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Is it weird that I've always really liked old technology? (hexbear.net)
submitted 2 weeks ago by Dort_Owl@hexbear.net to c/askchapo@hexbear.net
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I hate the past. To me, the past is something we should learn from but never return to. I have no desire to return to the days where gay and the r-slur were every day jokes and and "Tits or gtfo" was a common reply to women on the internet.

But I love old machines and gizmos. I love gears and levers and buttons. I love things that clunk and whir. Vinage music boxes, Clockwork toys and VHS machines that sound like they're trying to go into orbit when you rewind a cassette. I've always liked old stuff for as long as I can remember.

Is it nostalgia or just autism? Is it something I should be ashamed of?

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[-] InevitableSwing@hexbear.net 9 points 2 weeks ago

For anybody who doesn't know a pedal steel guitar is a fascinating contraption that raises or lowers strings via mechanisms.

The player can bend notes with their feet or knees. Here's a Youtube vid cued up the "Pedals & Knee Levers" section - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5bRnMfp5XU&t=230s

[-] Dort_Owl@hexbear.net 7 points 2 weeks ago

Have you ever seen someone play a theremin? Such a weird and cool instrument

[-] InevitableSwing@hexbear.net 5 points 2 weeks ago

The first time I saw someone perform with it was at the movies. Jimmy Paged used it in Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains the Same concert documentary. I was perplexed and I had no idea what he was doing. That was the mid 1970s so there was no net or google to explain. I must've been years before I learned what the hell it was. Youtube uploads are shit so I used vk.com. For anybody that doesn't know - that site has regular hq movies too.

01:56:40 https://vk.com/video313620_456239469

I used vk.com just the other day to watch a few minutes of the famously bad Ishtar to check if I should download it. I hoped it was so-bad-it's-good but I expected it just really, really bad. After ~5 minutes I could tell it was awful.

[-] InevitableSwing@hexbear.net 3 points 2 weeks ago

Later in the video - he uses an E-Bow to make the pedal steel sound like a Theremin - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5bRnMfp5XU&t=1220s

[-] HexReplyBot@hexbear.net 2 points 2 weeks ago

I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:

[-] HexReplyBot@hexbear.net 2 points 2 weeks ago

I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:

this post was submitted on 23 Jun 2026
52 points (100.0% liked)

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