Posted on 02/21/2007 10:07:19 AM PST by Incorrigible
By TRACY DAVIS
Christina Wall uses only technology that was in existence before 1950 as part of her master's project. (Photo by Eliyahu Gurfinkel)
In this pre-1950 land, there are no frozen dinners, no non-stick skillets and no fast food franchises. She can't use a dishwasher, clothes dryer or microwave; she has no access to ATMs, DVDs or CDs.
Wall, 32, an Eastern Michigan University graduate student, hasn't left her west-side Ann Arbor home for another plane in the space-time continuum. She's simply going a month — through March 2 — without using any technology created since 1950. It's part of her master's degree project on the impact of technology in modern life.
When she has a headache? Uncoated aspirin instead of ibuprofen. When she needs to contact a friend? Snail mail or an antique rotary phone. When it snows? Sledding instead of reality TV. Her project is a completely original conception, said Professor Denise Pilato, who teaches in EMU's College of Technology.
"In some ways it's an experiment,'' she said. "And being that it's an experiment, there are a lot of surprises for her.''
Perhaps most surprising is that there have been so many happy ones. For example, Wall estimates she'll save up to $400 this month because it feels more "real'' to spend cash than to use an ATM card.
And she has found her day has more hours.
"It's amazing,'' she said. "I literally feel I like I have 40 hours in a day. I realize how much time was sucked up with TV, and more specifically the Internet and e-mail.''
The classically trained pianist now has time to practice 45 minutes daily, to read books, to sit down to breakfast and to reconnect with friends.
Neighbor Margaret Steneck, a retired University of Michigan history professor, has taken great interest in the project. "It's not just what was available in 1950, but what would someone living in her house, in her socioeconomic range, be able to afford and have available to them,'' she said.
For example, television had been invented by 1950, but it wasn't commonplace. And certain types of cosmetics — lipstick and hair conditioners were around but don't appear to have been commonly used by most women, according to Wall's research.
Wall's friends, family and students have had to readjust as well. To the ire of some of her students, Wall, a graduate student instructor at EMU, is not available via e-mail and is not posting her lectures online. Now, students have to phone Wall or go to her office hours to talk to her.
"It was interesting and it was sad,'' she said. "You can just see how addicted students are now, and that they have the expectation things are going to be spoon-fed to them. ... Now, they feel like they can't have a normal conversation. And by losing that skill, they become fearful of them. I feel like part of the reason to do this is we're in this spiral that's not good.''
She hasn't decided yet how her life will be changed when she is done, but it will definitely be changed, she said. She's considering doing more work on the idea and pursuing a Ph.D.
Wall admits she has "cheated'' by using a video camera to record some of her experiences. She hopes to make a documentary when she's done.
Wall graduates in April, so she'll soon start writing up her project. But on what? Typewriter or computer?
"I haven't decided yet,'' she said with a laugh.
To read more about Wall's project, go to http://retrochicky.blogspot.com. Of course, it hasn't been updated since January since Wall can't access her computer or use the Internet, but you can read about her research and preparations.
***
Examples of modern conveniences that were not invented or not widely available before 1950:
— Four-wheel drive. The vehicle credited with being the first four-wheel drive internal combustion engine car was built shortly after 1900. But four-wheel and all-wheel drive didn't become commonplace among consumer-driven road vehicles until well after 1950.
— Garbage disposals first came onto the market in 1938, but because many cities forbade putting food waste into sewage systems, they weren't widely used until years later.
— Disposable diapers were invented in 1950 but not widely available; cloth diapers were standard.
— Voicemail. Its inventor, Gordon Matthews, applied for a patent in 1979. The first answering machine was invented in 1935 and was three feet tall, but the machines were not widely used until decades later.
— Smoke alarms. The battery-powered household devices were first designed in the late 1960s.
Sources: Christina Wall, Wikipedia, EnchantedLearning.com, About.com, Fcc.gov.
(Tracy Davis is a reporter for the Ann Arbor (Mich.) News. She can be contacted at tdavis(at)annarbornews.com.)
Not for commercial use. For educational and discussion purposes only.
We had a terrible ice storm back in 2000 and were without power for two weeks. Our house was built in 1920 and is full of antiques. Without electricity to ignite the furnace we kept warm by burning the fallen debris from the yard in the upstairs and downstairs fireplaces. Had light by kerosene lamps and played my victrola for music. Actually used my grandmothers old 'ice box' since the fridge wasn't working. It was quite comfortable after we got adjusted to living at a slower pace. We had a cell phone and battery operated radio but that was about it for modern convieniences. We found that we suddenly had more time for intimacy and spent a lot of our time doing what comes natural.
Avoiding frozen food is only part of the struggle. Many of the "fresh" foods we enjoy today were just not available during the winter -- back in the day.
It was worth every penny. We have converted those old 16mm reels to DVD and my grandkids love watching them!
Needs to change that phone. All calls placed thru an operator.
The point of this exercise is what exactly?
We used to call it wilderness camping.
Well, what I would need was a 50's style hotrod!!
There were a few malls, but they weren't enclosed. They were more like strip malls with an outdoor central courtyard. Seven Corners and Wheaton Mall in the D.C. Metro area are two examples that I can recall from the '50s.
Oh yeah, the Blue Laws: most businesses were closed on Sunday, but there was an auto parts store run by Seventh Day Adventists in our area that was allowed to be open on Sunday, somehow. Thank heavens for that, as my Dad often spent his "Day of Rest" working on the old family bomb.
I remember in grade school our desks had ink wells in them and we still used fillable ink pens. I always had ink all over me.
We got our Halifactor (I think it was called) in 1950. It had a large screen (as opposed to those little 9" screens) and was the size of a bar-sized refrigerator. It sat on a mahogany turn table so it could be viewed from any vantage point in the living room.
Always an early riser, I'd sit in the wing-backed chair watching the test pattern until the kids' programs began on Saturdays. I'd sit blissfully through Mighty Mouse, the Lone Ranger, The Cisco Kid, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Sky King, and all the programs until about 1:00 p.m. CST and then it would be lunch and chores.
Probably could have gotten the chores done before if I'd had a clock in my room and figured out when the shows started, but NO..O, we had the T.V. and I was dumber than a box of rocks to sit and watch the test pattern. ;-) Of course, I was two years old at the time.
Was it a Stromberg-Carlson?
My in-laws had one that they were still using in the 60's.
It also had a round screen.
When the horizontal or vertical hold went crazy, stomping on the floor directly in front of the TV usually fixed the problem ;-)
But did you take along a cow and wear a skirt? :P
Don't forget Lifebouy. That's what your mama made you wash your mouth out with when you said a bad word. Or Lava. Bleeck
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