This digital negative was sent to me from a friend who has no idea where it came from. Found when cleaning out an old home. Possibly a distant relative, but no one knows for sure. I am always fascinated by these images,
PUSH BUTTON LUNCHES: When we were growing up in the 60's and 70's, we used to imagine that someday we would be able to push a button and pop out a lunch! Nowadays we have toaster ovens, microwaves, and dehydrated food, but we still haven't been able to teleport food. If they ever figure that out though, that's cool, because I'll be the first one teleporting when I'm running late!
Another thing we used to think about were telephones. There was talk of the possibility walking up to a phone booth, putting your money in, and seeing the person you are talking to! I thought they were crazy, mind you this is back when we still had party lines and all the neighbors knew your business. But, look where we are now! Not only can we video chat with the person we are talking to, but we can do it in our own space. We have come such a long way, my friends! It really makes me wonder if someday our kids will look back on today's world and say "remember when..." Part of me is really sad though that my kids will never know what it was like to live during those simpler times.
Not sure how I feel though, sure seems like technology has really overcomplicated our lives. I do find it amazing that despite our technology, we are still dealing with the same struggles today that we were back then. Poverty, unemployment, and political corruption; still the same story, like a broken record. Even through the Vietnam war, things just seemed so much simpler. Or maybe our perception is just off and we remember things differently?
The ashtrays placed all nice and neat on the counter are a subtle reminder of some of the improvements we have made in our culture. This was a time when you could smoke at a restaurant (only in the "smoking" section, which was not really effective; you would be sitting in the non-smoking section a few feet away with several people huffing), at your work desk, or even as a patient when you were admitted to the hospital.
This was a good reminder for me of both the positive and negative changes in technology that have impacted our culture. Looks like sandwiches were just as popular back then as they are today! Good ole' bologna sandwiches and French's mustard, definitely a childhood staple.
