[Reading level: B2 – Upper Intermediate]
The world of technology has gone through breathtaking leaps of development over many years, to the point that items once considered the “cutting edge of technology” have gradually faded into the past. For younger people, not knowing these old technological devices is nothing unusual; however, they represent beautiful memories for the early 8x and 9x generations. Back then, there were no smartphones and no Internet, yet there were still technological items that everyone longed for.
Let’s take a look back at some technologies that once enjoyed great fame. If you still remember them, then you surely had a truly wonderful childhood.
1. Floppy Disk
The floppy disk was an early data-storage medium, appearing when computers had only just begun to show up in Vietnam. These square disks had capacities ranging from about 720 KB to 2.88 MB. This amount seems extremely small compared with today’s data needs, but at that time, they were the only way to store Word files or operating system files used to boot DOS. These disks were truly among the most important technological items of the 1990s.
2. Mechanical mouse (ball mouse)
Young people today are so familiar with optical and laser mice that the word “mouse” almost automatically refers to those types. However, when computers first appeared in Vietnam, the only mouse people knew was the ball mouse (most commonly from brands like Mitsumi and COMPAQ). These mice used a large ball underneath to detect the user’s movements and transmit them to the computer.
3. Black-and-White Television
One of the most valuable technological items of the 1990s, black-and-white televisions could truly be considered a family fortune. At that time, an entire apartment block might have had only a few such TVs, so evening children would gather in front of a single black-and-white screen to “watch television.” These are unforgettable memories for a whole generation of Vietnamese people.
4. Video Cassette Player
Mentioning old televisions without mentioning video cassette players would be a major omission. Like TVs of that era, video players were extremely expensive (worth even a tael of gold), so not every family could afford one. Accompanying these players were, of course, rather large video tapes used to store movies, music, and more.
The video tape rental service therefore emerged and grew rapidly. Instead of having to spend a large sum of money to buy each tape, viewers only needed to rent them at a low cost for one or several days. Video rental shops sprang up everywhere, from major streets to small residential neighborhoods, becoming familiar meeting places on weekday evenings or during weekends.
5. NES Game Console
The most popular game consoles of that period were the NES machines, often remembered as the “four-button console” or “cartridge games.” These machines are unforgettable memories for gamers over a long stretch of time: skipping school to play games, skipping breakfast to go to the arcade with friends, and getting caught by parents only to be thoroughly punished afterward.
6. Tamagotchi – Virtual Pet
Although not as globally famous or influential as the NES, the “virtual chickens” — Tamagotchi — are a very fond memory for a generation of students. Appearing in Vietnam and truly booming between 2002 and 2006, these small, cute devices allowed players to raise a virtual pet, take care of it every day, and watch it grow.
Though they could not connect players or allow them to compete with one another as in the famous manga Yu-Gi-Oh!, Tamagotchi devices still ranked among the most beloved toys of the 8x–9x student generation.
7. E.999 Handheld Game
Often called the “brick game” or “block-stacking game,” the E.999 was truly a dream toy for many boys and girls. With only a few very simple games such as Tetris (block stacking) or racing, it was still more than enough to satisfy the passion for “electronic games” at the time. Many people probably still remember secretly playing this device during afternoon naps, then crying and begging when it was confiscated and banned by their parents.
8. Sony CD-Walkman
Sony Walkman was a famous product line from Sony in the music-player market. In the 1990s, a “stylish” young man could not go out without a CD-Walkman clipped to his waist. As compact disc players, CD-Walkmans created a real craze in the electronics market of that era.
Only when the CD era declined and CD-Walkmans were replaced by compact MP3 and MP4 players did people gradually forget these once-iconic round devices. Today, finding and owning a CD-Walkman is no easy task.
9. USB 1.1
Nowadays, you can easily buy USB 3.0, or even USB 3.1, flash drives with capacities of 128GB or 256GB at giveaway-cheap prices in electronics supermarkets. Even these high-capacity USB drives are gradually being replaced by cloud computing services, which offer storage space that is virtually unlimited for individual users. Such figures are truly hard to imagine when compared with older-generation USB drives, which used the USB 1.1 standard and typically had capacities of only 8MB or 16MB in the early 2000s.
Due to their limited size, most of these early USB drives were used mainly to store favorite MP3 songs. At that time, there were no smartphones or modern music-playing devices like today. Therefore, these USB drives were extremely precious “assets” for music-loving boys and girls, used to play their songs whenever they got home from school.
Source: https://giadinh.suckhoedoisong.vn/hoai-niem-cung-nhung-mon-do-co-gan-lien-voi-the-he-8x-172151127172337406.htm
WORD BANK:
breathtaking /ˈbreθ.teɪ.kɪŋ/ [B2] (adj): ngoạn mục, đẹp đến nghẹt thở
leap /liːp/ [B1] (n/v): bước nhảy; nhảy vọt
cutting-edge /ˌkʌt̬.ɪŋˈedʒ/ [C1] (adj): tiên tiến, hiện đại nhất
fade into the past /feɪd ˈɪn.tuː ðə pæst/ (phr): dần biến mất vào quá khứ
long for sth /lɔːŋ fɔːr/ [B2] (v): khao khát, mong mỏi điều gì
floppy disk /ˈflɑː.pi dɪsk/ (n): đĩa mềm
medium /ˈmiː.di.əm/ [B2] (n): phương tiện (truyền tải)
operating system /ˈɑː.pə.reɪ.t̬ɪŋ ˈsɪs.təm/ (n): hệ điều hành
optical /ˈɑːp.tɪ.kəl/ [B2] (adj): (thuộc) quang học
underneath /ˌʌn.dɚˈniːθ/ [B1] (prep/adv): bên dưới
detect /dɪˈtekt/ [B2] (v): phát hiện
transmit /trænzˈmɪt/ [C1] (v): truyền, phát (tín hiệu/dữ liệu)
fortune /ˈfɔːr.tʃuːn/ [B2] (n): vận may; tài sản lớn
gather /ˈɡæð.ɚ/ [B1] (v): thu thập; tụ họp
video cassette player /ˈvɪd.i.oʊ kəˈset ˈpleɪ.ɚ/ (n): máy phát băng video (VCR)
omission /oʊˈmɪʃ.ən/ [C1] (n): sự thiếu sót
a tael of gold /ə teɪl əv ɡoʊld/ (n): một lượng/cây vàng
accompany sth /əˈkʌm.pə.ni/ [B2] (v): đi kèm, сопров đi cùng
video tape /ˈvɪd.i.oʊ teɪp/ (n): băng video
spring up /sprɪŋ ʌp/ [B2] (phr.v): mọc lên nhanh chóng, xuất hiện đột ngột
game console /ɡeɪm kənˈsoʊl/ (n): máy chơi game
cartridge /ˈkɑːr.trɪdʒ/ (n): hộp băng (trò chơi/mực in)
a long stretch of time /ə lɔːŋ stretʃ əv taɪm/ (n.phr): một khoảng thời gian dài
arcade /ɑːrˈkeɪd/ (n): khu trò chơi điện tử
thoroughly punish sb /ˈθɝː.oʊ.li ˈpʌn.ɪʃ/ (v.phr): trừng phạt nghiêm khắc
boom /buːm/ [B2] (v): bùng nổ
virtual /ˈvɝː.tʃu.əl/ [B2] (adj): ảo, trực tuyến
stack /stæk/ (n/v): chồng; xếp chồng
beg /beɡ/ [B1] (v): cầu xin, nài nỉ
confiscate sth /ˈkɑːn.fɪ.skeɪt/ [C1] (v): tịch thu
stylish /ˈstaɪ.lɪʃ/ [B1] (adj): thời trang, sành điệu
clip sth to sth /klɪp tuː/ (v): kẹp/cài vào
waist /weɪst/ [B1] (n): eo, thắt lưng
compact /kəmˈpækt/ [B2] (adj): nhỏ gọn
craze /kreɪz/ [B2] (n): cơn sốt
era /ˈɪr.ə/ [B1] (n): thời kỳ
once-ubiquitous /wʌns juːˈbɪk.wə.t̬əs/ (adj): từng một thời rất phổ biến
iconic /aɪˈkɑː.nɪk/ [B2] (adj): mang tính biểu tượng
no easy task (n.phr): không phải việc dễ
giveaway-cheap /ˈɡɪv.əˌweɪ tʃiːp/ (adj): rẻ như cho
cloud computing service /klaʊd kəmˈpjuː.t̬ɪŋ ˈsɝː.vɪs/ (n): dịch vụ điện toán đám mây
virtually /ˈvɝː.tʃu.ə.li/ [B2] (adv): hầu như, gần như
precious /ˈpreʃ.əs/ [B1] (adj): quý giá
asset /ˈæs.et/ [B2] (n): tài sản
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