• SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    70
    ·
    1 year ago

    I’m old enough that when I was in school, teachers were telling us that we’d never have calculators in our pockets wherever we’d go.

    • TheOneWithTheHair@lemmy.worldOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      34
      ·
      1 year ago

      I’m that old, too. Can you imagine a student back then saying, “I’ll have a calculator, flashlight, camera, video recorder, music collection, and games to pass the times I have to wait on others.”

          • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            1 year ago

            They said “no Google and no Wikipedia,” not “Google and Wikipedia were not as widespread as they are today”

            • PwnTra1n@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              7
              ·
              1 year ago

              I feel like you misread. I think they meant Wikipedia and google not allowed for sources.

                • PwnTra1n@lemmy.world
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  6
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  The subject became “stupid shit teachers say that is not applicable in the real world” and in that context the subject never changed. They were probably told “you won’t have a calculator in your pocket all the time” as well as “don’t using the internet(google and Wikipedia) as sources” which was very common to be told around the time when they would have been in school. I’m not attacking you I just think you misunderstood as everyone is possible of doing.

                  • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    2
                    ·
                    1 year ago

                    Perhaps you should entertain the idea that you misunderstood. I suppose it’s also possible that OC is just not very good at expressing themselves.

      • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        12
        ·
        1 year ago

        Not really. The first ones were quite expensive, and it was uncommon to have one on your person at all times like we now do with smartphones.

        • Rodeo@lemmy.ca
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          1 year ago

          Yes really, if your job requires lots of calculations you’d be stupid not to have one, even back when they were expensive.

          Every machinist I know, even the crusty old ones, carry a calculator in their pocket. It’s indispensable. Why wouldn’t you carry one if you need it all the time?

          • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            Pretty sure the teacher wasn’t assuming that every single child in class was going to be a machinist.

            In fact, most people aren’t machinists.

            • Rodeo@lemmy.ca
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              1 year ago

              And yet my point stands: if you need to do a lot of calculations at your job, you’d be stupid not to have a calculator in your pocket. And if you don’t, then the time it takes to find a calculator will be negligible.

                • Rodeo@lemmy.ca
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  ·
                  1 year ago

                  Uh what, that’s literally the point lol. The “you won’t have a calculator” has been complete and utter bullshit for literally over half a century.

                  • SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    1
                    ·
                    edit-2
                    1 year ago

                    Bro, smartphones haven’t even existed for 20 years

                    You’re talking as if everybody was carrying around pocket calculators the day they were invented

    • tooclose104@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      1 year ago

      This wasn’t all that long ago though. I’m only in my 30’s and was told this in elementary school in the 90’s and early 2000’s. The iPhone was first released only 16 years ago.

    • Punkie@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      1 year ago

      I was told this, too, but when I got to Functions and Analytical Geometry, they started suggesting calculators. Now kids have laptops, gees.