Read it through,then decide

by KimW
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How Old is grandma?

Stay with this -- the answer is at the end. It will blow you away.
One evening a grandson was talking to his grandmother about current events.
The grandson asked his grandmother what she thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general..
The Grandmother replied, "Well, let me think a minute, I was born before:
' television
' penicillin
' polio shots
' frozen foods
' Xerox
' contact lenses
' Frisbees and
' the pill
There were no:
' credit cards
' laser beams or
' ball-point pens
Man had not invented:
' pantyhose
' air conditioners
' dishwashers
' clothes dryers
' and the clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and
' man hadn't yet walked on the moon

Your Grandfather and I got married first, .. .... ... and then lived together..
Every family had a father and a mother.
Until I was 25, I called every man older than me, "Sir".
And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title, "Sir."
We were before gay-rights, computer- dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy.
Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense.
We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.
Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege...
We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent.
Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.
Draft dodgers were those who closed front doors as the evening breeze started.
Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends-not purchasing condominiums.

We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CD's, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings.
We listened to Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios.
And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.
If you saw anything with 'Made in Japan' on it, it was junk
The term 'making out' referred to how you did on your school exam..
Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.
We had 5 &10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.
Ice-cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.
And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.
You could buy a new Ford Coupe for $600, . .. . but who could afford one?
Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.
In my day:
' "grass" was mowed,
' "coke" was a cold drink,
' "pot" was something your mother cooked in and
' "rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby.
' "Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office,
' "chip" meant a piece of wood,
' "hardware" was found in a hardware store and
' "software" wasn't even a word.

And we were the last generation to actually believe that a lady needed a husband to have a baby.
No wonder people call us "old and confused" and say there is a generation gap.
How old do you think I am?
I bet you have this old lady in mind....you are in for a shock!
Read on to see -- pretty scary if you think about it and pretty sad at the same time.
Are you ready ?????




This woman would be only 59 years old.
#decide #read
  • Profile picture of the author pjCheviot
    Banned
    Kim

    The more I read that thread, the more I thought . . . . . . .

    "This grandma could possibly be my twin sister" (with some adjustments for the UK!)

    That's scary - because by the time I got to the end - I wasn't far away
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    • Profile picture of the author jimbo13
      Kim

      Birds Eye Frozen Food - 1939
      Alexander Fleming and Penicillin - 1928
      BBC first TV broadcast - 1936
      Biro patented ballpoint pen - 1938

      so where are you getting 59 years old from?

      That would only go as far back as 1952.

      And like most things the you can find examples of all the above way before those dates too.

      Dan
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      • Profile picture of the author pjCheviot
        Banned
        Originally Posted by jimbo13 View Post

        Kim

        Birds Eye Frozen Food - 1939
        Alexander Fleming and Penicillin - 1928
        BBC first TV broadcast - 1936
        Biro patented ballpoint pen - 1938

        so where are you getting 59 years old from?

        That would only go as far back as 1952.

        And like most things the you can find examples of all the above way before those dates too.

        Dan
        Hehe

        I feel young again . . . . .
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      • Profile picture of the author Ken Strong
        Originally Posted by jimbo13 View Post

        Kim

        Birds Eye Frozen Food - 1939
        Alexander Fleming and Penicillin - 1928
        BBC first TV broadcast - 1936
        Biro patented ballpoint pen - 1938

        so where are you getting 59 years old from?

        That would only go as far back as 1952.

        And like most things the you can find examples of all the above way before those dates too.

        Dan
        I was wondering the same thing -- it mentions "electric typewriters" as an example of new-fangled technology. And there certainly was TV in 1952. That has to be at least 20 years old.
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        • Profile picture of the author Ken Strong
          I found the same thing on another website where the grandma was 65 years old in 2001... that would make her 75 now. That's more like it. But it's only a 16-year difference, which really isn't that much, so maybe the story isn't as outdated as it sounds.

          Those good old days don't really sound so idyllic to me... at least half the stuff listed, I wouldn't want to go back to anyway.
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          • Profile picture of the author whateverpedia
            Originally Posted by Ken Strong View Post

            I found the same thing on another website where the grandma was 65 years old in 2001... that would make her 75 now. That's more like it. But it's only a 16-year difference, which really isn't that much, so maybe the story isn't as outdated as it sounds.

            Those good old days don't really sound so idyllic to me... at least half the stuff listed, I wouldn't want to go back to anyway.
            If she wa 65 in 2001, that would mean she was born while the Great Depression was still happening with World War II still to look forward to. Very hard to think of those as the "good old days".
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    With ME, as I recall:

    television had NO transistors, and was B&W!
    We STILL worried about polio
    I think TV dinners were created in my life time!
    Most copiers were NOT based on Xerography! Did you ever see the scene in "fast times at ridgemont high" where the teacher hands out the tests, and all the students SNIFF them? They used that abdick developing fluid, and did NOT use xerography!
    contact lenses didn't exist
    credit cards didn't exist(We DID have T/E cards! They were harder to get, not as accepted, and more expensive)
    laser beams came ONLY from expensive high powered TUBES! Laser printers now use a laser diode that costs less than $10, and uses power on the order of milliwatts. OH, and they ALL use xerography!
    man hadn't yet walked on the moon
    Every family had a father and a mother.
    we had NO electronic calculators!
    we had NO LEDs!
    we had NO LCDs!
    we had NO microcomputers(simply called computers today)
    ICs were viable ONLY after I was born. Apparently, the first prototype was made less than a decade before I was born.

    BTW we had NO cassette tape! NO 8 track! NO CD! NO DVD! NO VCR TAPE! A lot of film was slow and B&W! My first tape recorder was REEL TO REEL! My first spinning plastic player was something called a RECORD PLAYER!

    I'm at least 10 years younger than she is!

    Steve
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    • Profile picture of the author jimbo13
      Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

      With ME, as I recall:

      ICs were viable ONLY after I was born. Apparently, the first prototype was made less than a decade before I was born.

      Steve
      Hi Steve

      Umm, I can't work out what IC stands for. I'm sure it is obvious but I'm stuck.

      Thanks

      Dan
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      • Profile picture of the author Ken Strong
        Originally Posted by jimbo13 View Post

        Hi Steve

        Umm, I can't work out what IC stands for. I'm sure it is obvious but I'm stuck.

        Thanks

        Dan
        Integrated Circuit is my guess... since he was talking about computers just before that.
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      • Profile picture of the author Frank Donovan
        Originally Posted by jimbo13 View Post

        Umm, I can't work out what IC stands for. I'm sure it is obvious but I'm stuck.
        That's got me, too.

        Internet Cafes?
        Imported Cheese?
        Iced Coffee?
        Ikea Chairs?

        :confused:


        Frank
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      • Profile picture of the author seasoned
        Originally Posted by jimbo13 View Post

        Hi Steve

        Umm, I can't work out what IC stands for. I'm sure it is obvious but I'm stuck.

        Thanks

        Dan
        Integrated circuits! Look at almost any electronic device you have, and almost every circuit is an IC! In 1971, I was SHOCKED to find they made them up to 40 pin! Eventually 64 pin. TODAY, with the new CPUS, they go into HUNDREDS of "pins".

        Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Fernando Veloso
    Wow... some of you guys are really freakin old or what? EDIT: I'm turning 40!!! Ahah
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    • Profile picture of the author ThomM
      Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso View Post

      Wow... some of you guys are really freakin old or what? EDIT: I'm turning 40!!! Ahah
      You kids, always got some smart alec thing to say

      Always remember.
      "As you are I was
      As I am you will be."
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      • Profile picture of the author Roaddog
        Originally Posted by ThomM View Post

        You kids, always got some smart alec thing to say

        Always remember.
        "As you are I was
        As I am you will be."

        Thom, how'd you get my picture?

        I saved that, gonna make a great avatar.
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        • Profile picture of the author ThomM
          Originally Posted by Roaddog View Post

          Thom, how'd you get my picture?

          I saved that, gonna make a great avatar.
          Ah Jim that's a pic Sal took of me when she was staying here:rolleyes:
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          Life: Nature's way of keeping meat fresh
          Getting old ain't for sissy's
          As you are I was, as I am you will be
          You can't fix stupid, but you can always out smart it.

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          • Profile picture of the author Roaddog
            Originally Posted by ThomM View Post

            Ah Jim that's a pic Sal took of me when she was staying here:rolleyes:

            That's uncanny, it's like we were separated at birth.



            Hey Kim,
            I read along time ago that (and these are not exact, wombats) around 75% of our technology has come in the last sixty years. Something like that, you get the point I'm sure, considering it's what your trying to illustrate with the thread...

            My wife's Grandfather lived to be 98 and was still very coherent up until the end, a couple of years ago.

            I myself have seen great 'changes' since I've been around, so you can imagine how interesting it was to sit and talk to him about the changes he had seen.
            He lived in Texas so I never really saw him enough, but when I did, I 'grilled' him and he was more than happy to tell me things.

            Till his last few day's he would put on his overalls and go to work.

            One thing I have to say, he always measured you by your handshake and he was known for his grip, even at 98.
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            • Profile picture of the author ThomM
              Originally Posted by Roaddog View Post

              That's uncanny, it's like we were separated at birth.
              With my family history, I wouldn't be surprised:rolleyes:


              Hey Kim,
              I read along time ago that (and these are not exact, wombats) around 75% of our technology has come in the last sixty years. Something like that, you get the point I'm sure, considering it's what your trying to illustrate with the thread...

              My wife's Grandfather lived to be 98 and was still very coherent up until the end, a couple of years ago.

              I myself have seen great 'changes' since I've been around, so you can imagine how interesting it was to sit and talk to him about the changes he had seen.
              He lived in Texas so I never really saw him enough, but when I did, I 'grilled' him and he was more than happy to tell me things.

              Till his last few day's he would put on his overalls and go to work.

              One thing I have to say, he always measured you by your handshake and he was known for his grip, even at 98.
              Jim my father was born in 1895 (he was 58 when I was born). I was in my early 30's when he died, but I still got to here some great stories going from his youth on up.
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              Life: Nature's way of keeping meat fresh
              Getting old ain't for sissy's
              As you are I was, as I am you will be
              You can't fix stupid, but you can always out smart it.

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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by Fernando Veloso View Post

      Wow... some of you guys are really freakin old or what? EDIT: I'm turning 40!!! Ahah
      I'm not THAT much older than you! By the time I was 10, they DID have microcomputers(Microsoft didn't exist yet, APPLE didn't exist yet, and IBM LAUGHED at the prospect. ), Cassette tape recorders, and I think they went to 8track. I think they EVEN had VCR tapes! They had TV dinners, xerography was getting more popular, I think they had contact lenses, LEDs, and they had electronic calculators.

      They STILL didn't have:
      LASER diodes
      LCDs
      And I don't know if they had credit cards yet. Actually, apparently the network was built when I was a toddler.

      BTW ANOTHER thing! In the 60s, remote controls for consumer products were generally expensive and ULTRASONIC! I was always a bit happy about my fathers old TV console. He got a top of the line QUASAR! IT had an ultrasonic remote. I didn't see anyone else wth one.

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    Ok, this was sent to me by my brother in law.
    When I read it I thought about the statistics it was giving me about marketing today,(which is why I posted it in the main forum and not down here),not if every word was accurate.
    Once again, think about it.
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  • Profile picture of the author msmir75
    I can't say I remember any of this considering I was born in 1975. But I do remember being 9 years old and walking across the street to the nearest convenience store to buy candy or gum by myself. My daughter is 9, and I would never even dream of her doing that. Not in this kind of world we are living in today. Especially not after hearing about what happened to that boy a few days ago in Brooklyn NY. But even so, it was really not that long ago either before the internet that kids were riding bikes and playing outdoors, I did so too when I was a child in the 80's. Hearing about obesity and type 2 diabetes in children in the 80's was rare.. today it is a huge concern since kids are not really active anymore since they are on the internet these days, eating poorly. Part of that reason is because both parents need to work in this day and age, and as a result they don't have time to teach their kids good habits, and use the television or computer as a babysitter. Not to mention, portion sizes are today are much bigger than they were back even in the 80's. And yeah, obesity and type 2 diabetes were not nearly as common back in the day. Today it is a major problem. Things are definitely changing, and not for the better.
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by msmir75 View Post

      I can't say I remember any of this considering I was born in 1975.
      1975? Microsoft and Apple were JUST getting started! IBM was STILL laughing at the IDEA of a microcomputer! The CD and DVD weren't out. The VCR tape, if out, wasn't out for long. SMALL B&W LCDs were just starting to hit the market. COLOR LCDS? NOPE! IBM STILL didn't have the XRAY metod of creating ICs, so the size was still FAR more limited than today.

      So you THINK you re young, but a lot of things mny here take for granted really weren't there when you were born! Of course, before you were 10, all that stuff, except DVD was out.

      But I do remember being 9 years old and walking across the street to the nearest convenience store to buy candy or gum by myself. My daughter is 9, and I would never even dream of her doing that. Not in this kind of world we are living in today. Especially not after hearing about what happened to that boy a few days ago in Brooklyn NY. But even so, it was really not that long ago either before the internet that kids were riding bikes and playing outdoors, I did so too when I was a child in the 80's. Hearing about obesity and type 2 diabetes in children in the 80's was rare.. today it is a huge concern since kids are not really active anymore since they are on the internet these days, eating poorly. Part of that reason is because both parents need to work in this day and age, and as a result they don't have time to teach their kids good habits, and use the television or computer as a babysitter. Not to mention, portion sizes are today are much bigger than they were back even in the 80's. And yeah, obesity and type 2 diabetes were not nearly as common back in the day. Today it is a major problem. Things are definitely changing, and not for the better.
      yeah. 8-(

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Sheryl Polomka
    I'm 42 and it is amazing when I think back to when I was a kid to what we have today.

    We had black and white TV
    There were no CDs, VCRd, DVDs, Blu-Ray
    In high school I remember the school getting their first electric typewriter and I thought I was so good because I was the best typist in my class so I got to use the electric one.
    We certainly didn't have computers - I believe they were introduced into our school the year after I left.
    Us kids hung out at the beach or the playground after school - on our own. I wouldn't let my kids hang out on their own now.
    I remember getting 30 cents pocket money every Friday and I could buy a lot of lollies with that 30 cents.

    Unfortunately, I think one of the biggest changes I notice is in children's behavior and attitudes. We treated adults with respect - kids have no respect these days.

    Sure there have been many improvements that have made life easier but there are a lot of negative results I think of all these improvements and advancements in technology.

    But, that's life, you can't stop it, you just have to deal with it. I am happy that I have a computer and a color TV and all the other stuff, I just wish the good attitudes and well adjusted people came with them
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      Could be many of the products were not available to the public when they were "first introduced". They may have had high price or limited distribution - and WWII caused many new products to wait under after war before they could be mass produced.

      Doesn't matter if Grandma was 59 or 80 - it's still a big change in a small amount of time. Some of the advances are great - and some we might be better off if we'd done without.
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      • Profile picture of the author HeySal
        Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

        Could be many of the products were not available to the public when they were "first introduced". They may have had high price or limited distribution - and WWII caused many new products to wait under after war before they could be mass produced.

        Doesn't matter if Grandma was 59 or 80 - it's still a big change in a small amount of time. Some of the advances are great - and some we might be better off if we'd done without.
        That's true. How many years did it take after TV was invented to get it out to the public? I know my family got their first TV the year I was born (54) and so did a lot of others. Most families didn't own a tv before then, I grew up with one. But it wasn't the same as tv now by any shot of the imagination.

        My family lived in a town of fewer than 1000 people. My sister was 6 or 7 and was allowed to walk me the 3 blocks to town herself. We'd buy candy and come home. Nobody thought two ways about that. Violence in town was unheard of other than a few fist fights between beer drinkers or teenage boys.
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        Sal
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        Beyond the Path

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