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.
That's so people can go to her desk and dial her to talk to her. It was the custom in the 50s - you whipper-snappers wouldn't know of it
Are you sure it is "indian leaders," and not nosy know-it-alls?
A friend who goes to my church said he passed another fellow church member, a little old lady, who had stopped in the middle of the highway (interstate) and was talking on her cell 'phone. He saw her several days later and apoligized for not stopping to see if he could help her; he was going too fast before he realized it was she, and couldn't get stopped in time. She replied that nothing was wrong, she had promised her late husband that she would never talk on the 'phone while driving, so she had stopped to talk to someone. It never occured to her to pull to the shoulder first!
True story! She now lives in a nursing home and doesn't drive anymore (thank goodness).
In the early 1900's, more than a dozen manufacturers created less expensive battery or "plug-in" vibrators. Vibrators were actually advertised in the Sears and Roebuck catalogs as late as 1918 since they were associated with health/medicine. Vibrators also became more economical so most women could purchase them for home-use. Thanks to electricity, the vibrator is noted to be the first electrical device invented after the toaster.
LOL!! Good observation!!!
Likely not. One positive note, though, since she is a graduate teaching assistant, she will be making 1950s wages.
Me too.
She can come over to my place, if she wants to watch "The Honeymooners" on DVD with me.
I hate to think of what this university stands for. This whole project smacks of phoniness since there is no way that she can truly capture the feel and real sense of 1950s America. The people today are different, etc. I have a feeling ole Prof Boy didn't give this much thought.
Sure -- with her 1950s "pay."
A Dairy Queen cone cost five cents. Sundaes were 15 cents but we were never allowed to order them as my dad considered this too expensive.
At home, this student will need to do without paper towels, plastic garbage bags, plastic wrap and, of course, zip-loc storage bags. We used homemade rags for cleaning and torn up brown paper bags to drain bacon on. Waxed paper took the place of plastic wrap.
I remember people parking in front of the Western Auto store and watching the shows at night!
Yeah, but they were rare, like TV. My town didn't get a single McDonalds until the early seventies.
Yes, there was color film in the forties. I have a whole trunk full of them.
House down the street had a TV in 1950. They put it in the bay window facing the street so the whole neighborhood would know. Everybody had radio and the radio dramas were the best ever.
Yeah, it's gimmicky.
I am not sure, but I recall the TV was color, and it had a fairly large screen.
What a neat Junior High School Project I bet she gets an A
What... Masters Degree?
No your mistaken she is in the 11th Grade and doing a project for her history teacher Mrs Rabinowitz 5th Period.
They don't confer Masters Degrees based upon kid stunts.
W
IMO, 90% of what she's learned is that the television is the most time consuming and detrimental piece of technology there is.
Sorry, gotta go watch that rerun of the Simpsons I've seen 8 times already.
My son was born in 1960. We had some disposable diapers. They were a large rectangle, and had to be pinned on.
I would starve to death today, before I would use cloth diapers.
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