The 70s’ infinite monotone at the close of the broadcasting day (you still get it in China and some places). The mysterious static and squeal of the AM/FM/SW radio tuner, the bleep-blop sound effect of Atari’s original Pong video game. The click-clack-ring of the Olivetti typewriter.

The 70-80s’ clickety-clickety dial of the rotary phone (that’s why it’s called a dial).

The early 80s’ click-clack shuffle of the overhead slide projector. The high pitched rewind and fast forward hum of the Sony VCR.

The mid 80s’ cluckety-cluck of the 5.25-inch floppy. The bone crunching zip-zap of the dot matrix.

The mid 90s’ magical beep and screech of the 14.4 kHz (yes, kilo) dial-up modem. Welcome to the World Wide Web, and at that connection speed you wondered why it’s called surfing.

The late 90s’ ringtone of Nokia “connecting people” on the banana handphone. The start-up tune of Windows 3.1 (hated it, still love hating it).

Ah, the good old days? Certainly nostalgic and somewhat entertaining on the rewind and playback. Technology has made our life–work, play and romance–more convenient, though not necessary simpler and happier. Back then and living with those sounds, we thought we’re so high tech. But then we sound like we’re so high tech now too, don’t we?

– KL

Listen to this article from computerworld.com by JR Raphael, on May 31, 2013:

20 historic tech sounds you may have forgotten

1. The floppy disk anthem
2. The modem’s music
3. The Windows serenade
4. The mail man’s call
5. The Nokia boogie
6. The busy signal ballad
7. The dot matrix jam
8. The slide projector shuffle
9. The mimeograph mix
10. The TV sign-off song
11. The VCR’s voice
12. The film projector’s march
13. The rotary phone rock
14. The pay phone jingle
15. The operator’s ode
16. The radio tuner’s tune
17. The cash register chorus
18. The Polaroid’s pitch
19. The old-school video game vamp
20. The typewriter’s tenor