Gear

Say Goodbye to the Tech Sounds You'll Never Hear Again

The forward march of technology has a drum beat. And some of the most beloved sounds are falling out of the marching band.
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The Telephone Slam
The forward march of technology has a drum beat. These days, it's custom text-message alerts, or your friend saying "OK, Glass" every five minutes like a tech-drunk parrot. And meanwhile, some of the most beloved sounds are falling out of the marching band. The boops and beeps of bygone technology can be used to chart its evolution. From the zzzzzzap of the Tesla coil to the tap-tap-tap of Morse code being sent via telegraph, what were once the most important nerd sounds in the world are now just historical signposts. But progress marches forward, and for every irritatingly smug Angry Pigs grunt we have to listen to, we move further away from the sound of the Defender ship exploding. Let's celebrate the dying cries of technology's past. The follow sounds are either gone forever, or definitely on their way out. Bow your heads in silence and bid them a fond farewell. Above:

The Telephone Slam

Ending a heated telephone conversation by slamming the receiver down in anger was so incredibly satisfying. There was no better way to punctuate your frustration with the person on the other end of the line. And when that receiver hit the phone, the clack of plastic against plastic was accompanied by a slight ringing of the phone's internal bell. That's how you knew you were really pissed -- when you slammed the phone so hard, it rang. There are other sounds we'll miss from the phone. The busy signal died with the rise of voicemail (although my dad refuses to get voicemail or call waiting, so he's still OG), and the rapid click-click-click of the dial on a rotary phone is gone. But none of those compare with hanging up the phone with a forceful slam. Tapping a touchscreen just does not cut it. So the closest thing we have now is throwing the pitifully fragile smartphone against the wall. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired