10 Old-School Skills That Are Useless Today

old camera negative

Back in the day, people had skills that were pretty much superhero powers then. But guess what? Now, they're as useful as a floppy disk at a DJ party. Times change, and so do the things we need to be good at. Let's take a fun look back at those once-cool abilities that today, well, just aren't.

AUTHOR: Amaka Chukwuma

1. Drive Manual Transmission

Woman driving car
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Manual transmission driving skills were formerly more common, but now automatic transmission cars are far more common. This has led to a decline in the need for drivers proficient in manual transmissions, at least in the States.

2. Replacing a Ribbon in a Typewriter and Physical Audio Editing

Woman using typewriter
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I haven't seen a typewriter in ages. Word processors and text editors have virtually phased out the need to replenish typewriter ribbons. Similarly, in this digital age, the ability to physically edit audio using razor blades and tape is no longer necessary.

Digital audio editing software development has eliminated the need for time-consuming and labor-intensive manual methods of manipulating and editing audio recordings, such as cutting and splicing.

3. Developing Prints From Film Negatives

Man checking 35mm filmstrip in front of window. Photographer looking at a frames on old film. Focus on filmstrip.
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I recall having to wait a few days for our pictures to arrive. Before the photographer went to the dark room, we couldn't even see them. But things are different now. It's not as important to be able to use a manual camera or develop prints from film negatives.

There is less need for such labor-intensive methods now that digital photography and editing tools are so widely used, and current cameras are increasingly automated. We can now see pictures taken in real-time.

4. Printing Plate Creation

Two Young Woman working in Printing Press
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This user still has the skill of creating an electrostatic printing plate from a masking sheet. Put them on an offset replicator (a printing press) and run off several document copies. However, the use of traditional printing presses and hand-made plates has declined in recent years, thanks to the rise of digital printing technologies.

Modern design software often has automated layout capabilities that make it easy to arrange material digitally and instantly print, eliminating the need for masking sheets and electrostatic printing plates.

5. Programming a Basic Animation in Adobe Flash

San José, U.S. - October 13, 2018: Website of Adobe Flash Player.
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There are many high-quality, user-friendly animation tools and frameworks out there currently, many of which are compatible with modern web standards and offer enhanced functionalities.

Users don't need to be Flash experts to make use of these tools, which streamline the animation creation process. One user who has this skill describes it as a "Most recent useless skill," owing to how technological advancements change with the speed of light.

6. Hard Drive Partition and Editing on Autoexec.bat File

Close up of hard disk's internal mechanism hardware
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Someone claims they can still partition a hard drive, format it, and then create or modify an autoexec.bat file. Today, there is less need for low-level disk operations and manual configuration now that operating systems offer user-friendly interfaces and built-in capabilities.

Disk formatting and partitioning are automated using graphical user interface tools and other scripted procedures. The move to solid-state drives (SSDs) also does away with the necessity for disk management by hand because SSDs come pre-partitioned and are handled by the operating system.

7. Theater Projectionist

Antique theatre projector
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The user spliced together several rolls, loaded them onto a large horizontal disk, and fed it into the projector. But that was in the past. Manual activities such as splicing film and loading projectors are now extinct due to the widespread adoption of digital technology in cinemas.

With the advent of digital projection technology, theaters may be more efficiently organized and run. Because of the rise of digital distribution, fewer and fewer film prints are being used.

8. Programming in COBOL

COBOL programming language
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Demand for COBOL, a legacy programming language from the mainframe era, has dropped as its successors have improved functionality and efficiency. While COBOL-based systems are still in use, efforts are being redirected toward maintaining them up-to-date rather than developing new ones.

9. Using a Fountain Pen

Fountain Pen
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I just looked up how to use a fountain pen and found 13 steps on wikiHow. Did you know that for it to write, you must hold it in a specific way? This does not seem like a suitable fit in today's fast-paced environment, which devalues manual writing. Opting for such complexity is a rarity. Also, ballpoint pens and gel pens are a more handy and widely available solution for daily writing.

10. Writing in Cursive

Child Writing in Cursive
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These days, most people who need to communicate in writing do so by tapping away at keyboards or touching displays. The necessity for paper has decreased as technology like email, instant messaging, and social media have become more widespread. In addition, the current digital tendency toward clarity, efficiency, and readability does not favor a flowing writing style, which turns off many individuals.

Source: Reddit.

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