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* 911 was an emergency code * Twitter was something birds did * A tablet was something a doctor gave you * Touchscreen meant using a stylus * We were all ex

* 911 was an emergency code * Twitter was something birds did * A tablet was something a doctor gave you * Touchscreen meant using a stylus * We were all excited about part 2 and 3 of the Matrix coming out * Napster, Gnutella were what was happening. Bittorrent was not yet there * You were reading slashdot

mortenjorck 17y ago
* It was pretty cool that your new phone's number display was not only dot-matrix but could do 4 shades of gray * Your entire office was full of bulky CRTs and a 15" flat panel cost more than a 21" tube * Windows XP offered a better user experience than OS X
- derefr 17y ago
  * It was pretty cool that your new phone's number display was not only dot-matrix but could do 4 shades of gray I remember this: it was back when the "complicated" in "I wish I had a phone that was less complicated" meant SMS.
- jcl 17y ago
  * Every new piece of electronics had an eye-melting blue LED power indicator. This was considered extremely cool at the time.
bshep 17y ago
* We could get on an airplanes with little or no hassle ( no liquid restrictions, you could keep your shoes on, etc )
- joshstaiger 17y ago
  Your loved ones could greet or see you off at the gate.
  - ars 17y ago
    No they couldn't. Not in any airport I'd ever been at. You always needed a boarding pass, or a pass saying you needed to accompany someone (for medical reasons, or for minors) to get through security.
    - rgrieselhuber 17y ago
      You didn't fly through Columbus, Ohio then.
    - allenp 17y ago
      Portland, OR would let you go the gate without a boarding pass...
    - jemfinch 17y ago
      Not my experience in US airports. That restriction didn't exist at most airports (any airports that I boarded or arrived at) until after 9/11. Watch TV shows from the era (Friends, for example, or the Jet Li "Romeo and Juliet" movie) and you'll see the same thing: we used to be able to see people off at the gate. Such people still needed to go through security, of course, but they did not need a boarding pass to do so.
      - thwarted 17y ago
        I actually think lack of people who are not traveling at the gate almost makes having to spend any time in an airport terminal almost bearable.
    - ra 17y ago
      In the US maybe. In most countries anyone can get to the gate in a domestic terminal.
    - icefox 17y ago
      Not only did you not need a pass, but often times people would go to the boarding area and watch planes go off for an afternoon of 'fun'. Others would go and photograph all the planes (in case any crashed they would cash in $$$)
RyanMcGreal 17y ago
> We were all excited about part 2 and 3 of the Matrix coming out Oh, to be that naive again.
borism 17y ago
Actually I think touchscreens which you touched with your fingers were much more prevalent back then (in e-kiosks, ATMs etc) Having touchscreen on your mobile device was real luxury.
aminuit 17y ago
* Nobody knew where Banda Aceh was * Barack Obama was a little known Illinois state senator * xkcd did not exist

mortenjorck 17y ago

* It was pretty cool that your new phone's number display was not only dot-matrix but could do 4 shades of gray * Your entire office was full of bulky CRTs and a 15" flat panel cost more than a 21" tube * Windows XP offered a better user experience than OS X

derefr 17y ago
* It was pretty cool that your new phone's number display was not only dot-matrix but could do 4 shades of gray I remember this: it was back when the "complicated" in "I wish I had a phone that was less complicated" meant SMS.
jcl 17y ago
* Every new piece of electronics had an eye-melting blue LED power indicator. This was considered extremely cool at the time.

bshep 17y ago

* We could get on an airplanes with little or no hassle ( no liquid restrictions, you could keep your shoes on, etc )

joshstaiger 17y ago
Your loved ones could greet or see you off at the gate.
- ars 17y ago
  No they couldn't. Not in any airport I'd ever been at. You always needed a boarding pass, or a pass saying you needed to accompany someone (for medical reasons, or for minors) to get through security.
  - rgrieselhuber 17y ago
    You didn't fly through Columbus, Ohio then.
  - allenp 17y ago
    Portland, OR would let you go the gate without a boarding pass...
  - jemfinch 17y ago
    Not my experience in US airports. That restriction didn't exist at most airports (any airports that I boarded or arrived at) until after 9/11. Watch TV shows from the era (Friends, for example, or the Jet Li "Romeo and Juliet" movie) and you'll see the same thing: we used to be able to see people off at the gate. Such people still needed to go through security, of course, but they did not need a boarding pass to do so.
    - thwarted 17y ago
      I actually think lack of people who are not traveling at the gate almost makes having to spend any time in an airport terminal almost bearable.
  - ra 17y ago
    In the US maybe. In most countries anyone can get to the gate in a domestic terminal.
  - icefox 17y ago
    Not only did you not need a pass, but often times people would go to the boarding area and watch planes go off for an afternoon of 'fun'. Others would go and photograph all the planes (in case any crashed they would cash in $$$)

RyanMcGreal 17y ago

> We were all excited about part 2 and 3 of the Matrix coming out Oh, to be that naive again.

borism 17y ago

Actually I think touchscreens which you touched with your fingers were much more prevalent back then (in e-kiosks, ATMs etc) Having touchscreen on your mobile device was real luxury.

aminuit 17y ago

* Nobody knew where Banda Aceh was * Barack Obama was a little known Illinois state senator * xkcd did not exist