Outside of our minds, however, sounds have a far less reliable lifespan -- especially within the realm of technology. As electronics evolve, so do the sounds that go with it -- and many of the dings, beeps, and hisses burned into our brains will hold no emotional connection to the teens of tomorrow. Some of them may already be meaningless to the 20-somethings of today.
So crank up your speakers, put on your finest curmudgeonly sweater, and get ready to mutter incomprehensible insults about “those darn kids these days" and how easy they've got it. Here are 20 memorable tech sounds that are well on their way to being forgotten.
Who could fail to remember that chugging along in a drive? You could practically count the clicks until would be ready for exploration.
These days, of course, high-capacity flash drives and cloud computing have helped make those giant slices of square-shaped storage all but obsolete. By the time today's toddlers are adults, the 5.25-inch floppy will be an unfamiliar relic of an ancient-sounding time.
The brief tone. The dialing of those magical numbers. And . It's musical, really, starting with a single beep and expanding into cascading harmonies of mechanical song. Then comes the satisfying bursts of static, with their climactic rush that screams out: "Sweet success, baby! We're in!"
For many of us, the sequence brings back warm memories of bulletin board systems and slow-as-molasses (but exciting as imaginable) dial-up Internet. For future generations, it'll likely be little more than an irritating noise.
Love it or hate it, there's a good chance that is forever etched in your egg-shaped noggin. Or how about that airy little ditty that greeted you upon bootup of Windows 95? The various tones of Microsoft may not always bring back the sunniest of memories (Vista, anyone?), but they sure are hard to forget.
The was damn near ubiquitous in the 90s. For future generations, it'll be about as familiar as those blasted we used to get sent every seven days.
It was -- the predecessor to an infinite array of annoying pocket-based serenades.
And here you thought your co-worker's Kanye song was bad.
Between call-waiting and speech-based signals ("The number you are trying to reach is busy..."), is something you rarely hear these days. Unless it's sampled in a future Puff Daddy song, odds are, it'll be just another random tone to tomorrow's teens.
Today's printers might actually work -- well, most of the time -- but boy, do they lack the vocal prowess of their predecessors. The is one of the most immediately recognizable noises in yesterday's technology. What other sound, after all, so deafeningly conveys the message: "Hey, buddy: Get ready to fix a paper jam"?
It may very well be : the unforgettable click-clack of a slide projector shuffling through its slides as someone shows you a bunch of images you have no interest in seeing.
Ah, the memories...
Before copy machines, offices and schools relied on mimeograph machines to make far more manual (and potential messy) duplications. While the smell of the mimeograph may be the most memorable sensation, the leaves a one-of-a-kind imprint all its own.
In today's 24/7 world, it's hard to imagine a time when televised entertainment wasn't always available. But not that long ago, TV stations signed off at the end of each broadcast day, and playing the national anthem.
These days, we just have to settle for "Jerry Springer" reruns and ShamWow infomercials.
"Be kind, rewind" isn't the only tape-related artifact that'll be lost on future video-watchers. From the sound of a VHS (or beta) tape loading into a deck to the high-pitched hum of a video shuttling forward or back, the VCR is loaded with aural memories that are all on their way to extinction.
One of those sounds, of course, is -- and I don't think any of us will miss hearing that.
There's nothing quite like the . While projectors certainly aren't ancient history yet, the advent of digital video puts them square on the endangered species list. So take in that sound in all its ratty-tatty glory; it won't be long before it's little more than a memory.
"Back when we were kids, junior, ! Our hands got tired, sure, but we soldiered through it. Why? Because that's all we had, that's why! You silly hooligans and your fancy-schmancy cellular telemachines. Poppycock, I tell ye. Dadgummed poppycock."
(Lecture given in the year 2022 by someone who inexplicably talks like he was born in 1922)
Don't tell Lois Lane, but I'd be willing to wager a quarter that most teens today have never used a pay phone. That or some change dropping back out? It's a relic of a time fading behind us.
Quick: When was the last time you actually dialed "0" on a phone and ? Odds are, the answer is (a) a long time ago, (b) never, or (c) what the hell is a human operator?
Static. A high-pitched squeal. Talking. More static. A little music. That's the unmistakable sequence of an -- something bound to sound completely foreign to a 12-year-old in about 10 years.
Aside from , the sounds of the are becoming increasingly sparse these days. Sure, we've got the beep-beep of the barcode scanner, but a digital beep can only have so much character.
Digital cameras may emulate it, but is an already rare occurrence. , however, appears to be alive and thriving.
Sorry, Mario: Video games haven't always had soundtracks. Listen to the sound -- and equally important, the relative quiet -- of , and you'll see how eerily strange it now seems.
Typing on a computer keyboard is just inherently less musical.