Category / Hey, Geezers! Technology!

by multipleciduers

Sunday Funnies, LOLs – March 30, 2025

A few oldies to start us off.

JMcAndrew sends in this pair, which get a Geezer Alert. “Shouldn’t she check to see what the contents of the disk are before she gets upset? I like that she’s holding it by the corner because she assumes it’s filthy and Arlo’s very reasonable confusion here. The antiquated technology only makes it funnier 30 years later.”
If only she could. Gene’s not really wrong about compatibility, though. Our first PC was a Kaypro CPM machine, and its floppies weren’t readable by any other machine.

Boise Ed sends this one in: “Hah! I’d love to see this one in the real world.”

JMcAndrew sends this one in: “Confused about what the creators of this comic think “casual dress” is supposed to be. Is Lieutenant Flap wearing a dashiki? Do they think that Black people wear dashiki as “casual dress”? General Halftrack appears to be wearing a collared shirt and bow tie which is certainly not “casual dress”. I don’t know what is going on with Lieutenant Fuzz. Sarge might be wearing boxer shorts. His shirt just says “Go Sox” but doesn’t say which specific sports team with “Sox” in its name. I’m honestly more disturbed by his grotesque deformed feet than any of these outfits. Also why does Sarge have a different number of toes than Lieutenant Flap?”

Your editor admires the use of “Go Sox” while Sarge is wearing neither red socks nor white socks. No need to offend readers in Boston or Chicago.

JMcAndrew sends this in: “I’m almost afraid to ask what Ditto was doing that resulted in most of the film roll not being viable.”

This definitely gets a Geezer tag. These days, letting a child borrow your phone for a while to take pictures of whatever, and then review them is as common as cell phones.

by phsiii

Conference Call

from jmcandrew, who asks, “Does this qualify as a geezer comic now for people who remember when long distance communication was prohibitively expensive?”

See, kids, back in the day…ok, yeah, definitely geezer alert time.

I collect what I call “obsolete jokes”: jokes that are no longer funny because technology—not the Zeitgeist—has passed them by. (The latter are common–consider most political humor, whose half-life is often quite short.)

One of these jokes involves a family eating dinner; the phone rings and the maid answers. She listens, says “Sure is!” and hangs up. A minute later it rings again, same story. After the third time, the master of the house asks her, “What’s with the phone calls?” and she explains, “Some joker keeps calling, saying ‘Long distance from New York’!”

One thing I particularly enjoy about these is the often multiple layers of obsolescence. For example with this one we have: family eating together; landline; maid (!); and of course the actual punchline.

by EditorM

What’s the scoop on that?

I didn’t realize how far back Eyebeam goes! But while puzzling over this comic in its November 2023 recycle appearance, it seemed that finding the date of original publication might help. In 1988 simultaneous streaming release was not yet a standard practice ; heck, they didn’t have streaming at all. Distribution for private home viewing was, as shown, mostly tape rentals ; and yes, tape, as DVDs weren’t around until the mid 90s!

And is that what the joke is? That somehow Joe’s Rentals has this title as tape even though it’s just now opening at the theater? Or is it funny-surprising that all these people prefer to see it at the theater rather than in the comforts of home? Or even — but now we’re working too hard — or even that the ice cream shop is a clue that they’re having hot weather, and that gives an answer to “why is everybody going to the movie theater?” : that they are seeking air conditioning?