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

submitted 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

482 comments fedilink hide all child comments

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] 37 points 3 weeks ago (15 children)

The original tv remote didn't use batteries. It used sound. Giant clunky devices with large tactile buttons. Never runs out of batteries and still works if your kid tries to block the screen to keep you from turning it off

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (8 children)

How did it generate that sound without batteries? Was it literally the audio from the clicking of the buttons? Genuine questions.

edit: Thanks for the several answers. They all seem prone to interference, but it is nice that they worked without power.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (2 children)

Tuning forks!!! The Zenith clicker The buttons would work strikers that would hit tuned rods. A different one doing a different function.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago

Zenith Space Command remote.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Ah, so more like the bell on a bicycle

[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Except there's another bell that vibrates in response to trigger a switch!

It's like auditory entanglement.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Spooky action across the room!

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