15 items from our childhood new household will never see

[hoover1100]

Interesting

Although I have never seen or heard of a bun warmer, apart from wood panelling (which I think is hideous!) I have all of those things in my house!

With regards to CRT TVs, I think the picture is vastly superior to LCD, plasma or LED, not to mention those horrible rear projection things you used to get! LCD and plasma always seem blurry to me, blurry and pixelated, LED I find gives a very harsh bright colour. Whilst a console TV like the ones posted would never fit inside a British house, give me an old Sony Trinitron anyday! Especially in a nice 'sensible' screen size like 19-21", not 52" like people cram into their tiny living rooms today, the picture is so enlarged it is barely watchable!

While we're on the subject, does anyone else find that their picture was better with analogue TV than digital? The sound is much flatter on ditigal, and the picture seems to be full of digital compression.

Matt

 

[countryford]

In regards to wood paneling, when it first came out, it was real wood. It looked nice. In the late 60's they went to a faux wood paneling, which looked cheap. The house I grew up in, back in Minnesota, had the real wood paneling in the living room. It was beautiful.

Some of the consoles were large, but they also had smaller consoles, such as the one pictured below. That one is a 1956 Philco. As you can see, it works.

I prefer analog TV. I have a digital convertor box hooked up to my TV sets, and if I get a bad signal it gets all pixalated. Where as analog TV would would just get static. You could still see the picture. Digital TV will freeze up and is unwatchable.

 

[DADoES]

 
<blockquote>With regards to CRT TVs, I think the picture is vastly superior to LCD, plasma or LED, not to mention those horrible rear projection things you used to get! LCD and plasma always seem blurry to me, blurry and pixelated, LED I find gives a very harsh bright colour.</blockquote> Each pixel in a plasma panel is a miniature CRT.

 

[NYCWriter]

David ...

"most residential phone lines are on multiplexors nowdays rather than being wired directly to the central office."

What do you mean by this? Not sure I understand.

I think what you mean is that most BUSINESS phone lines are on multiplexors. Why would residences NOT be wired directly to the phone company?

That said, I find it incredibly frustrating in offices these days not being able to find a true "private" outside line.

[this post was last edited: 3/2/2014-10:13]

 

[wayupnorth]

Since I used to work for the phone company, I know the systems inside and out. EVERY landline call placed in Maine goes thru one of 2 central office switching stations. Both have huge banks of DC batteries in case of a power outage. In the event of a long outage, both have the biggest diesel generators I have ever seen which worked flawless during this winters ice storm and the 1998 one in which power was out to places in the state for over a month. As long as the line is still up on the pole to your home, you will always have phone service.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Well, I still have mamy of these things LOL, what makes me pissed about reading it is the tank/barrel to burn garden leaves and such in the yard, it was common practice until few years ago over here when even in Italy this stupid law passed and so you've to pay more to town hall for waste tax to get rid of garden waste, plus filling your yard with tons of plastic bags....
I can understand making of it a local regulation, because we all know there're morons that do that in residential neighborhoods where you've houses one next to another, but in open countryside, what the hell would cause? A county thing? Even more statal ban? MORONS! We still do this at our farm and we do not care if they call firemen or such....we would throw them in the fire as well if they just say something...
We're in open Countryside and we do not give any nuisance to anyone.
There was an old man we know that had his house on an isolated small hill, he totally ignored it and started burning his leaves as he was used to....well a few idiots that were walking by called the fire dept and he was charged 600 euros fine for that, and he had no money to pay ( he gets 900 a month as pension) he could not believe what he was hearing that you're no longer allowed to burn leaves.....he cursed in any language possible and said " this is the world you young idiots are making"...he is damn right!
There're so many things they should worry today and they worry about these BS without a sense....

[this post was last edited: 3/2/2014-10:56]

 

[NYCWriter]

My dad ...

... still burns his leaves, but not in a "burn barrel"; he uses a brick "hearth" out on the edge of the property.

When I remind him about the (recent) local ordinance against burning, his response is "Piss on it -- I've been burning leaves on this property for 30 years and I don't intend to stop".

And amazingly, no one tries to stop him.

Small town living.

 

[kenmoreguy89]

As it should be.... As long as you do not harm neighbors one should have thie right to burn leaves, they should leave it up to local administrations...
Not make a county ban, not to mention regarding a whole state...that's idiotic.

I have sweet memories of my granpa burning leaves in our country-house, we had no barrels, just a place in the middle of a field, we used that house on sundays to gather all the family togheter and spend weekends in peace even though there was always something to do both outside and inside (it was before mu father bought the mansion), we sold the house in 2001.
I remember when we used to make huge dinners there,, me and my friends and cousins always helped my granpa for it, many travels back and forth and fun with the wheelbarrow, and then, after dinner when woods and leaves were still burning and out was dark we little kids used to gather in front of the window watching the fire...it's impressive how the simplest things amazed and entertained you as a child...

 

[norgeway]

We Still can

Burn brush and leaves here, Its not perfect , but I wouldnt trade the Southland for anything.

 

[twintubdexter]

I liked the neighborhood smell of burning leaves back when I was kid. It meant Fall had arrived (nice) but that school was back in session (not nice.)

 

[countryguy]

I have a RCA console colour TV in a beautiful wood cabinet as well as a stereo system in an equally beautiful cabinet. The stereo even has an 8 track recorder! Both belonged to my parents. I also have an electric typewriter, record player and one wall of my basement is done in pine but technically it is not wood panelling.

Gary

 

[xraytech]

I'm not sure if we are allowed to burn, but I still do, as do most of my neighbors. I burn leaves, broken tree branches, paper products, boxes , and on occasion plastics.

 

[cfz2882]

console TVs

a 1982 zenith console is my CRT "daily driver"-performance is very good and I like that it says"space command"above the channel indicator(I don't have the remote)I also have a 1990 zenith console in storage.

 

[danemodsandy]

Joe (whirlpolf):

"....horrible tube TV sets in their Frankenstein castle-type wooden furniture chest."

Here in America we're very egalitarian, so the "Frankenstein castle-type" sets are the way every American can have his own little Schloss Neuschwanstein!

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Horrible tube tv sets in their frankestein castle type coffi

You can call them that way.... but for me and apparently for many americans and people of other nationalities they were not so horrible, actually for me awesomly looking and classy..and prefer them way much than modern... I also love the later space age futuristic models
Everyone luckily has his own tastes.....
Not sure why you're making of it an american thing only, and you mention about europe as something different, perhaps germany even though many of these that you call "coffin type" models like telefunken or nordmende came right from germany to here, perhaps only meant for foreign markets? Over here these styles were very common too.... And italian makers such as phonola, radiomarelli and others widely proposed them...
here some links of which were the offerings back then:
http://vendita.vivastreet.it/antiqu...antico-valvolare-21tx144a-televisore/65190056

http://www.subito.it/elettrodomesti...vintage-phonola-anni-60-siracusa-58777676.htm
http://www.clasf.it/televisore-phonola-in-roma-10680049/
http://www.subito.it/audio-video/tv...-vintage-valvola-radio-pordenone-59605295.htm
http://fotoalbum.virgilio.it/tuoett...elevisore-prince-mod412/tvphonolaanni502.html
http://www.subito.it/hobby-collezio...age-epoca-valvole-philips-genova-25222562.htm
http://firenze.m.bakeca.it/mobile/dett/index/cat/antiquariato-collezionismo/idPub/n5ba66005307
http://annunci.ebay.it/annunci/anti...ore-radiomarelli-d-epoca-funzionante/60227438
http://www.bertibenis.it/Televisione.htm

[this post was last edited: 3/3/2014-06:06]

 

[kenmoreguy89]

Sorry i had to delete the last post I noticed i wrote something on response of a concept I probably misundrstood, joe meant furniture type big tv sets, not wood chest bodied TVs... I confess I still have to get well the concept of "frankestein castle" though.... So that brought me to misunderstand what he meant...
I realized that after......
But he is correct, those types of big configuartions of furniture TV sets were not common in europe, not sure if that is a matter of fashion or not, I think it was more a matter of space and other conditions that in europe were not suitable for them to be common or having that much of consideration....
Over here people prefered to put TVs on top of furnitures, or having self standing Tvs with legs setted up net to other furniture, or in a corner, and Tvs had not that much of a decor complement function that in cases like those big furniture Tv' sets sure had, it was a plus they had.... I cannot imagine the typical european house to fit one of those Tv's, many could have did that but probably not the most...do not know, but as you call them frankestein castle style, do not know what you reslly mean.... we can see there were many styles of furniture, modern, plain or more complex, so it was more a matter of fashion and kind of style the house was decorated with, and just if "frankestein castle" is a way to mean a kind of Neoghothic or gothic, or even a victorian like style... Well, gothic, victorian revivals or whatever types of furniture with rich patterns and more convuluted and or antiquing details other than linear plain and or space age futuristic were present in europe too same way in the USA and in about the same periods following current fashions in matter of decor, only difference is that in europe they just made plain and neutral styled Tv's that had not a decor function like indeed those types of big furniture sets had...it was a plus.. Of course many people in the USA had neutral style Tv's the same way..those big sets were infact a plus one could decide to have or not...
Of course whoever wanted to buy one of those television sets had to match the cabinet and body style of the Tv to the cureent decor of the house...
So we come to talk of styles of home decor and furniture in vogue on those years and in each households...not just Tv's being "frankestein Castle type", correct me if I am saying bullshits please.... i am not into Tv's, just trying to understand and make a reasoning...
But I could see about any kind of tv sets in many styles,, one posted his danish modern set, another maybe a little gothic style one, then there were those who had colonial style l and have stuff like this... ( see link below) LOL LOL LOL
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/wsh/for/4332426262.html

I love gothic style...you consider it frankestein style, I considet it magnificent and classy, I consider weird indeed making even a TV like the one mentioned above, do Not get me wrong, a Tv chest recalling in lines and patterns colonial type if you have an home decor like this in your house is perfectly okay and sensed , but making a tea cart tv cabinet in a colonial style like this is just GROSS! Who knows the rest of the house tien! LOL
But then we're speaking of styles in vogue in certain years and in each household...not furniture type of TVs as style on their own....

[this post was last edited: 3/3/2014-14:37]

 

[foraloysius]

Unfortunately with your message also a few excellent links are gone. They showed some pretty European design.

Here is my favourite 1960's TV, it's a Scandinavian design Philips. I knew several people who had one. I thought it was sooooo stylish!

 

[countryford]

Kenmoreguy89, that tv you linked to, is a very uncommon tv. I collect vintage tv sets and have never seen that one before. I think the reason for it being uncommon is because people didn't like the "Tea Cart TV".

The three pictured in this thread are more common to what was popular here in the USA. The first one I posted and the one NYCWriter posted were common in the late 1950's to the late 1960's. They started getting smaller at that point. The second one I posted(with me next to it) was common from the early to mid 1950's.

 

[NYCWriter]

Remember these?

For most households of more modest means, the 19-inch TV (color in the '70s and into the '80s!) was the primary television set. Usually set up on its own metal stand with wheels:

 

[kenmoreguy89]

To be clear.....

What I call with my likely improper and untechnical ignorant terms "big furniture tv sets" is what in proper technical language is callec console tv?
A few examples here:
A simple linear one, nothing fancy

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ihTz3IIBXUs/TV5vxmca5YI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/n1TaiNAgrIQ/s1600/old+tv+set.jpg

A little more fancy ( pic in the third post )
http://www.videokarma.org/showthread.php?t=256926

A royal rich touch in , love it
http://www.shutterstock.com/it/pic-...ago.html?src=qOoMA2c1IebiQ6ziXULRiA-1-39[this post was last edited: 3/3/2014-13:45]