Clicking it Old School, Part Three

Capacitance Electronic Disc

I wasn't sure how often I was going to post on this subject (Refer to my posts from May 24 and May 31) but I recently came across info on an old piece of technology, the capacitance electronic disc (CED).  For those who don't remember, the CED, informally known as the videodisc and marketed by RCA as SelectaVision, was an early form of home video rental that only lasted a few years in the 1980s.  They were like vinyl records encased in a rectangular caddy that was inserted into the player which then extracted the disc and played it with a stylus like those on old vinyl record players.  This is as much as I've learned about this old format.  More info can be found here.

Despite not having been a user of CEDs, I nevertheless have some vague memories of this old video format. My mom did rent a CED player and some concert CED from a local video store  for my birthday one year, 1985, a year before the CED went off the market.   And my aunt and uncle had a CED player.   And I vaguely remember how big and heavy the discs were. I was, like many, a VHS renter before DVDs became the dominant medium.   CED, it's said, was trumped in popularity by  VHS and Beta, both of which were recordable, unlike CED. Laser Discs lasted a little longer than the competing CED format.  And VHS won over Beta.  

Here's a recent article about the CED player.  Below is an image of CED exposed from its  protective caddy.

And above is a photo of the classic "Star Wars" on CED. 

I could not have seen myself using these things regularly.  As heavy as they were said to be, I imagine just getting them off the rental store shelf would have been a bit of work. And when it came time to return them to the store--I imagine the size and structure of these things would have made it dangerous to leave them in a drop slot.  Thank god we were able to drop off VHS tapes that way and now the same for DVDs, though I'm now a Netflix user so I rarely go to video stores anymore and now only have to find a mailbox to return my DVDs anytime I want (usually my own mailbox!) The VHS/DVD drop slots at Blockbuster came in handy when I didn't have time to rent another film.   But I shudder to think how I would have had to lug a heavy disk into the rental store just to return it and then rush out if I didn't have time to rent another disc.

Countdown to Halloween

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Eight Years Ago

Do you remember what you were doing when you heard about the September 11, 2001 attacks? I have a vague recollection of being in bed and turning on the TV, unable to escape hearing about the attacks.  And I do believe my mother called me asking if I had heard about the attacks.  And of course, I was shocked to hear what had happened that day.

I eventually had to get out of the house and saw that the Dollar Tree store was opening in my town. I filled out the application and was hired.  And I was glad to get this job, having been unemployed for just a little over a week when I was fired from a nearby restaurant. I couldn't stand the new owner who'd taken over a few months earlier and wanted  to get out (Just not that way, of course).   Something good came out of that day for me.

What Beatles Song Are You?

You Are Helter Skelter

You are loud, rebellious, and prone to make a bit of a scene. You have major problems with authority. You hate being told what to do. You are independent and adventurous. Life is a wild ride, and you aren't afraid to jump on the roller coaster. You are outrageous, honest, and sometimes shocking. You say what you feel and expect the same of others.

What Beatles Song Are You?

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12 Year Olds

What Your Jack-o-Lantern Says

What Your Jack-o-Lantern Says

You are a gleeful, exuberant person. You enjoy a good party, and you even enjoy a good brawl. This Halloween, there is no question what you should be... a pirate! The candy you should give out: peanut butter cups

The Jack-o-Lantern Quiz

Blogthings: We Have a Quiz for Almost Everything

Reunion Weekend

Last Saturday, August 29, was the 20-year class reunion for San Benito High School Class (Hollister, California) of 1989.  It was held at a local winery Leal Vineyards, in Hollister and below is a picture of the small waterfall surrounding the outdoor area at the place.  Lavender also surrounds the outdoor area, making a beautiful smell in the night air.  It was a nice outdoor experience. 

  

It was a great time and seeing high school classmates after a long time can be great fun.  Be sure to go to your next high-school reunion.  It could be more fun than you might expect. A lot of my classmates agreed this was a great time.   Here I am below with two of my classmates (I'm the one in the middle wearing the fake lei).

The night before our reunion, some of us met a local bar for an unofficial pre-gathering where we did some karaoke.   I did one of my usual songs, the Bob Dylan composition, "It Ain't Me, Babe," and a fellow graduate dedicated his performance of the Bee Gees' "You Should Be Dancing" to our graduating class.  And another bar patron performed the Beastie Boys' "You've Got to Fight for Your Right to Party," a song all us '89 grads remember well.   Here some of them are singing along with that song:

Then it was the big night as members of the class of 1989 gathered around telling each other what they were doing now, where they now lived and other such stories.   Classmates came from as far as Delaware, Virginia, Washington state, Idaho and Atlanta, but the farthest had to be one who came from New Zealand.  Yes, one from out of the country. 

All in all, a great time, and one that may never be topped the next  time we meet. 

What's Your Medieval Profession?

What's Your Medieval Profession? You Are a Playwright

You are a highly literate wordsmith. You love both reading and writing. You are also a natural storyteller. You can turn a mediocre anecdote into a riveting tale. You find people and all aspects of life fascinating. No topic is off limits for you. In modern times, you would make a good filmmaker or novelist.

Maybe I should try to write some more.  Why I seem to have given that up I'll ever know.