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You guys already know about this link, right? Its fun to look at the progress of electronics in the various Christmas catalogs. In particular, transistor radios got cheaper and improved significantly during the 1960s, and these were much sought-after gifts by people both big and small. Keep in mind that a $35 transistor radio from the early 1960s would be well over $100 in current inflation-adjusted dollars. Of course, the TV sets are very expensive in inflation-adjusted dollars and poor quality compared with current "throw-away" flat panels. Buyers supported a whole industry of storefront "TV repairmen" and having a good repairman identified and on call was a necessity. An entirely new B&W picture tube cost $40 plus maybe $25 labor, and many people did that. A cheaper alternative was the so-called picture brightener, easily-installed and about $6, that might keep your old tube going for another 6 or even 12 months (if you were lucky).As the TV repairman took a look at your fading, dull picture, he would say "we COULD try putting a brightener on that!"
If I could somehow be transported back once more to the land of battery- powered mini-reel tape recorders that lacked even a capstan, would I go? I dont know!
David
Edits: 03/17/15Follow Ups:
...the jacket on the right. It's a beauty.
"I can't compete with the dead". (Buck W. 2010)
the pipe? :)
very stylish and current!
Man, that's a lot of white people
What makes these catalogs interesting to me is that they describe what was important in our culture at a specific moment in time. In 1957 you would not likely have seen other than a caucasian clothing model, for example, something that would be just weird-and-dumb nowadays. But also the point-in-time state of all sorts of different technologies that were important and what people were spending money on back then. Skilled Labor was cheap: TV sets were expensive, and they broke frequently, so we hired people to fix them. Now TVs are much more reliable, and it doesnt pay to repair most of them, so most busted TV sets get tossed and replaced with something cheaper and better (as the technology improves).
The constant discussion we have here is what parts of the old technologies from 30-70 years ago are worth it to keep working.
Yeah, I looked at '57 (year I was born) too. Lots of furs for sale. PETA would have fun with that! :-)
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