I was watching buffy and the eighth episode of the first season a demon is scanned into the computers. This is a funny time as its when people where online with dialup. All the same it had a quote I feel is apropos to the current period. Truns out that show had a bit of the simpsons precog ability:

Giles: Nonsense! I simply don’t adhere to a, a knee-jerk assumption that because something is new, it’s better.

Ms. Calendar: This isn’t a fad, Rupert! We are creating a new society here.

Giles: A society in which human interaction is all but obsolete? In which people can be completely manipulated by technology, well, well… Thank you, I’ll pass.

    • otter@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      21·
      2 days ago

      Only 80 years ago, maths profs literally picketed calculators being allowed in schools. 🤓

    • HubertManne@piefed.socialOPEnglish
      11·
      2 days ago

      true but I think they had a point then. especially given the limits of the telegraph. thats like email and the original text message in some ways.

        • Dasus@lemmy.world
          1·
          2 days ago

          Probably referring to SMS protocol, 160 7-bit characters.

          In a few years the newer phones automatically started just telling you how many messages long your message was.

          You’d end up shortening things sort of like a telegram.noSpacesSomeTimesToSaveChars etc. but it’s own style. txting it was called, because “txtMe” is a lot shorter than “text me back, please”.

          And they weren’t free so you’d pay by the SMS.

          And when you were txting your crush and heard the Nokia sms… and then another, you’d know there was a longer message. Or having a row with them, in which case it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

          And sometimes you’d run out of room on your phone (because the memory only supported like 48 messaged or smth), you’d get a message, start reading it, then it’d say “cont”, but your message memory full icon is flashing (same as got a message, but flashing instead of just the letter icon).

          Idk what the argument is but that’s what “original text message” means to me.