What is an Older Technology that is Better in Some Way than the Newer Ones that Replaced It?

Neal, a technology pioneer with a deep-rooted appreciation for vintage gear, reflects on why some older technologies hold a special place in his heart, surpassing their modern counterparts in various ways.

Neal as a Technology Pioneer

Neal: Great question because by what metric do we deem something ‘superior’. I am so many ways the ultimate nerd. I have spent most of my life as a pioneer working in VR in the 90s, CGI in the 80s, and CAD in the 70s... I am looking around my home, and it’s a sea of tech. Pretty much all of the lights and power sockets are connected to Alexa. I have top-notch, state-of-the-art computers around me, and one time, worth more than my newly rented, YUPpie apartment, Silicon Graphics machines, which were the rock gods of their time.

The Charm of Analog Synths and Vintage Gear

But as much as I have a state-of-the-art Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) and countless VST synthesizers, what truly floats my boat is the real, original, and physical replications of the analogue synths and ROMplers of the 90s and before. This very week, I added something very close to a Minimoog if Moog had a model E. So, it is pretty much identical but better featured. I use a Kindle, but would rather read a book. Reading a PDF sucks compared to reading a printed book. I have a stunning amp in my hi-fi that connects to my digital computer MP3s, so I can play music at will from all – but I mostly, and increasingly, play and purchase vinyl.

Precious Aviation Adventures

I like modern light aircraft, but the aircraft I mostly fly in is a 1947 Piper J3 Cub, and it is just a joy in the way that modern plastic sperm ultralights of today are not – despite being in many ways, but far from all, much more capable aeroplanes. I own a 17-year-old sports car, but a very special one running on adjustable coil-overs and dropped 30mm. I adore it. Yes, it is getting old but getting but the body remains solid, and this year, I replaced the rear subframe, the front lower wishbones, all the rear linkages for camber, castor, and camber adjustment. Yep, I did say this is a proper job in a sports car like few others, and replaced the engine last year. Next year, I shall replace the gearbox, and if funds permit, supercharge it!

Do I want a newer, more modern tech but shittier car? No. And for frick sake, electric? No way in hell!

The Struggle with Photography

Neal: So where is a scenario where I struggle to maintain the same affection? I think it must be photography. There are two areas we have to look at. Mobile phone technology means everyone has a camera – albeit to fault. Whoever decided that camera solution should enable them to broadcast themselves clearly envisaged family chats, not a vacuous generation obsessed with posting videos of themselves on social media and thinking this makes them something they are not.

Irony in the Digital Age

Nevertheless, digital photography, for all its negatives, remains a genuine game changer – warts and all. I am perhaps now I should accept that I was a semi-professional photographer and owned many digital systems and still do. They work and work amazingly, and part of my career background includes being a second-to-none digital editor. Yes, there are many additional tools like Photoshop, but do they make for a superior workflow? Absolutely! Are the results superior? Not so sure. All the most famous images were shot on film, and despite decades now, I have yet to see many emergent images shot digitally that are getting the same significance. We have to recognize in part that this is because one shot in a thousand by professional photographers is far more likely to get lost in a million mostly crap – but not all – shot on phones.

Raymond Bailey: The Expert at His Craft

N evertheless, I still adore film. David Bailey, a legend–a god in photography, once observed that in film photography, you look around and you see something, and you take the shot. There is no viewfinder mechanism; you are now looking to the next – and that is exactly what photography should be about. In contrast, digital photography is about the picture you took last – everyone looking down at their screens, and to a degree, relying on them to shoot the same damned photo five times or more to get the correct exposure – then thinking because ultimately they got there, they are professionals.

Bailey was famous for taking a staggering few shots in his shoots. Why? Because the skill to light and deliver the correct exposure was not about looking on the back screen of your shot and changing things – that was not a possibility – it was vital that you could do those in your sleep. No. Bailey took few shots because he was an expert in his job of making the creative shot. I still feel this with my 35mm film camera, Olympus OM-1, and my stunning collection of OM-system lenses. Do I feel that with my state-of-the-art also OM-1 digital camera, and even more impressive lenses? Not really.