming mice are often considerably more expensive than cordless USB mice--the last time I went mouse shopping, the gaming mice I looked at were in the same price range as Bluetooth mice.

I bought a wireless mouse for my dorm room computer at the beginning of the 2007 fall semester. It had been destroyed out of frustration before the end of the 2008 spring semester. It was an incredibly frustrating piece of hardware because it had the tendency to "go to sleep" to save battery power while I was using it but not actively moving it around or clicking (as one might do when they are reading a long web page or typing for an extended period of time, only using the mouse intermittently). To turn it back on I had to make an extraneous click before doing whatever it was I really wanted it to do. The interval before going to sleep did not appear to be configurable, and if it was, it would have had to have been done through the Windows device driver, which I was not using. Since then I have sworn off wireless input devices.

It does sound like a driver problem and if the alternative was to go back to a corded mouse or write my own driver, I would probably have done the former.  But if you were not using this mouse with Windows, then that puts you in a niche segment as well (per Wikipedia, operating system usage share for various flavors of Windows is currently about 90%).

I tried a wireless mouse for my laptop for awhile.  Apart from ocassional issues with losing the signal, the principal reason I stopped using it and went back to a corded mouse is that I had to keep removing the receiver from the USB port (side mounted) when I put the laptop back in its briefcase.  As a result, the receiver would end up in the bottom of the bag and I'd take forever fishing it out.  Far too much of a hassle.

This problem is the precise motivation for the following innovations:

*  Bluetooth input devices (no need for a USB receiver)

*  Compact receivers that can be left in the USB port of a laptop when it is packed up for transit

*  Universal receivers (for all compatible peripherals from a given manufacturer--there is typically no support for legacy wireless devices, so I still have to use a separate receiver for my keyboard even though my mouse has an universal receiver)

*  Receivers that pack directly into the body of the peripheral

My wireless mouse has a receiver with all three of the latter-listed features--compact, universal, and packable.  The mouse itself has a carrying case as well, which keeps it from getting scratched and bruised inside a laptop bag.

IMV, the real objection to wireless input devices for mobile computing is not the constellation of form-factor issues that come with older USB receivers, but rather the weight of the batteries and (for extended trips) the battery-charging equipment.  This weight is not so much of an issue for car trips, but it definitely is for backpacking trips where any weight that is not supported by a hip strap is perforce on your shoulders.

It was a sad day for me when Logitech stopped making the corded version of their trackball mouse. Their new wireless version just isn't as good. You'd think you would hear more of an outcry from the environmentalists with all the batteries these wireless gizmos consume. Sure, you can use rechargeable batteries in some, but those have a finite life as well.

I haven't ever put single-use dry-cell batteries in a wireless peripheral.  The environmental impacts of NiMH batteries are minimal (mostly associated with mining, and only a small amount of virgin Ni has to be used since industrial Ni is recycled).  For NiCd batteries the story is different, but I have not purchased any since 1998 and I think I dropped off the last ones I had at the county hazardous waste disposal facility about three years ago.  I have been using NiMH batteries since I went wireless in 2006, and I can count on the fingers of one hand the batteries I have that have gone defective or won't accept a charge--and this is despite steady use of rapid chargers and a very high-drain digital point-and-shoot camera (since 2007).

To my mind the nuisance factor of wireless mice (having to recharge batteries, having to slide the mouse to wake it up when it goes to sleep, etc.) is less than with corded mice, especially ones that have been stored packed for travel with the cord coiled tightly around the mouse body.  Even unrolled, the cord retains enough latent tension to affect tracking.  Both types of mice are subject to tracking issues of various kinds and I think these are worse than waking, latency, etc. for wireless mice and at least as annoying as cord tension.  For example, old-school red-laser mice have trouble with glossy surfaces, while newer infrared mice (which are supposed to behave much more nicely with smooth surfaces) mysteriously develop "dead spots" after a while.  My current mouse actually suffers from the latter problem, and while I have suspected it results from contact abrasion since I don't use a mousepad, the area of my worktable where the mouse "lives" shows no signs of wear or wax buildup.  All things considered, this problem is a lot less annoying than the smut deposits I had to deal with when I still used mice with mechanical tracking (another "You are too old if you remember . . ." item which I am quite happy to forget, TYVM).

[NE2]

All things considered, this problem is a lot less annoying than the smut deposits I had to deal with when I still used mice with mechanical tracking (another "You are too old if you remember . . ." item which I am quite happy to forget, TYVM).

You are too old if you remember cleaning the crap off the rollers of a mouse at a public computer.