October 10th, 2024

Back in the day, people had to cook a hard-boiled egg for a computer mouse

A humorous trend on social media sees older individuals trolling younger generations with a fictional hack about hard-boiled eggs and computer mice, highlighting a generational gap in technology understanding.

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Back in the day, people had to cook a hard-boiled egg for a computer mouse

A humorous trend has emerged on social media where older individuals are playfully trolling younger generations with a fictional "hack" involving hard-boiled eggs and computer mice. This joke, which suggests that people used to cook eggs to maintain their computer mice, has sparked a lively Twitter thread filled with witty comments and absurd claims. Many younger users are left confused, unable to discern whether the joke is based on reality or simply a meme. The trend highlights a generational gap in understanding technology, as older users reminisce about the challenges of early computing, while younger users struggle to grasp the context. Artist Aram Bartholl commented on the phenomenon, noting that it reflects a playful prank rather than a serious generational clash. He emphasized that the joke resonates with younger audiences due to their unfamiliarity with outdated technology, which often required more hands-on maintenance. The rapid spread of such humorous content on social media showcases how easily absurd ideas can gain traction, especially when paired with engaging visuals and storytelling.

- Older individuals are humorously trolling younger generations with a fictional hack involving eggs and computer mice.

- The trend has sparked confusion among younger users, who are unsure if the claims are true or just a meme.

- The phenomenon highlights a generational gap in understanding technology and its maintenance.

- Artist Aram Bartholl views the trend as a playful prank rather than a serious generational conflict.

- The rapid spread of such humor on social media illustrates the power of engaging visuals and storytelling.

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By @ColinWright - 6 months
This isn't my usual kind of post, and this isn't the sort of thing that usually survives here on HN, but I saw this and immediately thought of the genuine generation gap I sometimes see here.

I remember coding in BASIC on a TRS-80, smashing the stack to get to machine code[0], writing my own monitor program and assembler, then a compiler in BASIC from BASIC direct to Z80.

The story of Mel[1] is real, and I really do think people should have the opportunity to see how things were, and recognise that things now are AMAZING !!!

[0] Not even assembler

[1] https://hn.algolia.com/?q=story+mel

By @politelemon - 6 months
The newegg comment is subtle and well done. It's just silly enough and yet believable enough to make you wonder.
By @rspoerri - 6 months
I love some misconceptions about technology or the way of living in the 80s / 90s.

An anecdote I love is a young scholar asking his teacher:

Before you had internet, how did you access Wikipedia?

By @krapp - 6 months
It was terrible if you were struggling in college and had to choose between using the mouse that day or eating.