Human’s history is full of stories of technological innovation. It is what helped us to be the first species to go to the moon, after all. And here, we’d like to discuss three tech pieces that were ubiquitous in the past but have become relics or even collectibles today.
Radio
The word radio here does not only refer to the gadget that people in the 90s or older used to hear music, but also the transmission method of utilizing the radio wave in the air. In fact, the word ‘on-air’ was originated from the radio culture we had.
However, even though almost no one hears music from radio today, the military is still using this medium for its versatility and privacy. If you’ve never heard of the word ‘comint,’ it stands for Communication Intelligence, which is a heavily encrypted transmission that is only receivable by selected parties. Also, walkie-talkies are still used among the security guards in concerts. Ambulance, the police, are all using the radio wave too. Radio remains the means of communication that does not rely too much on everything else, unlike the phone network or the Internet.
CDs and DVDs
These pre-recorded media were the only means to enjoy music, movies, and videos in the past. Today, you can have all of them on your laptop and smartphone. And it is not surprising to see that almost no CDs or DVDs stores in malls anymore.
However, believe it or not, music enthusiasts treat CDs of their beloved artists as a valuable collectible. According to two sources, Fast Company and Vice, CDs’ sales in the market are still unexpectedly high, which translates into tens of millions being distributed among buyers!
As for DVDs, movie collectors are into this visual format. Even if they may not have the player, or they do not watch the movies from the player, they still think that the Lord of the Rings and Star Wars series will make an excellent display in their home.
Fax Machines
“No one sends fax these days,” and that is probably what you have in mind when you read the word ‘fax machine’. However, fax machines are still used in many industries, such as law firms, hospitals, manufacturing companies, and finance businesses. Even though digital data distribution is proven to be compatible with almost anything, it is still vulnerable to counterfeit. Fax machines, on the other hand, can give you a real-time result while still maintaining the authenticity of the document. Besides, faxing is compatible with emails these days, so that compatibility is not really an issue.