Do you think things were better before (circa the turn of the millennia)?

[Lord Szechenyi]

Well in computing we obviously advanced, but it seems only in raw horsepower.

Optimization has been mostly down since then.

As for Arts/Entertainment, i can't think of anything good* besides the Star Wars Prequels and Trainspotting 2.

And the death of flash is also proving that a lot of what the internet was like disappears with it (although it's more symbolic)

* By anything good i mean VERY good, i will admit there have plenty of decent things but decent ain't very good. 

[Godlygamer23]

I think for the vast majority of things, we've improved greatly. Sanitation, computation, transportation, architecture, agriculture. I don't know of any things we really haven't improved on. Even in other areas like hunger, crime, etc, I think we've still made great progress. 

[Godlygamer23]

18 minutes ago, Sakuriru said:

Get rid of all portable devices. Limit your internet speed to 56k with Windows 98. The only way you're allowed to talk to someone is over the phone. Also you're not allowed to call anyone else's cell phone. You're also not allowed to use any consumer GPS device (time to get out the map). Replace your TV with a big ole CRT. Oh and you're not allowed to use anything more recent than VHS.

 

You tell me how good it is. I'll wait.

I mean, other than the cell phone and GPS part, it's not that awful. I mean, seriously. There are worse things.

[minibois]

I don't think 'things' were better (or even worse), but I do think it might have been better for me, just by the virtue of not being an adult during those times.

While certain hobbies have become different, I don't think there are any less ways for people to show their creativity nowadays, because of all the readily available and easily understandable information out there.

 

Sure, it's easy to look back to all the good things and think "man how come things aren't that good nowadays", but I think that's not always accurate, since people seem to remember the good things way more than the bad things, making stuff possibly appear better than it used to be.

[Lord Szechenyi]

6 hours ago, Sakuriru said:

Get rid of all portable devices. Limit your internet speed to 56k with Windows 98. The only way you're allowed to talk to someone is over the phone. Also you're not allowed to call anyone else's cell phone. You're also not allowed to use any consumer GPS device (time to get out the map). Replace your TV with a big ole CRT. Oh and you're not allowed to use anything more recent than VHS.

jeez so many things wrong here

so i will take 1999 as a point of reference

Portable phones already existed (cellphones), and that's what i have so no problem here.

My internet speed is 4mbps, which in 2020 sucks, but in 1999 is amazing, so 56k is fine for me, also i would not use win98 since it's crap but either 95 or ms-dos.

You could talk on the internet with anyone (But you had to dial up so in theory here you are right, it's only via a phone or fax)

Why can't i call other cellphones? i'm confused here (is it about the high price for foreign numbers?)

Fuck GPS, "Doesn't anyone just take a fucking walk?" -George Carlin

CRT had lots of advantages

dvd came out in 1996 (97 for US) and by 1999 became somewhat affordable.

But that's the only point where you win since i could not trade my 4k UHD Blu rays for dvds, and back then buying 35mm prints of a movie cost WAY too much.

Quote

You tell me how good it is. I'll wait.

Oh boy,

Internet was better, Movies were better, Games were better, Music was better. 

People/Society were WAAAAAAAAAY better:

Amazing people who died were alive back then, and most of the young celebrities today should have not even been born.

Heck even computers before Noob-friendly OSes were much better optimized.

(Although you win a point too here since viruses on pc were easier to get then now on win10 with win defender)

Yeah it's true i can't pinpoint something right now.

However you are seriously underestimating the capabilities of the internet back then

 

[Lord Szechenyi]

6 hours ago, Godlygamer23 said:

I think for the vast majority of things, we've improved greatly. Sanitation, computation, transportation, architecture, agriculture. I don't know of any things we really haven't improved on. Even in other areas like hunger, crime, etc, I think we've still made great progress. 

This is true, but i'd say mostly in 3rd world countries.

As for crime, oh boy look at the US statistics.

Also, i wouldn't call these "the majority of things" since you are not mentioning Art, which i think is still a big part of our life.

Spoiler

Also no, i can't agree on transportation, it was better before

 

[mousesnob]

I sound like a 20 year old boomer saying this but i feel like most social gatherings and parties would be better if phones could only call and text.

[Lord Szechenyi]

1 hour ago, minibois said:

I don't think 'things' were better (or even worse), but I do think it might have been better for me, just by the virtue of not being an adult during those times.

While certain hobbies have become different, I don't think there are any less ways for people to show their creativity nowadays, because of all the readily available and easily understandable information out there.

 

Sure, it's easy to look back to all the good things and think "man how come things aren't that good nowadays", but I think that's not always accurate, since people seem to remember the good things way more than the bad things, making stuff possibly appear better than it used to be.

One of the main things here i noticed is that for the internet, it became mainstream and that's what ruined it.

I bet your more than a quarter of the internet usage is (excluding google obvs) Youtube Facebook Twitter Instagram Reddit.

[Lord Szechenyi]

1 minute ago, mousesnob said:

I sound like a 20 year old boomer saying this but i feel like most social gatherings and parties would be better if phones could only call and text.

How can a 20 year old boomer exist?

Boomers are 65-80 years old now.

And besides, even if phones could only do that, the people have changed, even the social gatherings have changed both in reason (why the gathering) and in execution (what they do).

To quote the greatest movie of all time

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The world is changing, music is changing, even drugs are changing. You can't stay in here all day dreaming about heroin and Ziggy Pop

Quote

(...) The world is changing, music is changing, drugs are changing, even men and women are changing. One thousand years from now there’ll be no guys and no girls, just wankers. Sounds great to me. 

 

[kelvinhall05]

$10 says OP was born in the early 2000s, never actually experienced anything from the 90s that he's saying is so good, and is just spouting nonsense based on 90s music videos and other peoples' nostaligic memories.

[Wheresmehammer]

Yes it was, quality of life was better, people knew how to interact with others, people actually were more socially able than they are now.

People have become lazy, there is more transparency with everyone being on the internet which brings the problems of being open to everyone's full self which includes their dark side, being manipulated all sorts of things over an internet connection.

 

Gone are the days where you could punch someone in the face for being an actual idiot to make them learn from their mistake of you know, trying to get with your other half... now if you do that you go to court and lose.

 

Victim culture, be a victim and don't take action, just be a tool for others to promote themselves, or the highly narcissistic will self promote with victimhood.

 

 

 

 

[Wheresmehammer]

6 minutes ago, kelvinhall05 said:

$10 says OP was born in the early 2000s, never actually experienced anything from the 90s that he's saying is so good, and is just spouting nonsense based on 90s music videos and other peoples' nostaligic memories.

Yes the OP lacks any real information of the 90's. No understanding.

[Wheresmehammer]

8 hours ago, Sakuriru said:

Get rid of all portable devices. Limit your internet speed to 56k with Windows 98. The only way you're allowed to talk to someone is over the phone. Also you're not allowed to call anyone else's cell phone. You're also not allowed to use any consumer GPS device (time to get out the map). Replace your TV with a big ole CRT. Oh and you're not allowed to use anything more recent than VHS.

 

You tell me how good it is. I'll wait.

Far superior mental health, sense of self can be formed and not drained by everyone else's "oh look at me, positive post not showing reality"

[Lord Vile]

Mixed, privacy disappearing with the advent of Facebook and google owning most of the advertising space on the internet. Obviously things progress but most every day tech hasn't advanced in design or functionality since Steve Jobs passed. Everything seems to be pretty much them same since 2010 with the only exceptions being gimmicky devices like the Galaxy fold that reduce functionality in an attempt to desperately shout "look at me" rather than bringing something useful to the table. News sources are hard to trust because they're more interested in their agenda than facts and most people are becoming increasingly more tribal in every regard from politics to brands they like. On top of this the "inclusively" brigade try to undermine society as a whole and are trying to erase the past because it's "problematic". Then you have the racist dickheads from BLM trying to start a race war. Life in the 21st century is just peachy.

[Godlygamer23]

2 hours ago, Lord Szechenyi said:

This is true, but i'd say mostly in 3rd world countries.

As for crime, oh boy look at the US statistics.

Also, i wouldn't call these "the majority of things" since you are not mentioning Art, which i think is still a big part of our life.

  Reveal hidden contents

Also no, i can't agree on transportation, it was better before

 

As far as I'm concerned, crime is still an improvement. I mean it depends on what time period we're talking about, if we're trying to do a proper comparison. 

 

Elaborate on why you disagree with me on transportation. I'm keeping a more objective viewpoint, so anything subjective I tend to stay away from. 

[Lord Szechenyi]

1 hour ago, kelvinhall05 said:

$10 says OP was born in the early 2000s, never actually experienced anything from the 90s that he's saying is so good, and is just spouting nonsense based on 90s music videos and other peoples' nostaligic memories.

i was born in the early 2000s thats true

however i experienced most things from the 90s (being poor i guess?)

hell i mostly grew up with stuff of the 80s.

My first pc was a commodore Amiga, and i still maintain it as the greatest pc ever made

90s music videos sucked, only nowadays its way worse.

a bit like how AIDS is worse than cancer

[Wheresmehammer]

2 minutes ago, Lord Szechenyi said:

i was born in the early 2000s thats true

however i experienced most things from the 90s (being poor i guess?)

hell i mostly grew up with stuff of the 80s.

My first pc was a commodore Amiga, and i still maintain it as the greatest pc ever made

90s music videos sucked, only nowadays its way worse.

a bit like how AIDS is worse than cancer

Huh? being poor has nothing to do with what decade you were born in.

[Lord Szechenyi]

1 hour ago, Wheresmehammer said:

Far superior mental health, sense of self can be formed and not drained by everyone else's "oh look at me, positive post not showing reality"

how is my post not showing reality?

or am i missing something here?

Spoiler

Am not native english speaker, so sorry if i misunderstood the post

 

[kelvinhall05]

2 minutes ago, Lord Szechenyi said:

i was born in the early 2000s thats true

however i experienced most things from the 90s (being poor i guess?)

hell i mostly grew up with stuff of the 80s.

My first pc was a commodore Amiga, and i still maintain it as the greatest pc ever made

90s music videos sucked, only nowadays its way worse.

a bit like how AIDS is worse than cancer

So I'm right, lol. You're assuming something you never experienced is better than what you're currently living in.

[Wheresmehammer]

Just now, Lord Szechenyi said:

how is my post not showing reality?

or am i missing something here?

  Hide contents

Am not native english speaker, so sorry if i misunderstood the post

 

Everything you post seems faked, are you even a real person?

[Lord Szechenyi]

1 minute ago, Wheresmehammer said:

Huh? being poor has nothing to do with what decade you were born in.

not what i meant, but the person who i replied to said i grew up with nothing of the 90s

Quote

never actually experienced anything from the 90s that he's saying is so good

and i said that isn't true, since i did grew up with a bunch of 90s stuff (although i don't say, i obviously hated to dial up to the internet compared to instant access now) maybe because i was poor

[Lord Szechenyi]

1 minute ago, kelvinhall05 said:

So I'm right, lol. You're assuming something you never experienced is better than what you're currently living in.

But a lot of it i did experience

[Lord Szechenyi]

1 minute ago, Wheresmehammer said:

are you even a real person?

the fuck does that even mean

[Lord Szechenyi]

55 minutes ago, Godlygamer23 said:

As far as I'm concerned, crime is still an improvement. I mean it depends on what time period we're talking about, if we're trying to do a proper comparison. 

 

Elaborate on why you disagree with me on transportation. I'm keeping a more objective viewpoint, so anything subjective I tend to stay away from. 

Transportation has been more of a "pain", at least here in hungary, and also a bit in france (since i lived in both of those country)

Transportation being late has been more of an issue over the years, the amount of people who use it (which in terms of pollution is good, but its not good/comfortable commuting like that), and also generally a dangerous place (fortunately i did not see this problem in hungary, but in france a lot of people do hostile things)

And also (although you might say that's nitpicking) the seats are plastic now!

that sucks, they are not comfortable, ew fuck that shit.

[minibois]

3 hours ago, Lord Szechenyi said:

One of the main things here i noticed is that for the internet, it became mainstream and that's what ruined it.

I bet your more than a quarter of the internet usage is (excluding google obvs) Youtube Facebook Twitter Instagram Reddit.

90% of my internet use is YouTube and this forum, so I wouldn't disbelieve your statement.

But in terms of internet becoming mainstream, that is sort of a good thing in my opinion. It's much easier now to find a community of like-minded people somewhere (i.e. a forum, subreddit, etc.) than it was ages ago.