Remembered something here. I recommend rereading every time it seems we live "badly" or "it was better before"
Cards
When I came to Czech Republic, I needed to bring bank cards. And how were operations approved in 2013?
Probably like now, through SMS? Yeah right.
Then when opening accounts they gave cards with temporary codes.
With any operation (transfer, for example) the system told you "scratch off code 26". Seriously, that's how it was in 2014.
What to do when the codes on the card run out and you're in Czech Republic? Well, everything's obvious, suck it up.
Today you can "put your finger" and not embarrass yourself.
Household Goods
How do you buy laundry detergent now? Go to the store and it's lying there.
I'll tell you how it was in Kaluga at the end of the 90s.
If you didn't want to spend millions, it was advisable to shop "from the warehouse". One such was right by the house, on Victory Square.
You enter the store, there are several display cases. You remember everything you need.
You go to one of the sellers, dictate. They write your list on a piece of paper. Bring everything in a box from the warehouse, you pay.
Won't forget how I asked mom for a "liner". Don't know how it's read, but we thought "liner" was such a very thin pen. They brought "Lenor". I don't think I cried, but could have.
Recently I ordered detergent with a discount and it came almost home, delivery cost less than going to the store.
Groceries
The biggest fear of a 2000s schoolchild was that mom would put you in a different line and it would be faster.
Know how I bought sausage in the 90s?
You go to the sausage department. Say to cut 300 grams. They cut it, wrap it in paper. The piece will cost 18 rubles. They don't give you the sausage, they write "1-18" on a left piece of paper (first department 18 rubles)
Now you go to the bread department and take a kilogram of pasta. They don't give it to you, they write "2-11" on the paper (second department 11 rubles)
Now you go to the center of the hall to the cashier, stand in line. Cashiers are the scariest people in the store, they punch what they can. That's exactly how I learned to count - they on their "abacus" always calculated something wrong.
If you're particularly bold, you just said "punch 7 rubles to bread department", and immediately went with the receipt to take bread you hadn't ordered yet (you know the price in advance unlike sausage)
Now with the receipt you go back to sausage. Need to pick it up - the lady is cutting sausage for someone else, but you need to burst in and take yours. Simultaneously need to make sure they don't take your receipt - you still need to carry it to pasta.
From the bad, it can happen that they tear the receipt so you don't use it twice, so you need to say in advance. Otherwise the lady from sausage will go to the pasta department to give out pasta.
In many stores today I can scan products myself as I pick them, then pay with a card right from my phone. Soon I'll be picking products and money will be withdrawn when I leave the store.
Football
When you watch videos about Africa today, you often see how poor the children are there - running around playing football with a dirty ball.
Until about 5th grade we played football exclusively with a plastic bottle - the ball was in the gym and they didn't give it out after classes.
Whoever played with a bottle will forever remember the pleasant touch of the cork part flying into your face. Special love when the cork hits the bone around the eye. The sound is appropriate.
Today I understood why football is a game of lowlifes. Football ended when FIFA 2005 came out on the same engine as 2035.
Answering Machine
I don't pick up calls from unknown numbers, which explodes tons of asses, but it is what it is.
"I don't pick up calls" will soon also need explaining
At the end of the 90s a special cool thing was "caller ID". When someone called you, you knew who it was.
If you think about it, what's the difference really? The device, like, for convenience, like instead of "Hello" it'll be "Hello, Vasya"
In reality, caller ID is for something else. It's for not picking up the phone. Mainly from those who always need something from you.
For example, we had a neighbor upstairs who always needed either money or salt. There are many such today too, only mostly instead of food people devour your attention.
When the neighbor rang the doorbell, we didn't open. She didn't give up, went home and called on the phone. If there was no caller ID, you'd have to pick up - who knows who it is.
And she's like "why aren't you opening? Give me ten rubles!"
Today caller ID is everywhere and always, and it works with absolutely the same logic, people just became different - they don't understand what it's for.
Another obvious one that didn't catch on - answering machine.
Seems clear, you're not home, they leave you a message.
But in reality it was different - people left a message even if you were home and could pick up (and generally, most likely, you're about to pick it up).
The answering machine served a simple purpose - showing off. Phones with answering machines were expensive. You could record in your own voice "leave your message", and this voice was always proud.
Today showing off is demonstrated differently, so absolutely nobody uses answering machines.
This post was written on iPhone.