Tuesday, April 7, 2015

A to Z Challenge - F




For my A to Z Challenge theme I will be posting items that are no longer with us or are close to becoming extinct.

These are great items to use if you are trying to set a time period in your story or to stay away from if you want your story to be timeless.

Film and film processors. In an earlier post I alluded to this one when I discussed disposable cameras.  It is amazing that a whole industry could just vanish but what was once an industry of making film, collecting and sending it to be processed and then returning the completed photos to the person anxious to see if they got that shot or be reminded of the wonderful surprise party is virtually gone. I took a class on dark room film processing in junior high, I don't think that is offered anymore. There were chemical companies that supported this industry as well.  
I was a film whore. I would take multiple shots of everything, using different filters, angles, light, etc. This was a very expensive approach since film processing wasn't cheap. You also had to have different speed film for the amount of light you were shooting in. Since I didn't have two cameras I would have to finish up my high speed film even if I didn't have any more shots I wanted to take. You had to carry around film. Now you can slip a tiny SD card into your camera and take rolls and rolls worth of film. You can also see the shots immediately to be sure you got the shot you wanted. With film you could only hope.

Floppy disks.  These went the way of the TRS-80, although it took a lot longer. There were three sizes of floppy disks 8" (which, yes, is now as large as some tablets), 5 1/4" and 3". 

Fax Machine. Yes, these still exist but why? In my experience it is because the government refuses to move forward. Loans (government regulations) have to use fax machines and the CA government agencies that I deal with will only accept faxes and will not allow me to email them.  For these reasons I still have a fax machine in my office although you can easily get programs and use your computer as a fax machine.

Fountain pens and ink bottles.  Fountain pens were slow and messy but they were fun to use. Calligraphy and the art of writing. Take a moment when your next inspiration strikes and write it out long hand. Send someone you care about a handwritten note.

Happy Writing!


12 comments:

  1. Floppy disks. Now there's a trip down memory lane. I remember those rubbery big black ones too.

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    1. I don't remember those but the 3 inch were the preferred format when I started working. I remember using three of them to save a Gauguin screen saver that would fit on a tiny section of a CD or thumb drive now.

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  2. I still remember my mom's film canisters and positively dying to see the pictures!

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    1. Those film canisters were so useful as well. Change holders in the car, bug catching, pills, teeth for the tooth fairy, marbles, tiny Lego pieces.

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  3. What a fun theme! Luckily I still see fountain pens, and even quill pens -- often in the art supply stores, or for calligraphy purposes. Not that my handwriting deserves such lovely tools. LOL

    Donna

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    1. I am not much of a shopper and hadn't seen them since I searched 20 years ago to write my wedding invitations. I am glad to hear they are still out there. Even bad handwriting looks better with a fountain pen chisel tip.

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  4. I still have a box full of the small floppies with data that I can't retrieve! I'm stubborn so I just keep hanging on to them.

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    1. I have a box of cassette tapes and an old player so I can listen to my friends garage bands, which I have never done, so I cannot cast stones. I am a saver too.

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  5. The good old days of film cameras! I bought a medium format camera recently but just can't get used to not seeing the image reviewed on an LCD screen after I've taken it.
    Never had a fax machine- but I still use fountain pens to write on a daily basis. They all leak- that's why I usually have blue fingers! Fantastic theme- and great posts!

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    1. When I was thinking fountain pens I thought of the stick one I had that had a lovely fine chisel point that needed to be dipped in a bottle of ink. I had forgotten all about the ones that had ink cartridges!
      What a great way to start a conversation with someone. If I saw your blue fingers I would ask if you were a printer or an art teacher.

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  6. I was very happy when digital cameras came out. I started taking photos again. The cost of film and film processing was just too much. It would be fun to find a fountain pen and write with it again. I bet the cost of doing so would be expensive because it's so "unique" now. hahaha, that's funny.
    The View from the Top of the Ladder
    Take 25 to Hollister

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