"Dying Traditions of boomers"

[WaikikiFirst]

Docusign (DS) is one of the biggest jokes in modern technology. It claims to create "secure" signing for electronic signatures

I'm not a lawyer nor an encryption expert and never really looked into docusign, but when I used it I always wondered how that was so secure. There is a record of what email (or browser) it came from but how does that stop or pinpoint any scammer?

does the security come from the end of the creator of the docusign document somehow?

 

[easyrider]

look at my son's handwriting and then give thanks for printing

There was a time I had fantastic writing. Very legible with nice form. Now days I can't even read my own writing, lol.

Bill

 

[WaikikiFirst]

1. Write letters

A few yrs ago, I wrote a letter to someone a few yrs older than I am. Only 1 pg, but a full pg, and I do have excellent penmanship IIDSSM.
Next time I saw her she practically broke down and cried about it, more from the fact that someone WROTE her a letter than what was in it.

Bill, you just have to keep practicing. I do. Ain't gonna lose that.

 

[jp10558]

A few yrs ago, I wrote a letter to someone a few yrs older than I am. Only 1 pg, but a full pg, and I do have excellent penmanship IIDSSM.
Next time I saw her she practically broke down and cried about it, more from the fact that someone WROTE her a letter than what was in it.

Bill, you just have to keep practicing. I do. Ain't gonna lose that.

There's just very little reason (other than as a hobby) to hand-write anyone a letter. And aside from somewhat out of date legal things, there's really no reason to mail any kind of letter. Email serves the same purpose easier and cheaper (near free). Texting (well, technically instant messaging via app of choice, mine is Signal) is even simpler in many cases.

 

[pedro47]

I had a summer job at IBM maybe in 1969, and the office had an APL terminal that was actually a Selectric typewriter with a VERY unique typeball. I didn't have a lot of experience at the time, but it didn't seem to have a way to do much I/O. Later I had a class with four programming languages; two were COBOL (I went on to write compilers for that) and LISP. The third was Algol, and original DW used that on some mainframe at NY state DOT. Don't remember the other one.

Later, about 1985, I got involved with programming some sort of handheld microterminal in Forth, a reverse Polish language. I begged for six months to program it in C instead before management relented, mostly because there were no programming or debugging utilities, and the only other person willing to program in Forth had an addiction problem. I might have been heading in that direction ...

I classify these three as "solutions in search of a problem."

An IBM Selectric typewriter, that used white typing paper, one sheet of paper at a time; now that is a boomer item. LOL
Do you also remember when you made an error typing ; you could used that white inked paper tape or white out ink to correct your mistake.

 

[Ralph Sir Edward]

There's just very little reason (other than as a hobby) to hand-write anyone a letter. And aside from somewhat out of date legal things, there's really no reason to mail any kind of letter. Email serves the same purpose easier and cheaper (near free). Texting (well, technically instant messaging via app of choice, mine is Signal) is even simpler in many cases.

You are missing the human aspect. For many people, the fact that someone took extra time and effort to communicate with them, by actual writing, is a gem of value.

 

[pedro47]

You are missing the human aspect. For many people, the fact that someone took extra time and effort to communicate with them, by actual writing, is a gem of value.

Wow, people still write letters and thanks you notes and not by email or texts messages.LOL

 

[WaikikiFirst]

There's just very little reason (other than as a hobby) to hand-write anyone a letter.

off to oblivion ... I Asimov would have an even grander career writing stories about your generation ...

 

[pedro47]

off to oblivion ... I Asimov would have an even grander career writing stories about your generation ...

Wow! Fifty to a hundreds years into time; their will be no written history of todays events.

Just think if the founding fathers of the United States did not write the constitution for our generation to read?

 

[TheHolleys87]

An IBM Selectric typewriter, that used white typing paper, one sheet of paper at a time; now that is a boomer item. LOL
Do you also remember when you made an error typing ; you could used that white inked paper tape or white out ink to correct your mistake.

LOL, reminded me of the corrasable bond paper I used for papers in college. I could erase mistakes! And I got pretty good at lining up the paper in my manual typewriter so the correction was hardly noticeable.

 

[jp10558]

Wow! Fifty to a hundreds years into time; their will be no written history of todays events.

There's more video, written, photo history than ever before. There are various archival projects, and additional physical objects like DVD/BluRay, current books and more. Much of the ephemera is also saved sort of a side effect of all the spying from governments, advertisers, etc. I imagine we'll continue to have even better and clearer history as time goes on - or at least I'll take that bet. Look at what we have about the various gulf wars for instance. What started with newsreels in WW2 has become videos all over the place during the 20 years of the Iraq war.

Just think if the founding fathers of the United States did not write the constitution for our generation to read?

Nothing I said implied that we won't write things down. Laws, court decisions, heck plenty more is written down today, and broadcast over the entire internet on Facebook, X, TikTok, Reddit and more. I think congressional stuff is even printed out on the regular. I don't know why you would think something like a constitution would be in the same category as a random personal letter? I don't think hand writing it helped (I think they had professional scribes do it / make copies), it was just the tech they had at the time.

On to the more philosophical - it being written down was important, but it being on an official web site or official printing, or cryptographically signed PDF etc would be as useful IMO. That all said, it's not like it's all of that easy to read either. We have whole specialties on interpreting it and different schools of thought that compete. Historical documents always need interpretation - especially as they get centuries old. Language changes, context is lost, meanings of words and phrases change or are lost to common culture.

 

[pedro47]

True, but with AI, you change events, photos and much more to made it looks and sound factual.

I do understand your above post jp10558 and it well understood by me. I can agree with your written words.

 

[jp10558]

True, but with AI, you change events, photos and much more to made it looks and sound factual.

This sort of problem isn't new - look at the famous examples from the Soviet Union editing photos well before there were imaging processing computers, forget about AI. Well before that, before we even had photos, there was the problem of various text and engravings "looking real", or at least the same as "real" would be, but instead being completely made up and or forged. Rumors whether written, drawn, photoedited or AI generated have been a problem basically forever. This isn't a "brave new world" but a return to the mean IMO.

 

[ScoopKona]

Just think if the founding fathers of the United States did not write the constitution for our generation to read?

Hardly matters when almost nobody has bothered to read it.

 

[Rjbeach2003]

It's kind of funny, but the writer of the the click bait article missed an incredible number of things that many baby boomers used, especially the old ones, like me born in 46.
A few. Booking flights through a travel agent and having paper tickets delivered;
Making calls to businesses before there were 800#s;
Double features at the movies;
Fear of the "Bomb";
Getting drafted;
Skiing on wooden skis;
Commercial airlines Prop planes;

More if I had the time.

 

[silentg]

No encyclopedia, everything is on line now. We still have a land line and we have wall calendars and menus for take out. I was told most people don’t have them anymore. We still write checks and I balance my checkbooks with a paper statement from the bank each month. Also cursive sign my name and if I do it slow enough it’s ledgeable .

 

[dioxide45]

It's kind of funny, but the writer of the the click bait article missed an incredible number of things that many baby boomers used, especially the old ones, like me born in 46.
A few. Booking flights through a travel agent and having paper tickets delivered;
Making calls to businesses before there were 800#s;
Double features at the movies;
Fear of the "Bomb";
Getting drafted;
Skiing on wooden skis;
Commercial airlines Prop planes;

More if I had the time.

I would say these were left out because they are dead. The list was for things that were dying, not things that were dead.

 

[ScoopKona]

More if I had the time.

Buggy whip usage.
Crank-starting cars.
Corset stay installation.
Separate lunch counters.

 

[easyrider]

Drinking games have changed. No one younger than a boomer knows how to play Cardinal Puff. Once a Cardinal, always a Cardinal.

Bill

 

[Brett]

I would say these were left out because they are dead. The list was for things that were dying, not things that were dead.

and some "boomer traditions" were dead then they came back to life -

--- vinyl records and disposable film cameras - millennials love them !

 

[pittle]

The one thing I miss are the Christmas Cards. We use to get enough cards to cover a wall. Most were pictures of families and then their kids having families. Our cards were usually of our travels. Many companies we were associated with sent personalized cards, gift certificates and poinsettias. Over the years the cards have went from easily over 60 to maybe 10 or less. While writing this it did occur to me that we stopped sending out Christmas cards and maybe that's why we aren't getting any. I'm not sure I care , lol.

Bill

As someone who worked at the Hallmark Cards Production Center in Topeka, KS, for 29 years where we made all the Christmas cards, I still send Christmas cards. I used to send more than 120, but have now dwindled down to 50-60. Not only are the cards more expensive, the cost of stamps is outrageous. Even with my retiree discount, 60 cards with stamps will cost me about $120. I always write a little update to put in it. This may be my last year to do so. I can put something together and email it like so many others do.

 

[tombanjo]

me too

 

[Dori]

My sister is in charge of fund-raising activities for her community’s annual Fun Day. She solicits donations from the town’s merchants, such as restaurant gift certificates, merchandise, etc.

After Fun Day, she and a few helpers hand write and hand deliver thank you cards to all who donated. This personal touch means so much , and often when she shops at these merchants, those thank you cards are on prominent display.

Dori

 

[clifffaith]

I suspect younger generations don’t use paper calendars. We’ve taken two classes on using our iPhones, including the calendar. Nope, can’t do it. I prefer to have a nice day planner with big squares spread open on the end of my kitchen counter so I can see what’s going on for the month, and months forward, at a glance. CVS has a nice two year one for less than $10. Also have a decorative paper calendar on the wall near my desk. I prefer those to be free or half off.

 

[easyrider]

As someone who worked at the Hallmark Cards Production Center in Topeka, KS, for 29 years where we made all the Christmas cards, I still send Christmas cards. I used to send more than 120, but have now dwindled down to 50-60. Not only are the cards more expensive, the cost of stamps is outrageous. Even with my retiree discount, 60 cards with stamps will cost me about $120. I always write a little update to put in it. This may be my last year to do so. I can put something together and email it like so many others do.

Sending Christmas cards has been on my mind this year. I should send some out. There are a few relatives and friends that could use a card, imo.

Bill