Sorry guys, if you're older than 18

[Joann Raytar]

Want to feel old? This should do it. Just in case you weren't feeling too old today, this will certainly change things. Each year the staff at Beloit College in Wisconsin puts together a list to try to give the faculty a sense of the mindset of the incoming freshmen. Here is this year's list:

The people who are starting college this fall across the nation were born in 1982.

* They have no meaningful recollection of the Reagan Era and probably did not know he had ever been shot.

* They were prepubescent when the Persian Gulf War was waged.

* Black Monday, 1987 is as significant to them as the Great Depression.

* There has been only one Pope.

* They were 11 when the Soviet Union broke apart and do not remember the Cold War.

* They have never feared a nuclear war.

* They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up.

* Tianamen Square means nothing to them.

* Bottle caps have always been screw off and plastic.

* Atari predates them, as do vinyl albums.

* The expression you sound like a broken record means nothing to them.

* They have never owned a record player.

* They have likely never played Pac Man and have never heard of Pong.

* They may have never heard of an 8 track.

* The Compact Disc was introduced when they were 1 year old.

* As far as they know, stamps have always cost about 33 cents.

* They have always had an answering machine.

* Most have never seen a TV set with only 13 channels, nor have they seen a black-and-white TV.

* They have always had cable.

* There has always been VCRs, but they have no idea what BETA is.

* They cannot fathom not having a remote control.

* They were born the year that Walkmen were introduced by Sony.

* Roller-skating has always meant inline for them.

* Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show.

* They have no idea when or why Jordache jeans were cool.

* Popcorn has always been cooked in the microwave.

* They have never seen Larry Bird play.

* They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.

* The Vietnam War is as ancient history to them as WWI, WWII and the Civil War.

* They have no idea that Americans were ever held hostage in Iran.

* They can't imagine what hard contact lenses are.

* They don't know who Mork was or where he was from.

* They do not care who shot J.R. and have no idea who J.R. is.

* The Titanic was found? They thought we always knew where it was.

* Kansas, Chicago, Boston, America, and Alabama are places, not groups.

* McDonalds never came in Styrofoam containers.

* There has always been MTV.

* They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter.

[Maria]

Is a typewriter one of those weird things that can print without a computer? And there's no monitor, just a keyboard? I don't believe you. :)
At 23, I'm at that awkward age where some of the stuff on the list rings true. For example, the Vietnam war is from the olden days, but I remember vinyl.

[Joann Raytar]

I still have vinyl. My turntable needs a new diamond stylus though. I think I may be out of luck finding one without a ton of hunting.

[Pete Hanlin]

How about things from the optical industry (which I've only been in for 11 years) that only "old timers" would remember?

Some of the "crazes" when I was starting in the lab were CFG frames from Marcolin (we had, like, 60 different colors on this huge rotating display).

I sometimes feel like I've been doing this a long time when I realize that some of our newer opticians don't realize that photochromic lenses haven't always been available in resin ("you think Transitions III doesn't get dark enough, well I remember the first Transitions...").

How bout it? Any of you old timers remember life before PALs? Using pitch in the fining process?

Pete

[Diane]

Originally posted by Jo:
I still have vinyl. My turntable needs a new diamond stylus though. I think I may be out of luck finding one without a ton of hunting.

Jo,

I got my husband a new combination CD player, Cassette player, radio, and guess what, turntable. I was concerned about replacements as well, but they are available. This was at Sears...go figure. I have decided that what the Baby Boomers want, the Baby Boomers get. We rule....at least for now.

We also have an old stereo, that we purchased before we purchased any other furniture, and it still works, and we have a dealer that we can get replacements from as well.

One of my staff reminded me that this piece of furniture/equipment is classified as an antique. Oh well.

Diane

[Joann Raytar]

Diane,

Where do you get your old turntable diamonds from? I have an ancient Fischer Studio Standard and used to be able to get them from Radio Shack; it appears they have gone digital now and I can no longer get them there. Does your place do mail order?

[John R]

Originally posted by Pete Hanlin:

How bout it? Any of you old timers remember life before PALs? Using pitch in the fining process?

Pete

Ah life before pals when lens types could be counted on one hand and that lovly smell of pitch, a wage of £16.00 a week ah the good old days (NOT) Can anyone else rember the first photochromic glass lenses, opc 1,2 & 3



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Every day a grind
Every week a bind
www.iooi.co.uk

[Joann Raytar]

Pete:

Some of my favorites were the Carreras. The plastic number with the open bridge and the metal that had the flip down clamp to make the lenses interchangable. Of course both styles were always odered with high minus lenses. There was also that women's Luxottica three piece mount with the scalloped edge and the facet. There were also the big Optyl and Papagallo frames. Those were the days when we went through more 76 and 80mm blanks than 70mm's. Then there was that phase where every other frame was either out of the RL Polo Classic line or a copy of it. I actually owned two or three CFG frames. They came right after my traumatic years. My earliest personal frames had a big plastic front and drop temples. Filled with glass lenses. I didn't go for the little gold stick on initials.

Nothing beat edging glass everyday. You always had the idiot, at one time myself, who was potentially dangerous near the temporing units. #1)Plastic and polarized lenses, cannot be heat or chem tempered and will catch on fire(not mine) #2)Lenses coming out of a heat unit are very, very, very hot. (Note the orange glow) #3)Hot glass lenses will burn your hand. #4)Even at lower temps heat ovens will not get bubbles out of polycarb coating; they will however cause the lens to turn into a boomerang.(Mine - poly was relatively new to usand I was told heat would make the air bubble open up and reseal) #5)Wet lenses, high temperatures and tempering chemicals do not mix.

Silicone nosepads should not be left in resin bead pans for any extended length of time. Those old Logo frames; you know, the multi color red, purple, teal and pink ones; did not cope well with heat. If heated too much they quickly became unrecognizable.

The last thing I learned from my optical past concerned cutting aluminum laps. If you cut into a lap too deep, that little blade is more dangerous than a Chinese throwing star. They also travel farther and are a pain to dig out of inanimate objects. Oops, I nearly forgot. Always check to make sure that the bolt on your generator's diamond wheel is secure before turning the machine on. It isn't so much the wheel that is dangerous, but I have personnaly found out that the bolt will fly out of the machine fast enough to put a dent in a handwheel safety plate, deflect, and go straight through drywall into your neighbors breakroom.

[PAkev]

During my nursing home visits I often come across those old Art-Craft alluminum frames. Surprisingly enough, when folks tell you they are 25-30 yrs. old I am very impressed they have stood the test of time. For the most part, these frames are still in very servicable condition. I'd be very hardpressed to say many frame mfg products of today could take a person that far in a single frame. My guess is most of the folks who sold them are probably retired by now but I'm curious if any well seasoned optiboarders have an idea of what these frames sold for back then?


Remember when most folks paid cash for their eyewear.

Remember when they wouldn't have a problem waiting two weeks for their eyewear.

Remember when uncut orders were mailed to wholesale labs via US mail.

Remember when you surfaced and/or edged that first job all by yourself.

Remember when Sunday was certainly a day off of work.

Technology certainly has taken our profession to a new level but we also have many challenges which were not recognized back then.

[Andrea]

Wow, that list sure made me feel old...and I'm only 25!!!

I remember:
when my family's 1st "remote control" to the TV was still actually attached to it.

when MTV debuted and how they used to actually play videos.

watching Fantasy Island and Love Boat every Saturday night.

at the discount department stores (pre-Walmart days) there used to be a booth up front where kids (like me) could go in 1 or 2 at a time, put a quarter in and watch cartoons, like Deputy Dawg.


PS. You can get parts for turntables and such at stores that sell Deejay supplies, since a lot of DJ's use vinyl : )

[Joann Raytar]

I didn't think about DJ supplies; I'll give it a try! Thanks Andrea!

[Joann Raytar]

Kevin:

Thought you would find this interesting:
http://www.metiques.com/catalog/glasses.html

[EyeManFla]

Originally posted by Pete Hanlin:

I sometimes feel like I've been doing this a long time when I realize that some of our newer opticians don't realize that photochromic lenses haven't always been available in resin ("you think Transitions III doesn't get dark enough, well I remember the first Transitions...").


Pete[/I]

Pete, Remember the C-Lite Lens. The missing link between Photogray and Transition.......

The Optyl 1017.....the biggest selling frame I ever carried........

Old Varilux...before the AO Ultravue......

The FT 22 was considered a BIG bifocal......

[Maria]

I also remember when you could smoke in McDonalds. (Not in a window seat, naturally, you never know when one of your mum's friends could go past.)
And when they used to sell root beer, that smelt and tasted exactly like germolene. Although the smell of alcohol eminating from me when I fell though the door on a Friday night was often attributed to "the root beer at McDonald's, where I've been all night". Even after they'd stopped selling it. (Well, what was I supposed to say? "I've been out boozing all night with fake ID"? I think not.)
In fact, McDonalds is resonsible for a lot of teenage misdemeanour. They don't show Ronald doing that on the adverts. :)

[Joann Raytar]

You had to mention McDonald's. How life before drivethru's and ATM's? I remember that.

[hcjilson]

Is there anyone left out there who has done Temporary Cataract Lenses? I'm talking about filling an Rx for a pair of temporary cataract
lenses to be used until the eye healed enough for a permanent Rx.It was done using a carrier which may or may not have had a cylindrical power, to which you fused a 12 to 14D button, using pine pitch over a bunsen burner.The job used to take forever, and the charge was $25 which was taken off the price of the final Rx if purchased there.You haven't lived until one or more of the buttons (on a pair you had just spent an hour to fabricate) popped off in freezing weather! :( How about Sirmonts?, or AO's famed Tri-matic edger :(And the Grandaddy of them all, the renowned Original Tura's, made from the unforgiving wonder metal..Aluminium :( :(There are a ton more, but thats all I have time for now!
With some mostly fond thoughts of the past..

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Harry J

[Darris Chambless]

Hello Jo,

I have a linear tracking turn table (High tech) so I may be able to give you some necessary information regarding your stylus. Pickering makes many of the stylus used for past and present. See if you can find them on the net and you should be able to get what you need.

I have lots of vinyl. Stacks of them even :-)

Take care,

Darris C.

[ziggy]

I was telling a friend about your post,, we both got a big kick out of it!! He mentioned black rotary phones,, My Mom still uses hers, and she is only 53.