Oh, those were the days in which I lived (the dial-up Internet). (Imagine Michael Winslow of “Space Balls” and “Police Academy” doing that sound effect if this strip were animated.)
It was more like PRRRRRR OEOEOEOOEOEOE SCREEEEEEEECH RRRRRRRRRR WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK.At least the v23 was.
Modem speak! God, I remember this terrible shriek. Possibly my favorite strip to-date, as I worked for a couple of local ISPS and then a cable company that also provides Internet services.
You can’t forget this dial-up sound! And the soft soothing melody of the SHRWEEEEEEEEKRWEEEEEEEWEEEEEEWEEEEEE once the connection was established! (Because YES dial-up used to failed. Often.)
And he isn’t kidding. I lived in a duplex that was located betwixt and between cable providers, aka no-cable-land. And the phone service was the lousiest in the area. It took an hour to download 10-Megabytes, so something like a 30Meg Scientific American monthly magazine took 3-hours! I would start it Saturday morning, then do the weekly shopping, laundry, etc, and then maybe it would be done (unless it felt like crashing instead.) Where I am now I have high speed cable/internet, and a direct router to computer connection with Ethernet. Takes 2 or 3 seconds to download a 10Meg file!
When the first 28.8 modems came out the noises it made were so strange and startling – AND so rare, those puppies were expensive! – that people would record the noise so others could hear it.Gods, I am old.
Averagemoe about 6 years ago
I’ve heard dial tones on a phone being used as a musical instrument. Big businesses might get into a bidding war for numbers that play famous songs.
codycab about 6 years ago
Marigold is not wrong actually.
Templo S.U.D. about 6 years ago
Oh, those were the days in which I lived (the dial-up Internet). (Imagine Michael Winslow of “Space Balls” and “Police Academy” doing that sound effect if this strip were animated.)
Cemalidor about 6 years ago
Did Marigold ever had to work with AOL Dialup by chance? :)
asrialfeeple about 6 years ago
It was more like PRRRRRR OEOEOEOOEOEOE SCREEEEEEEECH RRRRRRRRRR WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKK.At least the v23 was.
GirlGeek Premium Member about 6 years ago
I’ve been through dial up. Glad I never need to go through that again.
DHBirr about 6 years ago
As always, I LOVE Marigold’s weird facial expressions.
DDrazen about 6 years ago
At an old job I used to have, I’d occasionally whistle until the acoustic coupler responded. I like to think I was driving it crazy.
Nebulous Premium Member about 6 years ago
He forgot the “Bong Bong!”It won’t connect without the “Bong Bong!”
tripwire45 about 6 years ago
Why didn’t he just get on YouTube and play the “modem mating call?”
scyphi26 about 6 years ago
Glad we’re in agreement, Marigold.
Brass Orchid Premium Member about 6 years ago
And then you change the handshake to renegotiate from 300 baud to 450 and watch the text fly by!
BeniHanna6 Premium Member about 6 years ago
We must remember, when the internet and dial-up came out, we thought it was fantastic and cutting edge.
BiggerNate91 about 6 years ago
Being in this generation, I want to know what dial-up was, but at the same time I don’t.
Major Matt Mason Premium Member about 6 years ago
This is a tech joke, right? ;D (Yeah, yeah, I know that’s ‘Nancy’ snark. Tough.) ;)
eladee AKA Wally about 6 years ago
That’s a sound you’ll never forget once you’ve heard it!!
Darwinskeeper about 6 years ago
I thought he was describing what it sounded like to accidentally call a fax line.
ZarPaulus about 6 years ago
Ah yes, the days when AOL was the only ISP anyone used.
Wichita1.0 about 6 years ago
Modem speak! God, I remember this terrible shriek. Possibly my favorite strip to-date, as I worked for a couple of local ISPS and then a cable company that also provides Internet services.
Wichita1.0 about 6 years ago
It’s funny, but I recall the early pitch days of this strip, when the first one appeared on Furaffinity, back when I was writing comic books.
Kwen about 6 years ago
You can’t forget this dial-up sound! And the soft soothing melody of the SHRWEEEEEEEEKRWEEEEEEEWEEEEEEWEEEEEE once the connection was established! (Because YES dial-up used to failed. Often.)
STACEY MARSHALL Premium Member about 6 years ago
And he isn’t kidding. I lived in a duplex that was located betwixt and between cable providers, aka no-cable-land. And the phone service was the lousiest in the area. It took an hour to download 10-Megabytes, so something like a 30Meg Scientific American monthly magazine took 3-hours! I would start it Saturday morning, then do the weekly shopping, laundry, etc, and then maybe it would be done (unless it felt like crashing instead.) Where I am now I have high speed cable/internet, and a direct router to computer connection with Ethernet. Takes 2 or 3 seconds to download a 10Meg file!
Night-Gaunt49[Bozo is Boffo] about 6 years ago
Hard to believe those are now considered “prehistoric times” now by the young.
rgcviper about 6 years ago
Ahh … dial-up Internet. That takes me back. Quite the memorable sound effects—that’s for sure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsNaR6FRuO0
Pedmar Premium Member about 6 years ago
I remembering a Zits comic from around Y2K where those noises were visualized. I don’t remember it all, but a clown was one of the images.
Kali about 6 years ago
My first computer was RadioShack’s TRS-80, aka, the Trash80.
I think it probably just completed loading my program about ten minutes ago.
wjones about 6 years ago
The good old dial up, If someone used the phone while you were down loading all was lost.
Stephen Gilberg about 6 years ago
I knew what Dad was doing by the second panel.
bigcatbusiness about 6 years ago
I remember that tone too well.
KiraHatfield about 6 years ago
ah the sound of my childhood
stefaninafla about 6 years ago
I do not miss modem pong.
L Ron Pony about 6 years ago
When the first 28.8 modems came out the noises it made were so strange and startling – AND so rare, those puppies were expensive! – that people would record the noise so others could hear it.Gods, I am old.