this post was submitted on 07 Jul 2025
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[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 48 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Steam engines.

The vast majority of our power comes from making something really hot and boiling water. Coal plant? Oil plant? Gas plant? Nuclear fission plant? Geothermal plant? The grand holy grail of energy production that would be a nuclear fusion plant? All steam engines.

Yes, unbeknownst to everyone, this is what a steampunk society realistically looks like.

[–] TheBat@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago

After first contact

A: These are our mini neutron star fusion reactors. The most advanced technology to have ever existed. We basically take a chunk of neutron star matter and divide it into two. We neutralize the negative effect and extreme gravity with our space-time bending gravity manipulation technology. We let the two mini neutro spheres accelerate and collide. This generates enough energy to power atleast 3 planets for 1000 cycles. Not onl--

H: Wait a minute. I have a question.

A: Please feel free to ask any questions.

H: How do you convert the raw energy generated into a usable form at that scale?

A: We use utlra high intensity lasers for energy transfer to plane--

H: No. That's not what I'm asking. How do you convert the raw energy at reactor into a usable form?

A: ...

H: ...

A: We boil water wi--

H: Motherf-- enrages and loses sanity


Stolen from reddit.

[–] exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 6 days ago

We made steampunk a reality by developing the technology to transfer steam power efficiently over long distances through metal wires.

[–] RBWells@lemmy.world 11 points 5 days ago

Radio. I still listen to radio over the airwaves, and received by an antenna, as it has been done since 1920.

Bicycles are not much different since around 1900.

[–] BlushedPotatoPlayers@sopuli.xyz 28 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I'm surprised nobody mentioned jack plugs yet. Basically unchanged since 1877 when it was invented for phone switchboards, roughly as old as safety pins or modern hairpins (give or take a few decades)

[–] SCmSTR@lemmy.blahaj.zone 9 points 6 days ago (1 children)

That can't be the actual name of those, is it?

I've always kinda wondered, and generally call them TRS or something (I'm audio engineering background, American, millennial), so looked it up:

From https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phone_connector_(audio) under the "other terms" section:

The 1902 International Library of Technology simply uses jack for the female and plug for the male connector.[3] The 1989 Sound Reinforcement Handbook uses phone jack for the female and phone plug for the male connector.[4] Robert McLeish, who worked at the BBC, uses jack or jack socket for the female and jack plug for the male connector in his 2005 book Radio Production.[5] The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, as of 2007, says the more fixed electrical connector is the jack, while the less fixed connector is the plug, without regard to the gender of the connector contacts.[6] The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 1975 also made a standard that was withdrawn in 1997.[7]

The intended application for a phone connector has also resulted in names such as audio jack, headphone jack, stereo plug, microphone jack, aux input, etc. Among audio engineers, the connector may often simply be called a quarter-inch to distinguish it from XLR, another frequently used audio connector. These naming variations are also used for the 3.5 mm connectors, which have been called mini-phone, mini-stereo, mini jack, etc.

RCA connectors are differently shaped, but confusingly are similarly named as phono plugs and phono jacks (or in the UK, phono sockets). 3.5 mm connectors are sometimes—counter to the connector manufacturers' nomenclature[8]—referred to as mini phonos.[9]

Confusion also arises because phone jack and phone plug may sometimes refer to the RJ11 and various older telephone sockets and plugs that connect wired telephones to wall outlets.

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[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 6 points 6 days ago

If it ain't broke don't fix it.

[–] wildcardology@lemmy.world 19 points 6 days ago (3 children)
[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 11 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

So does pretty much the whole banking and credit industry. When you get money out of an ATM there's usually some COBOL code involved.

[–] theherk@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago (1 children)

True, we stack old technologies on top of older technologies, and somewhere at the bottom, there is z/OS with COBOL running. A young person right now learning COBOL has a secure future with big paychecks.

[–] LovableSidekick@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

Depends on your tolerance for code spelunking. Back in the 90s I was encouraged to do Y2K prep because I had some COBOL experience, but I really hated pawing through old code. To be fair, COBOL was designed to be self documenting and English-like. But I'm glad I got into web dev instead back then. It was right at the dawn of "dynamic HTML" when web pages started actually doing things. Very cool time. Right now I'd be more inclined to go into helping companies recover from failed AI projects.

[–] exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 6 days ago

That's not even a government thing. It's a finance/banking thing, as most major banks are still using mainframes and legacy COBOL code for most of their business logic.

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[–] Fedditor385@lemmy.world 22 points 6 days ago (4 children)

Fax, still in official use in Germany.

[–] Baggie@lemmy.zip 9 points 6 days ago (7 children)

It's considered a secure method of document transfer over email, despite email being able to be secured and fax can be hacked with like a length of wire and a knife. Fucking irks me.

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[–] dingus@lemmy.world 6 points 6 days ago

Very common in the US medical field as well

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[–] bfg9k@lemmy.world 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Pagers.

Still in use by hospitals and emergency services

[–] Therobohour@lemmy.world 3 points 5 days ago
[–] ProteanG6777@lemmynsfw.com 6 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Pager and satellite phone. Mostly a niche usecase for health workers and remote location settlement respectively.

[–] ikidd@lemmy.world 15 points 6 days ago (4 children)
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[–] captain_aggravated@sh.itjust.works 5 points 6 days ago (3 children)

General Aviation is still using magnetos. The typical GA airplane is hilariously primitive.

[–] bfg9k@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago (1 children)

NOOO I NEED LEADED FUEL CAUSE MY LYCOMING IS FROM THE 60s 😭😭

If you buy a brand new Skyhawk here in the space year 2025, it will come with a newly made Lycoming IO-360 that requires 100LL. I think they're still working on eliminating leaded avgas, I think because the Trump regime hasn't noticed it yet.

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[–] BonesOfTheMoon@lemmy.world 2 points 5 days ago (4 children)

Fax machines will never die no matter how they are mocked. It simply is the easiest way to send documents with private information and it's fast. At least we have e-faxing now to receive documents.

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[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 7 points 6 days ago (2 children)

The sewing machine. Like we got 3d printers than can give me whatever I want in 20 hrs but I still got to fight with a sewing machine to stitch an outfit. Like why no polyester clothes printer?

[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 12 points 6 days ago

For one, polyester fabric and clothes are just terrible

Two, technically you can 3d print a chainmail shirt, but it'd suck to wear normally

[–] AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world 5 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago)

We have knitting machines, and automated looms (weaving machines,) we even have sergers for fancy sewing. Its just plain easier to make the finished product as a custom job since humans aren't uniform in size, and it's way easier to weave a rectangular piece of cloth than any other shape.

[–] adaveinthelife@lemmy.ca 7 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Americans signing for credit card purchases.

But maybe that died in the past few years, it's been a while since I've visited. You must have tap by now, but if not... awkward

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