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What's a technology that was cooler in its older iterations? (pawb.social)

submitted 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) by VinesNFluff@pawb.social to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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I don't mean BETTER. That's a different conversation. I mean cooler.

An old CRT display was literally a small scale particle accelerator, firing angry electron beams at light speed towards the viewers, bent by an electromagnet that alternates at an ultra high frequency, stopped by a rounded rectangle of glowing phosphors.

If a CRT goes bad it can actually make people sick.

That's just. Conceptually a lot COOLER than a modern LED panel, which really is just a bajillion very tiny lightbulbs.

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[-] Omega_Jimes@lemmy.ca 53 points 2 months ago

I'm not crazy old, but I'm old enough that the supermarket I went to as a kid had these at all the checkout aisles and the cashiers would use them to send cheques/reciepts/ whatever.

It was awesome to see.

[-] ghashul@feddit.dk 23 points 2 months ago

They still use them today in some supermarkets, now they use them to send packets of cigarettes through the store.

[-] Omega_Jimes@lemmy.ca 8 points 2 months ago

That's actually a pretty good use. In my local market they send the person to a separate counter.

[-] 5wim@slrpnk.net 17 points 2 months ago

Very cool, I've never seen the ones that can send a person. Can they breathe in transit?

[-] Cenzorrll@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

It's pneumatic, not vacuum. Geez.

[-] 5wim@slrpnk.net 3 points 2 months ago

Making it dangerous to smoke while in transit. I see why the people ones didn't catch on in the 50s.

[-] dharmacurious@slrpnk.net 11 points 2 months ago

Okay, maybe my town is just not up to date, but these are still in use at all the banks and pharmacies where I live. Are they phased elsewhere?

[-] Omega_Jimes@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 months ago

I haven't seen one in years, but the fact that they're all used is awesome.

[-] kilgore_trout@feddit.it 1 points 2 months ago

They are used in some hospitals in central Europe

[-] Kryptonidas@lemmy.wtf 1 points 2 months ago

In the Netherlands I see them in nearly every big hospital. I think for sending blood samples to the lab quickly. (Possibly among other things)

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 1 points 2 months ago

The Kroger pharmacy here replaced their awesome pneumatic tube with a boring sliding drawer.

this post was submitted on 23 Oct 2024

452 points (98.5% liked)

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