25 ‘Outdated’ Things People Refuse To Let Technology Replace

Technology is advancing at a pace we aren’t always ready to accept. When things like menus are replaced by QR codes at restaurants, for example, folks tend to baulk because what was wrong with the previous method anyway? 

#1 Menus. I immediately can’t stand the restaurant that makes me use a qr code.

Image source: shadowstorm33, Tima Miroshnichenko

#2 Physical calendar on our kitchen wall, with all our family and friends birthdays on it. We transfer the dates to the new calendar every year. Outdated yes, given our phone apps can easily remind us of important events, but the calendar is very visual and makes it easy for us to remember birthdays! Seeing who is coming up in the month, allows for better present organisation.

Image source: turboyabby, Leeloo Thefirst

#3 Wired ear buds. Much cheaper, last for decades, don’t require charging, and much less likely to lose one. Only downside is cable management which is easy if you take 5 secs to properly bundle it up after use.

Image source: Queeg_500, Karolina Grabowska

#4 A physical map when I want to look at countries

Image source: Mindless_Zombie_7702, Lara Jameson

#5 Stick shift

Image source: qwibbian, Raduz

#6 Doors with physical keys. I don’t like the idea of every door needing technology to open. It feels less safe.

Image source: Throwaway477644, Ann Zzz

#7 Line dried laundry. Not exclusively as it’s winter here and I have a dryer, but line drying is just so much better in every way.

Image source: Worried_Place_917, Annie Spratt

#8 Desktop computers. Mouse and keyboard for life. It’s so much easier to be productive.

Image source: bs200000, Mikhail Nilov

#9 Drawing with a piece of paper and a pencil. You just can’t beat it

Image source: Rhaynes_got_no_brain, Michael Burrows

#10 Writing letters. With paper & pen, through the postal service!

Image source: Bak3r93, Ron Lach

#11 Physical books. I tried to get into ebooks but it’s just not the same as a physical book. Plus books have that fresh paper smell that’s so nostalgic

Image source: Limp_Telephone2280, Abby Chung

#12 Physical media. Ain’t no copyright/license b******t can delete anything from my library.

Image source: mattnotis, cottonbro studio

#13 Cash

Image source: yeahboii5, Lukas

#14 CDs. Nothing beats having a physical copy of my favorite albums

Image source: Metalhead_Pretzel, Arturo Añez

#15

Image source: ptwonline, JESHOOTS.com

Corded tools and appliances. So many things I don’t use enough to make it worthwhile if it only lasts as long as the battery, and then I have to decide between spending to keep using something old or to just get something new.

That battery powered weed whacker I only need a few times year? The battery is done after a few years anyway. If I get a corded one that sucker will last me decades. Same with lawnmowers, snowblowers, drills, screwdrivers, vacuum cleaners, etc.

#16 It will be a cold day in hell before I get a fridge or a dishwasher with a computer built inside of it.

Image source: CantaloupeDue2445, Kindel Media

#17 Notebook and pen to take notes

Image source: fh3131, lil artsy

#18 My analog watch with the hour, minute, and second hands.

Image source: FlakkCatcher, Anthony DeRosa

#19 A car with a key, not a fob

Image source: oeildemontagne, Jonathan Cooper

#20 For me, manual brooms/sweepers come to mind. Robo vacuums just don’t interest me. I love advanced tech when it makes sense, but for me this feels like a case of overkill. Not everything needs to be smart/automatic. I’m a big believer the future should be one of mixed-use tech.

Image source: times_zero, cottonbro studio

#21 Real buttons. Not everything has to be touchscreen-compatible and there’s no comparison to gaming on a keyboard vs something touchscreen.

Image source: Xx4o4_err0r, John Petalcurin

#22 Paper tickets instead of e-tickets

Image source: shinealittlelove, Elijah Chen

#23 Cars that dont have TVs glued to the dash.

Image source: Thee_Sinner, Garvin St. Villier

#24 Handheld can openers. Dependable, fast, and portable.

Image source: chocolatechipninja, cottonbro studio

#25

Image source: Queen_Euphemia, Jonas Kakaroto

I have a 1947 Singer model 15. Sure I need attachments to do button holes and zig-zag stitches but, I couldn’t imagine using a modern machine.

Film, while I do have digital cameras as well, despite the incredible rise in cost I have still find myself shooting both 35mm and medium format film. I develop all my black and white film myself too, because the local lab charges more for it.

Vernier calipers, micrometers, etc: Why add a screen to something that never needed one?

Natural fabrics, I sew clothes out of wool, leather, cotton, linen, and silk. The only synthetic fabrics that ever made sense to me was nylon and kevlar, for normal clothes I just don’t see the point in polyester, viscose, PU, etc. It is like we have a whole chemical industry researching worse materials to make things out of.