I'm so old I Remember when:

[SkyAJK]

Nope. Set your phasers on stun, folks. It's Star Date Time!

The inspiration for all that modern technology wasn't Tom Cruise, it was Mr. Spock! Just watch an original Star Trek episode. Mr. Spock's console was the inspiration for touch-screen technology. Engineers (aka brilliant geeks and nerds!) were so fascinated by the "coolness" of The Enterprise's tech that they were determined to make it real. It took them awhile, but they succeeded ... and the touch-screen computer became a reality!

Years back, the Smithsonian hosted a traveling exhibition of Star Trek's role in jump-starting touch-screen tech. Then-and-now comparisons of the TV inspiration alongside the "modern" application of the concept were at once both utterly fascinating and completely disillusioning. The TV clips and stills showed the wonderous world of "The Future" while monitors, videos and real tech showed "The Now." (Well, "The Then," now, I guess.)

That was all wonderful ... until you got to the actual props used in the TV productions. It's a wonder what TV can do with plywood, cardboard, dark fabric and back-painted mirrors. Some of the show's more static consoles had Christmas lights behind them (colors and flashers.) When a light was needed "as pressed," there was a grip behind or under the box shining a pen-light.

It was really hard to take in! Still, the test of true fiction/fantasy is "The suspension of disbelief," and that's where I choose to keep Star Trek.

Live Long and Prosper.

I am not a Star Trek fan so I did not know.

 

[MotherofOrpies]

Funerals have always been a regular part of my life. My family is huge and seriously multi-generational. Just my first cousins span 60 years. Aunts, uncles and subsequent generations cover the 40 on either side of that, so we are/were always attending funerals.

With one exception, when my Godfather's early death hit me so hard I collapsed, I have happy and yes, fun/funny memories of them all. The services (yes, wearing black) were always somber, but the celebration afterwards was always upbeat - full of stories, laughter and really good food. What can I say? We're Italian!

So, I have to agree with @BigBlueHen53, despite the inherent sadness, funerals can be funny. In fact, some have turned out to be absolute blasts. Yes, I'm lookin' at you, Aunt Jo and Big Johnny!

I come from a very small family, 3 grandparents died within 3 months, I could not attend church for 10 years, every time I heard an organ, it reminded me of the funerals and I started crying ...then, both of my parents died, spectacular in each way, mom died 1 week after her 62. birthday ( cancer) , my dad was found dead in his house, I usually called him every day, I didn't call him for 4 days cos I thought he was at his sisters place, when I found out, he wasn't, I called an aunt who lived 10 minutes away from his place, I totally freaked out when she didn't call for 3 hours (!) she found him in his favorite chair ( he thankfully had an easy death, I hope), called a doctor, they called the police ( if someone dies at home without a doctor present, foul play is suspected) so....
the only happy funeral I ever attended was when our neighbor died, I was friends with him, he had kidney cancer, and planed his whole funeral with his brother, while he was still alive, there were 2 "funerals" , one in the city, for mobile neighbors, with church service, trumpets playing while accompanying the coffin to the grave site, and afterwards warm lunch, the 2. one was held at a cafe in our village, I met many neighbors I had never talked to before ( that was his intention)

 

[MotherofOrpies]

Pizza is a given.
Pizza is good.
Pizza is happy-making!

In Germany, funerals have changed, cos they have gotten so expensive it used to be in a wooden coffin, with lunch and later cakes and coffee, now a lot of people are incinerated, the really cheap funeral homes "collect" bodies, when they have enough, they ship them to the Czech Republic to get them incinerated, and the the funeral can be held..
I have never attended a funeral, with pizza as I said , it used to be a soup ( usually potato with sausages ) then , if the relatives were feeling generous, cake and coffee, if you didn't have a lot of money, you served sandwiches..

 

[Ext 918]

I remember when the theme song from MASH meant it was bedtime.

 

[MotherofOrpies]

Passport is no longer get that stamp on it anymore because it is get read electronically now.

Nothing on that passport now, no fun!

in India, you still get stamps

 

[MotherofOrpies]

Nope. Set your phasers on stun, folks. It's Star Date Time!

The inspiration for all that modern technology wasn't Tom Cruise, it was Mr. Spock! Just watch an original Star Trek episode. Mr. Spock's console was the inspiration for touch-screen technology. Engineers (aka brilliant geeks and nerds!) were so fascinated by the "coolness" of The Enterprise's tech that they were determined to make it real. It took them awhile, but they succeeded ... and the touch-screen computer became a reality!

Years back, the Smithsonian hosted a traveling exhibition of Star Trek's role in jump-starting touch-screen tech. Then-and-now comparisons of the TV inspiration alongside the "modern" application of the concept were at once both utterly fascinating and completely disillusioning. The TV clips and stills showed the wonderous world of "The Future" while monitors, videos and real tech showed "The Now." (Well, "The Then," now, I guess.)

That was all wonderful ... until you got to the actual props used in the TV productions. It's a wonder what TV can do with plywood, cardboard, dark fabric and back-painted mirrors. Some of the show's more static consoles had Christmas lights behind them (colors and flashers.) When a light was needed "as pressed," there was a grip behind or under the box shining a pen-light.

It was really hard to take in! Still, the test of true fiction/fantasy is "The suspension of disbelief," and that's where I choose to keep Star Trek.

Live Long and Prosper.

I was really dissapointed, when I stood at the original console of Star Trek too :/

 

[BDutch]

I come from a very small family, 3 grandparents died within 3 months, I could not attend church for 10 years, every time I heard an organ, it reminded me of the funerals and I started crying ...then, both of my parents died, spectacular in each way, mom died 1 week after her 62. birthday ( cancer) , my dad was found dead in his house, I usually called him every day, I didn't call him for 4 days cos I thought he was at his sisters place, when I found out, he wasn't, I called an aunt who lived 10 minutes away from his place, I totally freaked out when she didn't call for 3 hours (!) she found him in his favorite chair ( he thankfully had an easy death, I hope), called a doctor, they called the police ( if someone dies at home without a doctor present, foul play is suspected) so....
the only happy funeral I ever attended was when our neighbor died, I was friends with him, he had kidney cancer, and planed his whole funeral with his brother, while he was still alive, there were 2 "funerals" , one in the city, for mobile neighbors, with church service, trumpets playing while accompanying the coffin to the grave site, and afterwards warm lunch, the 2. one was held at a cafe in our village, I met many neighbors I had never talked to before ( that was his intention)

This must have been very hard on you, missing 2 or 3 dearest people so close after each other.

I’m so old I had my share of final goodbyes too. Time heals people say.. when I lost my older sister and my dad within one year it took years to pick up life as a whole to enjoy again. (Hope I used the right words to describe it).

BTW. I hardly remember widows usually were wearing black. We don't do funeral dresses where I live for many decades now. Only some very religious or alternative groups do ask for a dress code. Just not too bright and shiny is just fine in general.

 

[LaFleche]

Was that the Chuckles the Clown funeral episode? (No idea how I remembered that.)

Just watched it, hilarious!

 

[MotherofOrpies]

This must have been very hard on you, missing 2 or 3 dearest people so close after each other.

I’m so old I had my share of final goodbyes too. Time heals people say.. when I lost my older sister and my dad within one year it took years to pick up life as a whole to enjoy again. (Hope I used the right words to describe it).

BTW. I hardly remember widows usually were wearing black. We don't do funeral dresses where I live for many decades now. Only some very religious or alternative groups do ask for a dress code. Just not too bright and shiny is just fine in general.

I was used to early death, my first remembrance is when I was in elementary school, there was a boy on the bus everyone was afraid of ( he must habe been in grad 4, maybe) I was young and unafraid and sat beside him, he held my hand ( I still remember his hand being very warm) about 2 weeks later they told he had died ( I am not sure of what, some sort of infection) , the next death was in grade 5, a classmate of mine fell from a lobster boat and drowned, in Grade 7, another classmate was killed by a car, when I was a trainee nurse, a few of the doctors died ( car accident, and the rest suicide , I was very surprised that so many doctors killed themselves cos we were not a big hospital) so I was used to death …

 

[tranquiliti]

I was used to early death,