Could also be "What The Heck Is Electronic Mail?" (Germany, 2020s)
this post was submitted on 30 May 2025
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Vintage and Retro Ads, Promos, Fliers, Etc.
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For sharing images of vintage magazine ads, fliers, promos, etc.
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I wonder what Mr. Laurie Reeves is up to these days.
Ad has people send in snail mail, ironic
Why is it ironic - the ad was to encourage people to get electronic mail.
It's a joke™
A blood pressure cofactor.
Why doesn't Mr. Laurie Reeves have an email address listed? Seems ironic.
Well if you know how to write one, you don't need information on the technology.
Looking back, it’s almost incredible how much hope there was when these things started.
E-mail has been an amazing success. We kid about it being outdated now. But I just had to explain to a 18 y.o. how to mail a letter using snail-mail. Yes, you have to go to the post office to buy stamps and an envelope. Sure, you can Uber there. Put your name and address on the top left. The recipient name and address in the middle. That knowledge was universal 20 years ago. Now it's used only slightly more than cursive.
In 40 years we've gone from snail mail being the way you handled everything to present-day discussions of 'maybe we no longer need a postal service?'.
That is an amazing level of progress for a nation that still can't figure out if vaccines are a good idea.
It was not misplaced
Someone should make a set of Fediverse graphics/ads that are styled like this, like an explanation to people in a world before pervasive online social media.
I got you
Dirty slopper.
Here you go, friend!
The slopper can't help itself....
Good enough for the effort lol
When copy says, "the X of the future will have Y," it's often laughable how wrong they get it
but in this case, remarkably true.
Still waiting for those jetpacks.
Fascinating. And "punch a key" sounds so charming, 5 decades later.
According to the internet, this ad's been around between '77 and '81 and "it wasn't running (...) in mainstream consumer magazines; this ad was targeted at computer enthusiasts and run in computer news magazines like Computerworld and Datamation! The general public wouldn't become aware of e-mail until the '90s."
"punch a key" sounds so charming
Not even Doom music could make me forget that webpage
I think in the ptkfgs timeline it would be not even quake music and a dog.
I think it's wild that I'm about the same age as the first home computers, from their humble beginnings of PRESS PLAY ON TAPE to asking people across the world their a/s/l. It's crazy how fast this technology is moving and how it's completely changed the world. and I still remember a world where youd write your bowling score on paper, oh, and everyone at the bowling alley was smoking.
I had to explain to a kid at work what a 5" floppy was. He had one in his hand and was like what is this? I told him 5" floppy disk and he said Nah, what does it do? Blew his mind that this used to be the only way to put data in your computer.
It won't be long until nobody knows what a floppy disk was at all. It's wild.
The idea of getting all your business mail once a day at most, and a response isn't expected from you for days, sounds so peaceful.
I have some classic nintendo cartridge coasters at work. I had a young 20 something come into my office last year, pick one up, and say, "whats this? A cassette tape?"
Like dude. Even guardians of the galaxy should have told you thats not a cassette tape. Plus it fucking says Mario Brothers right on it....
I might have the same coasters!
picture accurately describes some of the "tech" management people i work with.