Lost Words From Our Childhood

[SfanGoch]

I get a kick (and slightly annoyed by their lack of knowledge about the difference) when people under a certain age refer to films, like old newsreel footage and such, as "videos". 

[Harry P.]

But weren't some music videos shot on film?

I'm so confused...

[Harry P.]

When I was a kid, we all called the refrigerator the ice box, even though actual ice boxes were obsolete many years before I ever came along. But we all still called it the ice box... as when I was standing there in front of the fridge with the door open, trying to decide what I wanted, when my mom would yell "close the ice box!"

And to this day, my uncle calls the refrigerator the "frigidaire."

Edited February 5, 2016 by Harry P.

[SfanGoch]

That's what my folks called the icebox, the "frigidaire". I still do on occasion. I still hear people in the neighborhood refer to discount stores as "five & tens". 

OT: remember the old electro-mechanical TV remotes? They made a loud metallic clunk when you pressed the buttons. When I was twelve, my friend Junior found one in his basement. He brought it outside and started playing around with it. We were walking up the "yavnya" ("Avenue" to non-Brooklynites. It was always "walking up the yavnya", even if you were really heading south. Go figure  ) and Junior was monkeying around with the remote again. As he pushed the buttons, the car we were standing next to, I believe it was an older Chrysler, cranked up. There was nobody inside. We split real fast. Later on that day, we went back to where the car was parked and it was still in the same spot. So, Junior pulled out the remote; pushed the buttons and the car started up again. To this day, I wonder how that was possible.

[Danno]

We got the whole kit and kaboodle in this thread!

[Ace-Garageguy]

OT: remember the old electro-mechanical TV remotes? They made a loud metallic clunk when you pressed the buttons. When I was twelve, my friend Junior found one in his basement. He brought it outside and started playing around with it... As he pushed the buttons, the car we were standing next to, I believe it was an older Chrysler, cranked up. There was nobody inside. We split real fast. Later on that day, we went back to where the car was parked and it was still in the same spot. So, Junior pulled out the remote; pushed the buttons and the car started up again. To this day, I wonder how that was possible.

Lotsa odd things are possible in the weird, wacky and wonerful world of electronics, but this one's got me stumped.

TV remotes operated on RF (radio frequency) up 'til about 1980, after which they switched to being mostly infrared (IR) devices.

Almost impossible for an IR remote to be able to talk to a car (though some early car-remote-controls did operate on IR too) but the clunky ones you refer to were almost certainly RF.

Either way though, something inside the car would have to be capable of receiving a signal from the remote, and amplify that signal to the point where it could trigger the starter relay AND energize the hot-wire to the ignition coil. This assumes some things connected together inside the car that usually...aren't...and circuitry in the car that normally...isn't.

Today's cars' remote key-fob door-unlock thingies operate on RF too, and some cars today have remote-start capability, so it's conceivable an old RF TV-remote MIGHT be able to communicate with one (though the key-fob signal is usually encrypted to some degree, making it difficult to spoof). But most old cars lack anything that could even detect a signal from a remote, much less do anything with it.

It's possible the old Chrysler you encountered had been modified by its electronics-hobbyist owner to allow remote-start. A fair number of folks DID fiddle with making gadgets in olden times. Anybody here remember Popular Electronics magazine?

Barring that, it oughtta be an upcoming episode on X-Files.

 

 

[Harry P.]

Joe, I remember the "dime store" (that's what we called them here in Chicago). The one my mom shopped at (with a 5-year old me in tow) was called "Ben Franklin," but we always called it the dime store. The first model car I ever got was from the dime store. Once I was hooked, I discovered "hobby shops" and the rest is history...

[Harry P.]

It's possible the old Chrysler you encountered had been modified by its electronics-hobbyist owner to allow remote-start.

Exactly what I was thinking. Otherwise, no way a TV remote would be able to start a car.

[Rob Hall]

But weren't some music videos shot on film?

I'm so confused...

I think of 'video' as the form, not the media...

[Crazy Ed]

 

It's possible the old Chrysler you encountered had been modified by its electronics-hobbyist owner to allow remote-start. -Ace's Quote

Exactly what I was thinking. Otherwise, no way a TV remote would be able to start a car.

 The Load Metallac "Clunk" sounding remotes wern't even Electric in Operation. They were Sonic. When you pushed the button a "hammer" hit a rod (worked like a tuning fork) that sent out tones at 4 different frequencies, one for each button. If you ever wanted to drive the owner of one of those Fancy TV's nuts all you had to do is shake your Key Ring while sitting buy the TV. It's change channels and turn on and off

[Ace-Garageguy]

 The Load Metallac "Clunk" sounding remotes wern't even Electric in Operation. They were Sonic. When you pushed the button a "hammer" hit a rod (worked like a tuning fork) that sent out tones at 4 different frequencies, one for each button...

Wow Ed, I didn't know that. I just assumed all the early ultrasonic units used piezo crystals. Did a little research and read up on the hammer-striking arrangement. Far out, man. 

[Crazy Ed]

    Bill, I can assure you the short cut to Never being able to Date someone then was demonstrating that without being asked to while waiting for her when her Father was watching TV.............

    But other that a Home Brew remote Starter by the Cars owner, I've No Idea how anyone could start a car with one of 'em.

[Snake45]

 The Load Metallac "Clunk" sounding remotes wern't even Electric in Operation. They were Sonic. When you pushed the button a "hammer" hit a rod (worked like a tuning fork) that sent out tones at 4 different frequencies, one for each button. If you ever wanted to drive the owner of one of those Fancy TV's nuts all you had to do is shake your Key Ring while sitting buy the TV. It's change channels and turn on and off

Kinda like being able to "dial" a phone by tapping the "hook," huh? It was always fun to do that on a phone that someone had locked the dial on with a special lock sold for that purpose...or even better, a phone that had no dial at all and was only meant to receive calls.

[CometMan]

When was the last time you drove your hoopty down to the quarter car wash while listening to your team move right to left across your radio dial? Also why do almost all vehicles have so many doors these days?

[Harry P.]

We got the whole kit and kaboodle in this thread!

Yep, the whole ball of wax. The whole enchilada. The whole nine yards.

[SfanGoch]

 The Load Metallac "Clunk" sounding remotes wern't even Electric in Operation. They were Sonic. When you pushed the button a "hammer" hit a rod (worked like a tuning fork) that sent out tones at 4 different frequencies, one for each button. If you ever wanted to drive the owner of one of those Fancy TV's nuts all you had to do is shake your Key Ring while sitting buy the TV. It's change channels and turn on and off

My friend Norbert owns a gasthaus in a town called Obernzenn, near where I was stationed in the early '80s. He had a Grundig color TV mounted on the wall opposite the bar. Since he usually couldn't remember where he last left the remote, he'd grab his key ring and do exactly what you said. My friends and I would P.O. the oldtimers watching soccer matches by shaking our keys and changing the channel. Then they would shake theirs and change it back. Then we'd do it again. After a while, it would sound like sleigh bells in the place. One day, after an extended key concert, Norbert went over to where the TV was, yanked it off the platform, threw it through the window and announced, "Time to buy a new television."

[SfanGoch]

Yep, the whole ball of wax. The whole enchilada. The whole nine yards.

You got everything but the kitchen sink int this one.

[Harry P.]

Darn it! I knew I was forgetting something!

[oldcars]

One day my wife and I were talking about putting an LP on the juke box(record player). Our granddaughter had no idea what were talking about. Then I made the mistake of talking about 45's. Finally told her it was like a CD with a very big hole in it. Had to pick my wife up off the floor from laughter. Was afraid to talk about eight tracks.

[SfanGoch]

One day my wife and I were talking about putting an LP on the juke box(record player). Our granddaughter had no idea what were talking about. Then I made the mistake of talking about 45's. Finally told her it was like a CD with a very big hole in it. Had to pick my wife up off the floor from laughter. Was afraid to talk about eight tracks.

That's funny but not surprising,  Richard. Does she know what the record player is for? When I was in grade school, the nuns always called it a "Victrola". Sr. Philemona, who looked like Ernest Borgnine in a habit, predated the discovery of fire.

It's a shame people use bank/debit cards to pay for everything now. It's almost impossible to find an errant sawbuck lying on the sidewalk anymore. A few years ago, my kid found a fifty while we were walking through Brooklyn Bridge Park. The little son of a......gun beat me to it.  

[1930fordpickup]

About 15 years ago my brother was in the basement of a friends house with his son in tow. He told his kid to call his mother and to use the phone  on the post . The kid was looking confused by the rotary dial. He tried to just  put his finger in the hole and not turn it . LOL

 

[Crazy Ed]

My friend Norbert owns a gasthaus in a town called Obernzenn, near where I was stationed in the early '80s. He had a Grundig color TV mounted on the wall opposite the bar. Since he usually couldn't remember where he last left the remote, he'd grab his key ring and do exactly what you said. My friends and I would P.O. the oldtimers watching soccer matches by shaking our keys and changing the channel. Then they would shake theirs and change it back. Then we'd do it again. After a while, it would sound like sleigh bells in the place. One day, after an extended key concert, Norbert went over to where the TV was, yanked it off the platform, threw it through the window and announced, "Time to buy a new television."

    That woulda been fun to watch. I'm gonna guess you were in Ansbach.......? I was I K-Town and Bad Durkheim a Decade prior to your arrival.

[Crazy Ed]

    How 'bout Party Lines! For those that don't know, back then unless you paid extra you shared your phone line with several others and the act of listening for a Dial Tone was to make sure no one else was already on the line. Back then you didn't worry about the Government monitoring your calls. It was the Neighbors you worried about!

[XJ6]

Ha yes interesting I remember back then ?

[Crazy Ed]

   Wow, Almost left out one of my all time Favorites! Just give me the Readers Digest Version.