The first time you ever heard about something that is now commonplace

[CormoranStrike]

I have two.

I was chatting to a guy who had an audio company in the early 90s I reckon and he mentioned Bluetooth, which confused me. He raved about this new tech and said he was sure it would be massive.

The other was interviewing a forensic scientist on his retiral from the police. He had been the most senior of his speciality at Lockerbie.

He was explaining transference (Occam’s razor) and I can remember sitting on his couch in his living room in the small village he lived in and saying, “wait, do you mean evidence of me having been in your house is now indelibly here, I’ve left traces?” - totally fascinating.

There started a fascination with crime novels, too.

I remember someone in the pub circa 1997 saying to me “Do you have an email address? You must get one, it’s fantastic!”

Also remember signing up to Facebook in 2007 and not inputting my personal details because I wasn’t sure if it might be a scam.

My first close encounter with a mobile phone

A friend borrowed his dad’s mobile in 1997. It was like a brick! We were all fascinated to turn it on and see if it had a signal in different places. And we rang our parents to tell them we were on one of those mobiles like in the movies!

We were taught how to use email in a uni course in about 1989. But only my aunt and my dad had email and they never used it.

(Oh and we had a home computer in 1979 - a TRS80)

My aunt let me chat to one of her friends via MSN messenger when I was about 10. I thought she was the most sophisticated tech genius to be able to live chat with her friend on the other side of the country through the computer! Is MSN messenger even still a thing?!

The first time we ever had salami(a long time ago),very adventurous for the time but my mum fried it as we didn't know if it was raw.

My Dad bringing back a Commodore PET one day in the late 70s and as me and my siblings squinted unconvinced at this clunky thing with it's tiny screen, he told us that it was a Personal Computer and it was the Future.

Being stunned to hear that Mars bars were going to be launched as an ice cream!

In 1997 we didn’t have a house phone so I bought a pager. Friends had to dial the number to be connected to a call centre where a nice lady would type out what they wanted to say and send it. The call cost 50p. When I received the text I had to walk to the phone box and call them back. I still have it and I’m tempted to call the number just to see if it still works!

I remember having a conversation with my dad in the very early 90’s about the internet and he said that one day we’d do our shopping on it. I thought it was ridiculous. I’m now an amazon addict . I also remember mucking about on the internet in the mid 90’s and we were all amazed by the hamster dance website

My dad came home with a car phone one day. We sat in the car on the drive and called my mum inside the house.

Dread to think how much we spent on a conversation that could have been had face to face just by opening the door.

I also remember hearing how in the near future, no one would ask ‘what’s your phone number?’ But, instead ‘what’s your email?’
That one didn’t pan out, but not for the reasons I thought it wouldn’t!

MP3 players. I remember thinking "why would I take one album loaded up on that gadget when I have a perfectly good CD holder?" Mind you this was when they held about 10 songs max.

Off topic, but OP I think you're getting your principles/theories mixed up. The idea of forensic transference is Locard's Principle (much beloved of Jeffrey Deaver/Lincoln Rhyme).

Occam's Razor is the idea that the simplest explanation for something is often correct - eg if you hear hoofbeats thing horses, not zebras.

Great topic though. Not going to contribute as it will reveal just how ancient I am!!

I remember being amazed when you could first buy pasta that was a different shape to spaghetti.

I am old!

Cartons of drink with little straws attached. Our neighbours had these in the early eighties and I thought they were amazing. Easily pleased.

I lived in Japan in the 90s and had a friend developing apps for phones. I remember being sceptical they'd catch on.

Another friend talking about real estate development in the 80s as a great money earner

I should listen to my friends more

They are both minted now

I was 21

It was 1993

I had moved to London to be a nanny and the lady I was going to work for suddenly pulled a phone out of her bag and started talking into it.

I was so shocked.

I remember ringing my mum from the house later on to tell her and she said it was very peculiar.

BF had massive rant while we were on holiday about why every single bar and eatery felt the need to advertise free WiFi... why would anyone need free WiFi??? What’s so important that they have to get online immediately and can’t wait until they get home??? (this was just about the time of the emergence of smart phones). I obviously remind him of this rant every single time he looks for a WiFi code when we’re out n about.

In 1987...I used a mobile phone that had a battery and components the size of a breeze block! It belonged to a BT Engineer who was in the same London hotel restaurant where I was staying whilst on a Course from work.
He offered to let me use it to ring my mum who was looking after my kids. I was trying to explain to her that I was using a mobile phone but she wasn't that interested!
It would be another 15years before I got a mobile phone a Nokia 3310!

1981 a lecturer at college described the inception of the internet and some of its likely uses. As students we were asked to give it a strap line or label. Mine was 'The Future at Your Fingertips'.

I never thought the internet would take off. I couldnt see what the fuss was about and why you wouldn’t just look something up in a book. Also didnt get why you would want to use the strange chatroom where everyine was typing at the same time and you couldnt keep up with who you were talking to (mid 90s).

Also these TED talks that everyone raves about. Ive listened to a few (never get to the end) and i find them a bit weird in thst everyone seems to speak in the same way, regardless of their subject.

A couple of years ago, my family and I went to visit distant family in Lithuania. The Internet, phones and social media aren't really a big thing for most of them.
But my cousin, who was about 13 at the time, had an IPad. She played a song which I thought sounded quite nice and had never heard before, at the time.
It was "Chandelier" by SIA.

Mate got a job in Internet advertising in 2003.. I remember my parents saying oh that's not a good industry to get into, how could it ever be profitable