The lost art of waiting: What happened to life before blue ticks?

It started as a simple chat about landlines—but it quickly spiraled into a full-blown trip down memory lane on HOT 1027 Breakfast this morning.

From the days of shared household phones and clunky answering machines to the click-clack of typewriters and the screech of dial-up internet, the team reflected on everyday items that have quietly vanished from our lives. And maybe, just maybe, we miss them more than we thought.

“I long for the days of the landline—if you weren’t home, you just weren’t available.”

Parky recalled the beauty of being unreachable—when a missed call was simply that, and no one expected an instant reply.

“Hi, it’s the Parkinson family here… leave a message after the tone!”

Answering machines were more than functional—they were family signatures. And there was something oddly satisfying about fast-forwarding through messages to dodge someone you didn’t want to call back.

“My son just bought a Kodak camera—you take a photo, and you can’t see it straight away. Mind-blowing!”

Close-up of a fax machine with visible buttons and paper being fed into the top, photographed in a cool blue-toned light.

Bunny shared how film photography is finding new fans, with younger generations embracing the mystery and delayed gratification of physical photos.

“You put a page in here, and it comes out there? Fax machines were genius!”

The team laughed over the concept of faxing—still impressive even in today’s high-speed digital world.

“Those Tamagotchis were way less work than real pets… and definitely cheaper on vet bills!”

There was even love for digital pets, typewriters, CD-ROMs, and the screechy magic of dial-up internet.

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The lost art of waiting: What happened to life before blue ticks?